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Ten Lords A-Leaping
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Lady Troutbeck, Mistress of St Martha's College, throws herself into the serious work of the House. When ten lords have simultaneous heart attacks, Troutbeck finds herself helping the police with their enquiries.
About the Author
Ruth Dudley Edwards was born in Dublin and now lives in London. A historian and prize-winning biographer, her most recent non-fiction includes the authorized history of The Economist, a portrait of the British Foreign Office, written with its co-operation, and ‘The Faithful Tribe’, a portrait of the Orange Order. Three of her satirical crime novels featuring Baroness Troutbeck have been short-listed for awards from the Crime Writers’ Association.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As one of the liberals lampooned in this rollicking murder mystery I suppose it could be argued that I "shouldn't" enjoy it as much as I do, but then I've always enjoyed being challenged by other people's opinions & think life would be boring if I was never exposed to vastly different points of view. (This must be the wet liberal in me coming out!) This book is a sheer joy to read, Ruth Dudley Edward's gallant spirit and robust humour galloping over every page. She wickedly sets her wet liberal main character the task of defending the House Of Lords and blood sports, and while I entirely disapprove of both these institutions I vastly enjoyed reading her case for their continuation.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you haven't read any of Ruth Dudley Edwards' brilliant satires of Establishment Institutions , you could start here (although " Matricide at St Martha's" really gives us the formidable Jack Troutbeck in all her PC skewering glory as a best starting point ). The series ( a number now available on splendid Kindle editions ) began with Robert Amiss as the main protagonist -he now has become really a Watson to Jack Troutbeck who moves more centre stage with each following book , culminating with "Murdering Americans" , where Amiss follows her exploits via e-mail , not joining in the action until over half way into that story. ( It'll be twitter in the next one -long overdue!)If you , like me ,do not share Jacks Right Wing stance , that's why Amiss is there , but you will laugh out loud at all of her antics. Personal favourite? -"The Anglo Irish Murders". Incidentally , try the available full length Talking Books , msgnificently read by Bill Wallis - his range of accents and his obvious delight in reading shines through! Read 'em/listen to them-you will not regret it.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Intelligent Slapstick and Satire Abound
13 Sep 2005
Format:Paperback
As an American who spends a frightful amount of time in the UK, I found this book to be hilarious, but then I am familiar with a lot of how the UK works. For this series, it probably helps although it isn't absolutely essential. If you watch a lot of Mystery or read a lot, then you'll get by fine.
This book is dry British humor. It holds no sacred cows in fact she targets and sends up sacred cows in her books. She also has a cat character, Plutarch, who is one of the funnier cats in writing without that nauseating cloyness that many authors give pets. Then again, that's probably part of the humor.
If you like dry humor, if you appreciate poking fun at most everything, if you like intelligent slapstick (do you like Mr. Bean?) then you will probably appreciate the humor here. It also helps if you understand and appreciate irony. Otherwise, much of this may either bewilder or bore you. If you're a bit prudish this probably isn't your cup of tea either.
One other thing - the mystery here is just a vehicle for a hilarious story. If you want mysteries to be the key, this will probably irritate you too. I wasn't particularly worried about the solution as I was enjoying the caper far more, but I knew what I was in for.
This book is dry British humor. It holds no sacred cows in fact she targets and sends up sacred cows in her books. She also has a cat character, Plutarch, who is one of the funnier cats in writing without that nauseating cloyness that many authors give pets. Then again, that's probably part of the humor.
If you like dry humor, if you appreciate poking fun at most everything, if you like intelligent slapstick (do you like Mr. Bean?) then you will probably appreciate the humor here. It also helps if you understand and appreciate irony. Otherwise, much of this may either bewilder or bore you. If you're a bit prudish this probably isn't your cup of tea either.
One other thing - the mystery here is just a vehicle for a hilarious story. If you want mysteries to be the key, this will probably irritate you too. I wasn't particularly worried about the solution as I was enjoying the caper far more, but I knew what I was in for.
Bugger your moral susceptibilities
23 July 2010
Format:Paperback
For the first half of this book, I enjoyed the author's wit and storytelling quite a bit. Any writer who has the courage to expose the anthropomorphic absurdities of the animal rights movement has my eager attention. But the second half of the book didn't quite work for me. It seemed like scene after scene of characters discussing the situation rather than anything really taking place. After the twentieth phone conversation between two characters telling each other what they'd found out or arranging meetings over dinner, I began to get a little impatient. Indeed, the most action-packed scene in the second half of the book involves retrieving an escaped cat. By the time I got to the solution of the mystery--which seemed to come out of nowhere and had little to do with the theme of the book--I really didn't care that much anymore. I appreciate the author's willingness to satirize so many political points of view--on both sides of the pond--and Baroness Troutbeck was a hoot, but I would have liked a little less conversation and a little more action.
Entertaining and Even Informative
6 Sep 2005
Format:Paperback
For us American types who know next to nothing about the British House of Lords, this was an instructive book. But that's not it's real purpose, of course, since it is after all a murder mystery. Baroness Jack Troutbeck, newly elevated to that title, is now in the Lords and consequently her sidekick Robert Amiss gets to investigate a murder there. One is generally less interested in the mystery in a Ruth Dudley Edwards book than enjoying the comic twists in the plot line and laughing at the even quirkier characters, and both abound in this tale.
Like the previous reviewer, I believe the ending is rather contrived and it does break one of the cardinal rules of mysterydom, which is that there should be enough clues along the way to give away the identity of the murderer to a careful reader. But since this is a comic mystery that is a bit less of a crime, if you'll pardon the pun.
I did not enjoy this one as much as some other Dudley Edwards mysteries, but it did keep me entertained and surely that counts for a lot. One point: someone needs to tell the writer that the state of Virginia is not in the American midwest.
Like the previous reviewer, I believe the ending is rather contrived and it does break one of the cardinal rules of mysterydom, which is that there should be enough clues along the way to give away the identity of the murderer to a careful reader. But since this is a comic mystery that is a bit less of a crime, if you'll pardon the pun.
I did not enjoy this one as much as some other Dudley Edwards mysteries, but it did keep me entertained and surely that counts for a lot. One point: someone needs to tell the writer that the state of Virginia is not in the American midwest.
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