Latest reading

I decided to read A Necessary End last week - found it such an easy and compelling read. Peter Robinson fills his books with interesting characters, even those that only appear for a short time are so well described and recognisable. My only problem with detective fiction is that it's so disposable. They are the type of books that you can pick up and read quickly and love while you're immersed in the story, get totally caught up in the mystery...and then feel vaguely let down when you finish them. Does anyone else feel like that? Even with a series of detective fiction - like the Lydmouth series by Peter Robinson - the continuing story arc of the main character is never quite enough for me to feel I must rush straight into the next book. But, I am not complaining - sometimes you just want to pick up a book that guarantees a great read.

I have just started The Suspicions of Mr Whicher. Really enjoying the style of this book. I do feel that all the hype around this book has been quite misleading though. I got the impression that it was fiction, based on an actual murder case, but it is actually a straight forward case history. The great thing is that it still reads like a mystery and the clues unravel as I imagine they actually did at the time. I'm quite surprised by the reviews on Amazon - seems a lot of people felt duped in all the wrong ways, and disappointed at the 'dryness' of the book. For me, it's the background social commentary and placing of the case in it's historical context that is making it so interesting. Of course, the fact that it is based in one of my favourite periods of history. It's also giving me plenty of things to add to my list of things to find out more about!