Rating: 5/5
Review:
Another Watson gem
Plaster Sinners is another Colin Watson gem.
This time, after Sgt. Sidney Love is slugged at an antiques
auction, a rather Golden Age plot emerges (and is slyly winked at by Watson)
involving the local "squire" and his family, long-lost jewels, dodgy
inheritances and so on. It's
terrifically enjoyable, with Watson's trademark wry humour and penetratingly
sharp characterisation.
This is perhaps more of a detective mystery and slightly
less of a farcical comedy than some of Watson's others, but it's none the worse
for that. There's an excellent visiting
Inspector from London and even the
almost total absence of Miss Lucilla Teatime doesn’t dim the book's charm. There's plenty of barbed social comment under
the charm, too, with Watson having some very well-aimed swipes at the attitudes
of the arrogant and privileged to others, including the police.
In short, this is a very good Colin Watson book, which is
among the highest praise I can offer. Very
warmly recommended.
(My thanks to Farrago for an ARC via NetGalley.)
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