I absolutely loved The Shortest Way To Hades. I thought the first in the series, Thus Was Adonis Murdered, was excellent; this is even better.
The book is again narrated by Hilary Tamar, a long-established Oxford Professor of the History Of Law, whose gender we are never told. This time, s/he and his/her young barrister friends become involved in the possibly suspicious death of a member of a family embroiled in a complex legal matter to do with inheritance. It’s very nicely done, with scholarly clues fairly laid but well hidden, and a very engaging narrative. Don’t look for gritty realism here, but it all hangs together well, with a gratifying sprinkling of red herrings and, of course, a neat resolution.
Frankly, though, the plot is secondary here. It is Hilary’s narrative voice and the interactions of the other characters which make the book so entertaining and so very funny. I laughed out loud regularly at the use of language, which I think is quite brilliant. As a tiny example, “...the conversation turned, as it so often does among the Chancery Bar, to the imperfections of their administrative and clerical arrangements. The tyranny of their Clerk Henry and the incompetence of the temporary typist were recalled in lingering detail and with copious anecdote.” If you find that amusing, you’ll love the book; if you don’t, you won’t.
I did, and found the whole thing immensely enjoyable. Very warmly recommended.
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