- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: Holt Paperbacks (July 22 1985)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0805013393
- ISBN-13: 978-0805013399
- Product Dimensions: 17.5 x 10.9 x 1.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 91 g
- Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
A civilized game of Duplicate Bridge ends in a double murder in which both victims were strangled with picture wire. The crimes seem identical, but were they carried out by the same hand? The odds of solving this crime are stacked up against Inspector Hemingway. Fortunately, the first-rate detective doesn’t miss a trick.
About the Author
Georgette Heyer's historical novels have charmed and delighted millions of readers. She wrote over 50 books, including Regency romances, mysteries and historical fiction. She was known as the Queen of Regency romance, and was legendary for her research, historical accuracy and her extraordinary plots and characterizations.
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Most helpful customer reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Ridiculous Death,
By Ivy (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Duplicate Death (Paperback)
Let's get one thing straight - if you're reading for the mystery, don't bother with this one. Duplicate Death's murders are easy to solve but not even remotely interesting. Don't bother if you're hoping for the fun characters of Heyer's earlier books, either. If you're looking for unintentional humor, though, this book might be worth a look.In Duplicate Death, a man with an unsavory past is strangled during a duplicate bridge party; his hostess that night is killed in the same way a few days later. Those who have read They Found Him Dead might enjoy a brief skim through this book, as it checks in briefly with Jim and Patricia Kane, twelve years into their marriage; the book also features a grown-up Timothy Harte, whose fiancee is a suspect in the case. This is one of Heyer's later books and one of her worst. While her mysteries were never masterworks, for most of her career she produced good light English mystery. By the time of Duplicate Death, though, she lost most of the style that had distinguished her earlier books. And her attempts to incoporate into her works the social, political, and cultural changes of post-WWII England drained her stories of energy and fun while failing to give them any depth or realism. Heyer's attempts at modernity actually give rise to some unintentional humor. She tries, for example, to incorporate a gay man into the plot, and the bigotry displayed as a result manages to transcend offensiveness to become ludicrous. We can either cringe or remember the era when Hemingway laments that he's got to cope with a gay man as a suspect. We can sigh in exasperation or roll our eyes at the author's attempt to convey that man's sexual preferences by having him alternate fits of tears with fits of temper. But we can only laugh when Heyer explains, with complete seriousness, that male homosexuality is caused by childhood asthma. And that's just one example. There's prejudice of every stripe on display here, and while it is going to make most modern readers wince, it's so overdone and so ridiculous that those readers are likely to be amused rather than angry. Duplicate Death is Heyer's second-worst book and is worth reading only for the unintentional hilarity evoked by the author's unwitting exposure of her strange opinions. Those who seek competent, humorous mysteries would do well to try her earlier books, like A Blunt Instrument or Death in the Stocks. In general, most readers should skip this one.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.8 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews) 16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fun traditional British mystery,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Duplicate Death (Hardcover)
Duplicate Death is a wonderful mystery of the kind that Goergette Heyer excells at--witty, cleverly plotted, and with a strong inclination towards social satire. She paints a delightful picture of London high society in the 1930s, and it's great fun to get lost in the details of balls, chaperones, debutants, etc. Amid the social whirl, there's a crafty killer at large, and two deserving young people who must do their best to solve the mystery if they are to avoid being suspected of murder--or become victims themselves.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Deadly Game of Bridge,
By Nash Black "Troubadour" - Published on Amazon.com
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This review is from: Duplicate Death (Paperback)
Timothy Harte from "They Found Him Dead" is all grown up and a very eligible man about town, but he has an eye on a secretary who has a shady past, much to his family's displeasure. Post war London is finely portrayed as characters struggle to hold on to the past and acclimate to the present. Timothy must turn to his old friend Sargent Hemingway to clear his fiance of being charged with murder and restore her good name.The inner workings of Scotland Yard are shown in greater detail as the Yard adopts new methods of detection. False leads abound until the final pages of little known mystery by Georgette Heyer, which is an early exploration of the use of drugs among the upper crust. Nash Black, author of "Qualifying Laps" and "Sins of the Fathers." 8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
DUPLICATE--but Original,
By hacklehorn - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Duplicate Death (Paperback)
A better detective story than others by this author we have read. Inspector Hemingway does a good job of discovering the persons who strangled a blackmailer / drug-dealer and his mistress. The identity of the first murderer comes as a distinct surprise, although the alert reader will latch onto the second murderer as soon as the Marriages and Legitimacy Act is mentioned. Several good red herrings, a nice use of the drug trade, and plenty of wit and amusing characters (Insp. Grant, Cynthia Haddington, Lord Guisborough) make this a memorable tale.
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