The Sirens Sang of Murder: Amazon.ca: Sarah L. Caudwell, Eva Haddon: Books

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Caudwell's third suspense novel takes place in the Channel Islands and is narrated, like its predecessors, by Professor Hilary Tamar of Oxford. Investigated here is the mysterious death of a great fortune's administrator. "Besides giving readers a bewitching mystery, the author absorbs them in the legends of . . . all the storied Channel Islands," noted PW.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

Young barrsiter Michael Cantrip has skipped of to the Channel Islands to take on a tax-law case that's worth a fortune -- if Cantrip's tax-planning cronies can locate the missing heir. But Cantrip has waded in way over his head. Strange things are happening on these mysterious, isolated isles. Something is going bump in the night -- and bumping off members of the legal team, one by one. Soon Cantrip is telexing the gang at the home office for help. And it's up to amateur investigator Hilaray Tamar (Oxford don turned supersleuth) to get Cantrip back to safety of his chambers -- alive! --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars The funniest of them all, Oct 25 2003

By	L O'connor (richmond, surrey United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Sirens Sang of Murder (Paperback)

This is the third of Sarah Caudwell's sublimely funny murder mysteries narrated by Hilary Tamar, professor of legal history at Oxford, and featuring her young barrister friends. All four of these books are hilarious, and this is the funniest of the lot. Not many books in my life have made me cry with laughter, but this one reduced me to tears on several occasions. The adventures of young Michael Cantrip (educationaly disadvantaged, poor boy, he went to Cambridge)in the Channel Islands and in France and Monaco are full of wildly funny incidents. The poor boy has to suffer spending five hours shut in the boot of a car, being locked in a wine celler by a dotty waiter etc, meanwhile back in london his colleagues are having to cope with his barmy uncle. The plot is amazingly convoluted, and like all the books you may find yourself getting a bit lost in the complexity of the financial details, but who cares. Just enjoy the ingenious story, the wonderful characters, the witty dialogue, and Sarah Caudwell'smarvellous style. What a tragedy that there are only four of these marvellous books.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Letter writing at its best, Nov 19 2002

By	A. Woodley "Patroness, Janeites, the Austen list" (New Zealand) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Sirens Sang of Murder (Paperback)

Cantrip is missing! Having been seconded to assist with the mysterious Daffodil settlement in the Tax Haven of the Channel Islands, he disappears, and there seem to be bodies all over the place, bodies and unlimited suspects who might well have been involved in murdering them - or then again might not. Even murder isn't necessarily on the cards here. Really, it is up to Professor Hilary Tamar to sort things out and find the culprits, and find Cantrip at the same time.

A while ago we were discussion (on a Jane Austen list) the art of the epistolary form of the novel - and perhaps this is the original idea behind Caudwell's form of mysteries - they are very reliant on letter writing. While the first mystery featured letters by Julia from Venice (Thus was Adonis murdered), and the second Serena from Corfu (The Shortest Way to Hades), this has Young barrister, Michael Cantrip, writing from..... well.... all over France - and using the handy mechanism of the Telex machine to send his messages back to the members of the nursery at 62 New Square (and the occassional less than flattering note to their Clerk, Henry).

A very funny, bouynat mystery with the usual Caudwell twist at the end - I guess the unexpected seems to occur every few pages really - The only thing I would mention is that I didn't feel like all the clues were quite at my grasp as they might have been - however, I didn't mind, it was such a rollicking good fun ride. Sometimes I wonder if I read these as mysteries or comedies - they are lovely as both. .

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5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious, Sep 27 2002

By	Cadeau's mom "j12" (Marlton, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sirens Sang of Murder (Paperback)

I was delighted with Cauldwell's third book in her too-short series. Much maligned Cantrip always makes me laugh, and you get plenty of him in this book.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure delight
After the relatively disappointing second book in the series (The Shortest Way to Hades) I was enraptured to find The Sirens Sang of Murder on a par with the first Sarah Caudwell,... Read more

Published on Aug 8 2001 by Dr. Amanda DeWees

5.0 out of 5 stars Not for everyone
The humor is elaborate and depends on convoluted witticisms couched in a pastiche of eighteenth century prose, alternating with sharp observations of contemporary British life and... Read more

Published on Oct 19 2000 by D. P. Birkett

5.0 out of 5 stars Sirens Sang of Murder
A comment on Mr Schau's review of August 16,2000--What attracts me, and I think others to Ms Caudwells books, is her clever intertwining a riveting mystery with the equally... Read more

Published on Oct 4 2000 by Nick F,

3.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes delightful, often taxing
Of the four Caudwell mysteries, this is the one to read last or not at all. That Wildean wit and off-center logic that are a part of the characters in all four books are there,... Read more

Published on Aug 16 2000 by Michael Schau