Pudge needs better friends, man. ( )

The narrator of this book is "Pudge" Coombe-Peters who is a bit of an ass. He is involved in producing a film because much of the money has been raided by him. Things aren't going well and then the principal male star dies on the set. Later there is a second death and Pudge is worried enough to contact an acquaintance of his at Scotland Yard, Henry Tibbitt. Was it murder and, if so, who did it? I found this OK but I would rather have had more Henry and less Pudge.

An Owl book ( )

Falling Star takes place in and around the set of an independent movie being shot in London in the 1960’s. Just as things are looking a bit grim financially one of the film’s stars dies in an accident which results in a cash injection from the insurance company. When production starts again one of the technical staff dies and it is soon determined she was murdered. In steps Inspector Henry Tibbett of Scotland Yard to investigate the death. The book’s narrator, a chap called ‘Pudge’ Croombe-Peters, is a social acquaintance of Tibbett’s so is well-placed to reveal the story as well as report on the continued drama unfolding at the film set.

Although the investigative protagonist is a professional detective rather than an amateur sleuth the book is similar in style and content to a contemporary ‘cosy’. The nastier details of murdering and death are left to the imagination and the plot relies heavily on red herrings, a large cast of somewhat quirky characters and a complicated sequence of events that only a supremely intelligent investigator (or reader) could keep track of.

I found the book an easy, perfectly enjoyable read but I imagine the only things I will remember for any length of time are the annoying ones. The book is recounted in a style where the narrator often talks directly to the reader as if the events being described actually took place, for example “I am sure I do not have to remind you of the sensation that Robert Meakin’s death caused…”. I’ve never warmed to this style of writing and when added to the fact the narrator himself is so priggish and stupid that he warrants a good slap rather than a dose of sympathy I did find this aspect of the book a bit hard to take. However the story itself is well-plotted and the other characters enjoyable even if not drawn in any particular depth.

If you haven’t read any Patricia Moyes books (I know I’m not the only one) I would recommend this for fans of a blood-free read with an intricate puzzle to solve, especially the Anglophiles as it seemed to ooze ‘typical’ British-ness from every word. ( )