Stephanie Jane recenzis Left-handed death de Richard Hull
A joy to read
4 steloj
I enjoyed this second Richard Hull mystery, Left-Handed Death, more than the first one I read, And Death Came Too, and I hope that Agora Books will republish more from his back catalogue. Both books are standalone stories. Left-Handed Death was first published in 1946 and is set immediately post-war so I loved seeing aspects of life as it actually was then, rather than through a historical fiction lens. Snarky comments about the hours people spent queuing, or disapproving glares aimed those whose diet is obviously not restricted by a ration book, give a strong sense of authenticity to the settings.
Left-Handed Death mostly takes place in the offices of a small, struggling metalworking company. Threatened by the loss of much of their business now that war contracts aren't as easy to come by, the owner and his partner know something needs to change. Hull's decision to start out with …
I enjoyed this second Richard Hull mystery, Left-Handed Death, more than the first one I read, And Death Came Too, and I hope that Agora Books will republish more from his back catalogue. Both books are standalone stories. Left-Handed Death was first published in 1946 and is set immediately post-war so I loved seeing aspects of life as it actually was then, rather than through a historical fiction lens. Snarky comments about the hours people spent queuing, or disapproving glares aimed those whose diet is obviously not restricted by a ration book, give a strong sense of authenticity to the settings.
Left-Handed Death mostly takes place in the offices of a small, struggling metalworking company. Threatened by the loss of much of their business now that war contracts aren't as easy to come by, the owner and his partner know something needs to change. Hull's decision to start out with his murderer making a confession was an unusual touch which piqued my interest straight away. I liked his deft character portrayals in this novel too. They are not all likeable people by any means, but their mannerisms and realistic styles of speech make everyone pretty believable. Hull's humour works well to keep the tone light with several scene-stealing cameo roles. I particularly liked the overworked medical examiner and mouse-like Pennington!
Most of all though, I admired the prose in Left-Handed Death. This is beautifully honed, confident writing and even at moments where perhaps the plotline isn't totally convincing, it is still elegantly plausible! A joy to read.