Friday 30 September 2011

Review:- David DICKINSON – “Death and the Jubilee ”


Year Published: - 2003
Where the book was from:- My own copy
ISBN: - 1-84119-584-7
Pages: - 344pp
Genre: - Historical Fiction
Location:- Victorian England – 1896/7
How I came across it: - Bought it so as to read all the series
Rating: - ***** ***


One sentence summary:- The second of the Lord Francis Powerscourt novels and a rattling good cosy historical crime.


Describe the plot without giving anything away:- London is preparing for Victoria’s Jubilee but the Germans are and Irish are planning surprises. When a headless corpse is discovered in the Thames Lord Francis Powerscourt is called in to investigate in this second novel of the series.

General comments:- A fairly standard and slightly predictable Powerscourt mystery but it would probably have been better if I had read the series in order.

Quotations:- There is a lovely line which laughs at modern government policy – bearing in mind it was written in 2003 or earlier, before the government rescue of RBS etc. – it is the PM speaking:
“It is not and cannot be the business of government to bail out financial concerns whose imprudence or wickedness has left them unable to meet their obligations. I do not need to tell you, Rosebery, the outcry that would erupt in the House of Commons if members felt that taxpayers’ money was being used for these purposes.’

AUTHOR Notes:- David Dickinson was born in Dublin. After receiving a first class honours degree in Classics from Cambridge he joined the BBC where he became editor of Newsnight and Panorama as well as being series editor on Monarchy, a three part programme on the current state and future prospects of the British royal family. David now lives in Barnes, South West London, Somerset or France according to which source you read!

2 comments:

  1. I'm so glad to find a blog that does book reviews. I'm always wondering what I shall read next and can never find the time in the library to pick out ones that I think I will like. I do read the book reviews in the newspaper, but politically motivated or ones written by local people. I love a good British detective or murder mystery.

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  2. Thanks ChrisJ. There are quite a lot of blogs that do book reviews - many of them better than mine! A lot of them are biaised towards American readers - though still including cosy British crime - and may suit you better. If you Google 'book review blogs' you should find some more you like. (Not that I want to lose you as a reader!!)

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Hello folks - your comments are always welcome.