I tend to enjoy Golden Age mysteries, and have tried this author before, with similar results: boredom, mostly. I thought this was too long, ponderous and went off on long tangents (like a trial transcript that went on for pages and could have been summarized in a few paragraphs, or just left out. I am a slow reader by habit and by the time I plowed through to the end of the nearly 300 pages I couldn't remember some clues that probably pointed to the culprit. Plus, it was one of those books where the hero becomes besotted by a beautiful woman he just met and risks his life for her although he knows he has no chance with her.

P.S. I bought my copy in a small bookstore since I like supporting these independent businesses. Both I and the clerk were surprised the book cost close to $50. The Orion publication is nothing special, no fancy cover art, no crime scene map, no cast of characters, no introduction. Why it cost so much is a deeper mystery than the one inside it.

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