Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
House of Stratus Ltd (2001), Paperback, 274 pages
Description
In the dead of the night, a man in an evening dress is found murdered, locked in the stocks on the village green. Unfortunately for Superintendent Hannasyde, the deceased is Andrew Vereker, a man hated by nearly everyone, especially his odd and unhelpful family members. The Verekers are as eccentric as they are corrupt, and it will take all Hannasyde's skill at detection to determine who's telling the truth, and who is pointing him in the wrong direction.
User reviews
LibraryThing member jburlinson
Highly praised by Barzun & Taylor, but, to me, both flaccid and frivolous. As usual with Heyer, a collection of exasperating characters, including the police superintendent Hannasyde, who seems to have something wrong with his eyes -- they are always oscillating from being "keen" to "amused" to
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"twinkling" to "knowing" (must be cataracts). Then, half way through, the most preposterous character of all comes on stage and is thoroughly entertaining. Also, generally typical of Heyer, the culprit is all too clear, all to early. Only in A Blunt Instrument does she succeed in surprising. Show Less
LibraryThing member caitemaire
If you would like to finish out your year with a funny, entertaining, cozy mystery, then once again I have a very nice Georgette Heyer book to offer for your consideration.
In the very early hours of the morning, the body of a dead man, dressed in evening clothes, is found on the village green, his
Once again, as with the previous two Heyer mysteries that I have reviewed, I can totally recommend Death In The Stocks to fans of the genre, especially if you are a fan of these sort of English country house mysteries. I am not totally convinced if the culture she describes in her books ever really existed, and surely it does not now, some 60 or more years later, but it certainly is very entertaining. Heyer is the queen of witty, funny dialogue and the queen still reigns here. Great characters and great dialogue is what she excels at. If you have read and enjoyed the mysteries of Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayer and are not familiar with the perhaps lesser known Heyer, you need to check her out and Death In the Stocks is a great place to start.
I also must mention once again...because I love to repeat myself when I say something true...that I just love the look and feel and quality of these editions reissued by Sourcebooks. They are some of the nicest, high quality paperbacks that I have ever read.
If you are looking for a nice cozy to cozy up to on a cold winter night, perhaps with a cuppa tea and a slice of fruitcake, run out and grab yourself a Heyer!
In the very early hours of the morning, the body of a dead man, dressed in evening clothes, is found on the village green, his
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feet in the stocks. The murdered man turns out to be the wealthy weekend visitor Andrew Vereker, and once police start to investigate the crime they soon determine that there are many people who, for various reasons, are not unhappy to find that Vereker has been sent on to his just rewards. Relatives, soon to be in-laws, business associates...all whom it seems greatly disliked the dead man and none of whom have an alibi. The very clever Superintendent Hannasyde is called in to solve the crime and he certainly has his work cut out for him with this cast of characters. Lucky for us, there is a lot of very funny and entertaining goings on for us to enjoy as that is accomplished.Once again, as with the previous two Heyer mysteries that I have reviewed, I can totally recommend Death In The Stocks to fans of the genre, especially if you are a fan of these sort of English country house mysteries. I am not totally convinced if the culture she describes in her books ever really existed, and surely it does not now, some 60 or more years later, but it certainly is very entertaining. Heyer is the queen of witty, funny dialogue and the queen still reigns here. Great characters and great dialogue is what she excels at. If you have read and enjoyed the mysteries of Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayer and are not familiar with the perhaps lesser known Heyer, you need to check her out and Death In the Stocks is a great place to start.
I also must mention once again...because I love to repeat myself when I say something true...that I just love the look and feel and quality of these editions reissued by Sourcebooks. They are some of the nicest, high quality paperbacks that I have ever read.
If you are looking for a nice cozy to cozy up to on a cold winter night, perhaps with a cuppa tea and a slice of fruitcake, run out and grab yourself a Heyer!
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LibraryThing member riverwillow
An entertaining murder mystery. Arnold Vereker is found dead on the village green locked in the stocks (hence the title). A thoroughly unpleasant man suspicion falls on his immediate family, his entertainingly eccentric half-brother and sister, Kenneth and Antonia (Tony). Several plot twists and
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red herrings, all deliciously interspersed with Hannasyde's encounters with the madly eccentric Vereker family, the murder is resolved. Perfect. Show Less
LibraryThing member ParadisePorch
Rather clever vintage British mystery
LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
When Arnold Vereker, a "weekender" with a cottage nearby, is found murdered, propped up in the stocks at Ashleigh Green, the local police know that it's a case for Scotland Yard. As Inspector Hannasyde soon discovers, the deceased was rather unpopular with his family, and suspicion soon falls on
I was relieved to find Death in the Stocks so much more enjoyable than No Wind of Blame, the only other Georgette Heyer mystery I have read to date, as I would be very reluctant to abandon my project of reading Heyer's entire oeuvre, and equally displeased at the prospect of suffering through ten more tedious novels. Happily, this time I found the narrative engaging and the characters amusing. The exchanges between Kenneth and his sister Tony (Anotonia) had that Heyer flair, so lacking in No Wind of Blame. I can't say, in all honesty, that I found Death in the Stocks terribly suspenseful, as I guessed the solution almost from the beginning, but I did care about what happened to the characters, and that made a big difference.
On another note, it is pure luck that I picked up these two titles first, as they happen to be the first books in Heyer's two ongoing series about their respective sleuths, Inspector Hannasyde and Inspector Hemingway. I had no notion of this, when selecting them, but am certainly glad that it chanced to be so.
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Kenneth Vereker, the artistic half-brother of the victim, whose outrageous antics seem designed to provoke. The only problem? Hannasyde isn't convinced that Kenneth is the murderer...I was relieved to find Death in the Stocks so much more enjoyable than No Wind of Blame, the only other Georgette Heyer mystery I have read to date, as I would be very reluctant to abandon my project of reading Heyer's entire oeuvre, and equally displeased at the prospect of suffering through ten more tedious novels. Happily, this time I found the narrative engaging and the characters amusing. The exchanges between Kenneth and his sister Tony (Anotonia) had that Heyer flair, so lacking in No Wind of Blame. I can't say, in all honesty, that I found Death in the Stocks terribly suspenseful, as I guessed the solution almost from the beginning, but I did care about what happened to the characters, and that made a big difference.
On another note, it is pure luck that I picked up these two titles first, as they happen to be the first books in Heyer's two ongoing series about their respective sleuths, Inspector Hannasyde and Inspector Hemingway. I had no notion of this, when selecting them, but am certainly glad that it chanced to be so.
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LibraryThing member zeborah
I am terrible with names, which is why I spent several chapters waiting for Peter Wimsey to make an appearance. Eventually I realised that, whereas Heyer may or may not rhyme with Sayers, they are not in fact the same author. Fortunately by then I was already well enough engaged with the characters
Brother and sister are entertainingly blase about the whole mess they're playing with. I'm surprised it took their cousin so long to suspect the eventual arrestee, as I'd been aiming that way all along. The motive seemed obvious, though perhaps I was especially suspicious because none of the characters ever raised them as a possibility: dead giveaway.
Anyway, a pleasant read, and everyone ended up in love with the people they ought to be in love with, so that worked out too.
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that I wasn't too disappointed by this.Brother and sister are entertainingly blase about the whole mess they're playing with. I'm surprised it took their cousin so long to suspect the eventual arrestee, as I'd been aiming that way all along. The motive seemed obvious, though perhaps I was especially suspicious because none of the characters ever raised them as a possibility: dead giveaway.
Anyway, a pleasant read, and everyone ended up in love with the people they ought to be in love with, so that worked out too.
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LibraryThing member sensitivemuse
I thought this mystery was very different from the previous Heyer mystery (No Wind of Blame). I seemed to have enjoyed this one more as both Antonia and Kenneth were so quirky and eccentric they got me into fits of giggles because they were just so annoying to Hannasyde. However the plot still kept
Each character had their own motive, and their own unique personality. I like Antonia for her quirky personality and her maddening ability to annoy the police. Kenneth was the same although I didn’t like him as much because there’s an arrogant disposition surrounding his personality which seems to put me off. I would say, this book is more of a laid back mystery. There wasn’t much suspense, no thrills or chills. Yet my curiousity was so piqued because of these interesting characters I really did want to know who did it. However be warned, there is a bit of surprise bomb towards the end of the book which caught me by surprise and I was left still guessing who did the crime. However, my guess was correct and although it wasn’t a surprise to me, it was nice to see I guessed right! I’d have to say it was not predictable though, how they solved the crime was totally not how I pictured which is good, I don’t like predictability in books.
The only criticism in this book was, I found it to drag a little, with the banter between Kenneth and Antonia. It almost ruined their quirkiness and it almost got the point where they were starting to annoy me just a little bit. The plot could have moved a little more faster and although the crime was solved, it was a little too quick and it ending seemed rather abrupt. Other than those few points, I enjoyed reading the book and would read her other crime novels.
Overall, an interesting mystery with a dash of comedy to keep things interesting. Its’ characters are certainly memorable and worth reading into.
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me guessing. They were eccentric and funny yet there’s an underlying almost sinister like quality that made you think: just because they’re joking about it doesn’t mean they didn’t really kill Arnold Vereker…right? and you’re left with that uncertainity that made the jokes and comedy a little on the uneasy side. It really added more to the mystery and gave it a flavor of a black comedy to it.Each character had their own motive, and their own unique personality. I like Antonia for her quirky personality and her maddening ability to annoy the police. Kenneth was the same although I didn’t like him as much because there’s an arrogant disposition surrounding his personality which seems to put me off. I would say, this book is more of a laid back mystery. There wasn’t much suspense, no thrills or chills. Yet my curiousity was so piqued because of these interesting characters I really did want to know who did it. However be warned, there is a bit of surprise bomb towards the end of the book which caught me by surprise and I was left still guessing who did the crime. However, my guess was correct and although it wasn’t a surprise to me, it was nice to see I guessed right! I’d have to say it was not predictable though, how they solved the crime was totally not how I pictured which is good, I don’t like predictability in books.
The only criticism in this book was, I found it to drag a little, with the banter between Kenneth and Antonia. It almost ruined their quirkiness and it almost got the point where they were starting to annoy me just a little bit. The plot could have moved a little more faster and although the crime was solved, it was a little too quick and it ending seemed rather abrupt. Other than those few points, I enjoyed reading the book and would read her other crime novels.
Overall, an interesting mystery with a dash of comedy to keep things interesting. Its’ characters are certainly memorable and worth reading into.
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LibraryThing member grundlecat
Excellent mystery, not too dated (original 1935). Writer is playing fair without giving too much away. Very well-plotted, good characters who are fun to read.
LibraryThing member thornton37814
Arnold Vereker is found dead in the stocks on Ashleigh Green, the victim of a knife wound. Suspicion quickly turns to his half-brother, half-sister, and to an employee of his company. All disliked him and had the opportunity to do so, but their stories are not convincing and leave Supt. Hannasyde
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and family attorney Giles Carrington with more questions than answers. With so many lies, it is hard to sort out the truth. There are a few surprises along the way, but eventually the culprit is found. Well-plotted. The family is so eccentric that the reader (at times) hopes all of them are all guilty. Show Less
LibraryThing member Riyale
Georgette Heyer mysteries never disappoint me, and this one is no exception. Intelligent, and witty, with just the right hint of sarcasm.
LibraryThing member janglen
A quick read from the light detective genre. The two main characters get a little tiresome at times with their endless clever-clever remarks, but the book keeps your interest to the end.
LibraryThing member breadcrumbreads
A wealthy mine owner is found dead in a little village. It's a neat crime that leaves even Scotland Yard all at sea. When a man has had many enemies and no one seems to moan him nobody is a fit suspect. But then there is motive and detective Hannasyde has his hands full trying to prove a member of
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Vereker's family guilty.It's a rather typical who-done-it mystery, with quite enough dust thrown, not only in the investigators' eyes but in the eyes of the reader as well. I thought the plot was quite good, but the characters were rather irritating. None of them were in the least endearing nor worthy of sympathy. The only character that showed any promise of being interesting turned out to have rather a back-seat role. I refer to Hannasyde. The blurb, I think, is rather misleading as it suggests Hannasyde to have a role pretty much like Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple. Georgette Heyer's wit is spread rather liberally through out the mystery, but while this particular brand of with works very well with her Regency Romances, it seems rather out of place in this setting. The characters, almost all of them, are rather flippant and careless in all that they do and say (which makes them all suspect), and, personally, I was very sceptical about their attitude toward the whole case. Many instances seemed realistically improbable.Nevertheless, Death in the Stocks was an interesting enough read. If you like to wonder and guess, it's a good story. After reading many of it's kind one becomes adept at guessing who the murderer would be right from the start, but this one kept me guessing almost till the end. Show Less
LibraryThing member majkia
What a fun, interesting mystery. Although I'd guessed fairly early on who must have dunnit, still, the characterization of the suspects was truly deep and intriguing, and often quite funny. Dialogue was quick and sparkling. I'll definitely continue this series.
LibraryThing member KimMR
Yes, well, it's fair to say that Georgette Heyer was not the world's best mystery writer and the plotting in this one is not particularly strong. (I say this because I guessed the culprit early in the piece. It was just a process of elimination, as there weren't that many suspects to choose from!)
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But I still enjoyed listening to the audiobook of this novel. Most of the characters are unlikeable, but they are quite funny. I loved their in-depth discussions about how they could have been the murderer. I also loved Roger: he reminded me of one of the stock characters in Georgette Heyer's Regency romances: the disreputable but entertaining younger brother. I don't think Heyer's mysteries are anything like as good as her Regency romances, but for someone who grew up reading and loving those romances - or for someone with an interest in period mysteries - they still make rewarding reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member veracite
I like Hannasyde. He's so laid back.
Heyer writes such digestible, tasty work.
Heyer writes such digestible, tasty work.
LibraryThing member Helenliz
This was a fun listen. It feels as if it is set in the 20s, and focuses on a family that is well to do. Antonia and Kenneth's half brother Arthur is discovered sitting in the stocks on the village green and stabbed. There are more possible motives than you can shake a stick at, pretty much any of
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them could have done it. My money was on the black sheep brother, Roger, who was believed dead for 7 years but turns up just in time to inherit a mine and rather a lot of dosh in one go. Unfortunately he turns up dead as well, so that was the end of that theory. The crime is investigated by Inspector Hannerside and by the family's solicitor, Giles Carrington. Hannerside puts in some solid detective work but he's hardly helped by the eccentricity of the family themselves. They were generally difficult and too clever for their own good, with Giles struggling to keep them all on the straight & narrow. It all turns out well enough and as the first in the series, I imagine I'll be back for more. Show Less
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Not bad, not a favorite. A plethora of highly annoying characters - good thing it was Superintendent Hannasyde and not me dealing with them, I'd have arrested most of them out of pure exasperation. Silly people quite convinced that they couldn't possibly be misinterpreted or accused...However, the
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only one who was really unsympathetic turned out to be the murderer, which is...weak (though it's possible I felt that character was totally unsympathetic primarily because of a faint memory of a previous read of the book). And Heyer's obsession (reasonable, of course, in a primarily romance author) with pairing people off by the end of the book got just a trifle annoying here. I do like Hannasyde, the mystery/ies are interesting (if somewhat sordid), and there are a few characters I liked (and more I enjoyed, when I wasn't exasperated with them). But not a favorite. And the rushed ending feels like Heyer was still getting her feet under her in the mystery genre. Show Less
LibraryThing member 26kathryn
This was an excellent mystery story. When Arnold Vereker's body is found locked in the village stocks the main suspects are his family. I did find the Vereker family a bit annoying and stupid at times, but on the other hand they were quite realistic with real flaws. The whole book is basically the
As the book drew to a close I was convinced I knew who the killer was, but the real killer was a huge surprise!
This book was a great cozy mystery and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys mysteries that are a bit light-hearted.
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Verekers discussing how each of them could have been the murderer and it seemed like they were all trying to protect each other by making false statements and confessions.As the book drew to a close I was convinced I knew who the killer was, but the real killer was a huge surprise!
This book was a great cozy mystery and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys mysteries that are a bit light-hearted.
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LibraryThing member librisissimo
Nothing can be said about the plot without giving away the solution,
NOTE: I read this series in the order 3, 2, 1; but it doesn't make any difference, although #2 does reference the case in #1.
NOTE: I read this series in the order 3, 2, 1; but it doesn't make any difference, although #2 does reference the case in #1.
LibraryThing member SueinCyprus
Humour interspersed with strong characters and a plot that keeps us guessing until the end. Enjoyable.
LibraryThing member leslie.98
The first of the Hannayside/Hemingway books -- it doesn't have enough of Sergeant Hemingway for my tastes :(
As for the plot, Heyer gives the reader pointers to who is the guilty party but she holds back the final proofs (a bit 'unfair' to my mind). I did enjoy the Vereker siblings' squabbles!
As for the plot, Heyer gives the reader pointers to who is the guilty party but she holds back the final proofs (a bit 'unfair' to my mind). I did enjoy the Vereker siblings' squabbles!
LibraryThing member JBD1
The third, and best so far, of Heyer's mysteries I've read. Thoroughly unlikeable bunch of characters, but a good potboiling plot.
LibraryThing member Auntie-Nanuuq
I don't know about this author: other than the police most of her characters are ghastly & loathsome and what's worse is their dialog is outrageously affected and totally phony!
Another thing, is Heyer tends to make not-so-subtle jabs at Agatha Christie, which would be fine, except Heyer isn't 1/10
Plot: A rich man, Arthur, is found stabbed to death in the local town's stocks. His 1/2 sister & brother are totally inappropriate about his murder going on about how they didn't like him, how each of them might have done it, playing games w/ the police. The 1/2 sister, Antonia (Tony) is engaged to the man who was embezzling from Arthur (the two men having a loud quarrel prior to the murder) and the 1/2 brother, Kenneth, is engaged to a Gold-Digger who knew Arthur. Everyone is thrilled that Kenneth is heir and will soon be rich, until.....
Enter the long lost full brother of Arthur, Roger, who turns up dead as well; murder made to look like suicide.
There were a few clues scattered about to tell who-done-it; which I actually picked up on.
Another thing, is Heyer tends to make not-so-subtle jabs at Agatha Christie, which would be fine, except Heyer isn't 1/10
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as good of a mystery writer as Dame Agatha.... Plot: A rich man, Arthur, is found stabbed to death in the local town's stocks. His 1/2 sister & brother are totally inappropriate about his murder going on about how they didn't like him, how each of them might have done it, playing games w/ the police. The 1/2 sister, Antonia (Tony) is engaged to the man who was embezzling from Arthur (the two men having a loud quarrel prior to the murder) and the 1/2 brother, Kenneth, is engaged to a Gold-Digger who knew Arthur. Everyone is thrilled that Kenneth is heir and will soon be rich, until.....
Enter the long lost full brother of Arthur, Roger, who turns up dead as well; murder made to look like suicide.
There were a few clues scattered about to tell who-done-it; which I actually picked up on.
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LibraryThing member KarenOdden
A thoroughly enjoyable read, with witty, flippant characters, unexpected twists, plenty of suspects, and a romance. Read it on a lazy Sunday afternoon. For those readers who love Heyer (and this cozy historical mystery genre, set in England), try Dianne Freeman's books, beginning with *A Lady’s
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Guide to Etiquette and Murder.* Show Less
LibraryThing member kaulsu
Georgette Heyer competes unfairly with herself when she leaves the Regency Romance genre. Her humor burns bright in this book, but there just isn't enough fast paced action. I found myself getting bored and in the end, she doesn't answer the question of exactly how it was done--though I suppose it
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was implied. I knew who had "dunnit" very early on simply by process of elimination. All Heyer's straw men were knocked down too quickly. However, I will read Country House murders now that they have been republished as kindle books. Show Less
Subjects
Original publication date
1935
Physical description
274 p.; 8.08 inches
ISBN
0755108876 / 9780755108879