The story is fairly enjoyable, if not that unique. The story never quite manages to reach top gear but a creditable fourth perhaps. There is a good mix of crime and spy drama.
The main problem with the story though is the predictability. It isn't a bad read and will certainly pass the time of day but you probably won't want to ever read it again.
The church of St. John the Baptist in Henley-in-Arden was built in the mid-1400s replacing an earlier church built just over one hundred years previously.
The church is located next to the High Street and the Guildhall and indeed is connected to the latter. The church is largely the same as built on the exterior though the interior has seen a number of changes and updates especially in recent times.
The church is in the English Gothic perpendicular style. The style being dominated by straight vertical lines and having a "single defining motif, applied with an unerring visual logic" [1].
[1] John Cannon, Medieval Church Architecture (Shire, 2017) p. 61
At the weekend i headed down to Hartlebury, which is between Kidderminster and Droitwich Spa in Worcestershire. Hartlebury will of course be included in my fourth book, which is on the railway stations of Hereford & Worcestershire. I really need to get going with the book so over the next few weeks i probably need to prioritise updating my imagery at various stations in the two counties.
Hartlebury is a nice village which i have been to before, very hilly though so that gave my legs a good workout! You can see my photos here.
The story is complicated and has all the tropes you expect from a Golden Age mystery. It is set in a dark country house and includes a cast of toffs, flappers, a bumbling (but ultimately efficient) police detective, perky keen amateurs and plenty of red herrings and puzzles. There is even a map!
The book is well written and an enjoyable read, which just about manages to err on the right side of parody though at times a close run thing. A great send-up and celebration of a genre.
The Camp Hill Line between Birmingham New Street and Kings Norton had a number of stations which closed in 1941 as a war time economy. The stations finally re-opened last week (the line remained open) and on Friday i went to travel to all three of them! The stations are Moseley Village, Kings Heath and the superbly named Pineapple Road. The stations are all fine, if largely the same.
Last Friday was Good Friday, in the past few years i have usually gone off on an overnight trip down to Surrey or Berkshire, but this year i just spent the day exploring railway stations in the Greater Manchester area. I ended up ticking off seven stations including Stockport, and also the superbly named Flowery Field (though i did not see any sign of such field or any flowers). Maybe it is just a bit early?
