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This was a very cat and mouse mystery. We are in the mind of the murderer but there are outside forces arrayed against him that we are not privy to. So, who is the mouse and who is the cat? I did not really like any of the characters but that‘s part of the fun of trying to piece it all together. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to reviews from @Ruthiella @batsy and @erzascarletbookgasm for putting this on my TBR 😘

Scratch beneath the surface of a pretty little English village and you get a variety of small minded self centred people being nasty to each other. But could one of them go as far as murder? We know right from the first sentence who has murder on his mind but the delight of this book is the dark humour as the plot unfolds ⬇️

I enjoyed the psychological aspects of the crime, and seeing how Dr Bickleigh goes about his evil plans, and the desperate measures he has to take. A satisfying read, and what a splendid ending.
#goldenagecrimeclub

I can't think of a more delicious creepazoid than Dr. Bickleigh, the memorable villain in this "whydunnit" Golden Age crime classic. From the beginning the reader is privy to his nefarious plans, but what's truly baffling is how he gets to pull as many women as he does. I guess life in a small village can truly mess with a girl! A great read; scathing gallows humour & some truly repugnant people. #GoldenAgeCrimeClub #TitlesAndTunes #GuiltyPleasure

You know the murderer on page 1, but this still managed to be suspenseful. Seeing the world from the perspective of a sociopathic killer definitely called into question all the perceptions I had of all the characters. Was Madeleine really so bad? Maybe, maybe not. I felt sorry for Ivy, for sure. A great, but twisted read. #goldenagecrimeclub

My goodness, Dr Bickley is a horrible human being. People‘s ability to rationalize awful behavior to themselves is amazing. The audio, narrated by Bruce Montague, is wonderful.
#GoldenAgeCrimeClub

Over to you guys …… anything you‘d like to throw into the discussion?

#goldenagecrimeclub

Frances Iles is a pseudonym for Anthony Berkeley. Are you tempted to read more by this author - or was one enough? !

#goldenagecrimeclub

As we know the murderer right from page one - how is this book so filled with suspense! I raced though and was turning pages swiftly right to the very last one! How was the suspense created for you?

#goldenagecrimeclub

Oh my goodness - Dr Bickleigh! So at times he gives us slapstick comedy, haplessness at others arrogance and entitlement. He walking that line between sympathetic and repellant - where does he sit for you? ( this is such a big question I know!!!)

#goldenagecrimeclub

For the first sentence (and covers!) we know the murderer - it‘s more of a howdunnit than a whodunnit. How does this transform your reading experience of this crime novel?

#goldenagecrimeclub

Hi Everyone. It‘s time for this months #buddyread for our #goldenagecrimeclub. Looking forward to the discussion on this one - I think there will be lots! First off what we‘re your initial thoughts / impressions of this 1931 classic?

It feels a bit wrong to say that I enjoyed being in the mind of a murderer, but I really did. This book is so darkly funny. So many great lines. And that ending was pretty perfect.

Looking forward to Sunday‘s discussion!
#GoldenAgeCrimeClub

Apparently I like the idea of Golden Age mysteries better than the reality. Also, I seem to have overestimated my ability to enjoy books with unlikeable characters. I hate everyone I‘ve met so far and Dr. B makes my skin crawl. He‘s disgusting and his wife deserves what she gets. I have too much else I want to read to keep slogging through this. #allhailthebail

I‘m only a few chapters in but this is a cracker of a book! I think they‘ll be lots to talk about in our buddyread at the end of the month. Join us if you‘d like! Chat opens Sunday 25th
#goldenagecrimeclub

This bookmark is title on the back - “High Jinks”. Seems thoroughly suitable for this book! 🤣
#goldenagecrimeclub

Arrogant. Delusional. Wicked. @Mitch This book is at the top of my list for #goldenagecrimeclub choices! Thank you! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“ it was not until several weeks after he had decided to murder his wife that Dr.Bickleigh took any active steps in the matter.”
So begins this month‘s #goldenagecrimeclub mystery.

Trying to kill two challenges with one book here 😅 Mysteries & thrillers tend to be my #guiltypleasure reads so I'm going with Malice Aforethought this month, which is conveniently also the #GoldenAgeCrimeClub pick! Lol.

Debbie Gibson's Out of the Blue album was my obsession when I was 7 or 8. I never grew out of bopping along to some of her songs 😁 'Only In My Dreams' remains a fave 🍭🎶 #TitlesAndTunes @BarbaraBB @Cinfhen

repost for @Mitch:

Can‘t believe we‘re 6 months in ! Junes #goldenagecrimeclub pick is more of a WHY dunnit rather than a WHO dunnit.
We‘ll be chatting about the book on the last Sunday of June. Happy reading!

#BuddyRead

original post:
https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2591936

Can‘t believe we‘re 6 months in ! Junes #goldenagecrimeclub pick is more of a WHY dunnit rather than a WHO dunnit.
We‘ll be chatting about the book on the last Sunday of June. Happy reading!

I‘ve just started the next read for my IRL book club.

Summer, 1930. Dr. Edmund Bickleigh is hosting a tennis party and has discovered that he needs to kill his wife. And that‘s good enough to intrigue me! 😆

This is one of the classic crime novels mentioned in Peter Swanson‘s Eight Perfect Murders (for any of you who‘ve read and enjoyed that one).

I bought this as part of my preparation for Eight Perfect Murders...one of the books not available from either of my libraries. I was surprised when this tiny book showed up on my doorstep! It is part of the Macmillan Collector‘s Library edition. It‘s so cute but also beautiful with its gilt edges, endpapers, and ribbon bookmark.

Classic golden age mystery. Berkeley/Iles was a genius at plotting. It‘s a shame that he only wrote a few and his books have been allowed to go out of print (mainly due to the closure of several publishers, I think.) This book is better than some of Christie‘s or Sayers‘. In this one, we know whodunnit and why, but the fun is the how - and finding out how Dr Bickleigh is finally caught. 4.5/5.0⭐️ #2019 Highly recommend for mystery fans.

A delightfully creepy suspense story worthy of its classic status. One of the first whydunnits or howdunnits. Great from the first line to the last.

Rude!