With train rides and boats and pistols and hotels and Mr. This and Madam That and no forensics to get in the way - that's how I like my murder stories. In addition to these crucial elements, this little gem, set across the 20s and 30s, also covers a range of other topics one ought to be familiar with, like the Greece/Turkey conflict, and the political unrest in Serbia -don't you know? - and travels through Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Switzerland and France where things are tidily resolved.
It's also one of those fantastically self-referential pieces of prose where the main character, Latimer, is a British author of detective fiction. How, you might ask, does the author nail this character so cleverly? Genius.
On the whole, this was perfect plane/beach/pool/cocktail reading, without being, ah, brain-damaging. Ish.
This does kind of look like a weird book to take on holiday, but whatever floats your boat missus!
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