The Man That Got Away

September 1, 2019

Grammarian Truss (Eats, Shoots & Leaves) continues her foray into crime fiction with the follow-up to A Shot in the Dark. Last year's title introduced Constable Twitten of the Brighton police force, his Inspector, Steine, and their charwoman, Mrs. Groyne, who is always ready to listen and bring tea and cake. This second book has a cast of Brighton denizens--tourists, citizens, law enforcement officers, and all manner of class types who go about their summertime activities in 1957--until a body is found. Great attention to details of the period and the various conflicts between the social classes is lavished on the setting and characters, citing the real article "U and Non-U" published by a linguist about this time, which distinguishes vocabulary between the upper and middle classes. This plays into the plot. The author's flair for language adds to the book, as do the colorful "extras," including the Brighton Belles (pretty young women who act as goodwill ambassadors), the musicians who perform at a local venue, a humbug seller, and horrendously fake waxwork parlor shopkeepers. VERDICT The precise wordplay and convoluted crime plot of this 1950s British blackish comedy will please fans and attract more readers to the series.--Mary K. Bird-Guilliams, Chicago

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2019
It's 1957, and the seaside resort of Brighton, England, is awash in sunburned toddlers, sticky candy, and saucy postcards. Adding to the festive air are the Brighton Belles, young ladies who patrol in well-heeled pairs offering help to tourists. It's all very jolly until one of the Belles finds a man dead on the beach, launching a new case for Truss' protagonists, Constable Twitten, Inspector Steine, and Sergeant Brunswick, who first appeared in A Shot in the Dark, 2018. This character-driven investigation includes delightfully batty characters and situations?Steine, for example, has been offered the rare chance to have a waxwork made of himself for a tawdry museum. Another character is desperate to give away gold bars he inherited, but everyone he tries smells a scam. In the middle is the police station's charlady, who is actually a seasoned criminal. Like A Shot in the Dark, this is fast moving and takes close reading to keep up with, but it's worth it. Give to Truss' fans as well as those who enjoy Christopher Fowler's Bryant and May mysteries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)