Review of Simon Brett's A Decent Interval

From the painting Ophelia by Millais

A Decent Interval by Simon Brett

Shakespeare's Hamlet—with its themes of revenge, mortality, and madness—is made for crime fiction. In Death in the Morning by Sheila Radley, Mary Gedge is found dead, floating in the water and surrounded by flowers, like Ophelia. Martha Grimes's title, The Dirty Duck, is taken from a Stratford-upon-Avon pub, and Inspector Richard Jury's sidekick, Melrose Plant, finds a clue to the murder in Hamlet. Scamnum Court is the setting for an aristocrats' amateur production of the play in the 1937 book Hamlet, Revenge! by Michael Innes, and one of the actors is killed. Hamlet is staged again, with no better luck, in Simon Brett's A Decent Interval (August 2013, Severn House/Creme de la Crime).

This 18th book in the series marks a return for actor/sleuth Charles Paris, whom we haven't seen since 1998's Dead Room Farce. Nothing much has changed for Charles, now in his late 50s. He still gauges his mood by how quickly he finishes crossword puzzles in The Times; vows sobriety, but polishes off bottles of Bell's and wakes up hungover in a chair; and reminds himself to call Frances, his estranged wife, whom he hasn't seen for months. Their marriage foundered years ago due to his infidelities, booze, and time away from home, although Charles likes to think—without any encouragement—that they still love each other. Don't ask when he last called his daughter, Juliet, now married and the mother of twins.

Professionally, Charles has done a lot of "resting" (waiting for work). A call from his agent, Maurice Skellern, sets Charles up with a day of filming for a cash-strapped TV documentary about the English Civil War. He fights the Battle of Naseby—alone. And then Maurice has good news. Ned English, known for his "reimagining" of classic plays (he set King Lear inside an aquarium), is directing the new Tony Copeland touring production of Hamlet. Because Ned thinks the key line in the play is "There is nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so," the action of the stage will be set inside a replica of Hamlet's skull.

John Gielgud's Hamlet (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The setting isn't the only offbeat element of the production. The goal of the director and producer is theater seats full of "lovely young bums," so the lead roles of Hamlet and Ophelia go to two reality show winners: last year's Top Pop, singer Jared Root, who can't act or project his voice without a mike; and StarHunt's winner, Katrina Selsey, who can act, but wants songs from her upcoming album to replace Ophelia's mad gibbering. Surrounding these divas onstage are "solid, biddable" actors like Charles, cast as the Ghost of Hamlet's Father and the First Gravedigger.

Of course, tension begins to build at the first read-through and increases steadily thereafter. Charles looks for someone shaggable, but there's not the camaraderie of earlier times. While not on stage, younger actors text and tweet, drink bottled water, and head to the gym. Charles feels like an old fogey and worries he'll never have a big role or a woman again. Readers don't need to worry; an injury and a death that don't appear in the Hamlet script cast Charles in the familiar role of sleuth.

David Tennant's Hamlet (Ellie Kuurtz/RSC)

Charles's long-overdue reappearance is, as usual, a combination of amusing satire, theater history and lore, and traditional whodunit. His reminiscences of old roles are accompanied by snippets of reviews (e.g., "'With Charles Paris as Julius Caesar, I was surprised Brutus and his cronies didn't take action earlier.' --Beeston Express"). He recalls many road productions in Marlborough's Grand Theatre and its neighborhood pubs.

In assessing his past and predicting his future, Charles is more cynical and pessimistic than ever. He's losing Francis, perhaps for good. It would be a lovely novelty to awaken without the "shifting tectonic plates" of a hangover, but Charles can't stop buying Bell's. He surveys his fellow professionals, and few of them have happy family lives. The theater appears increasingly unfair. Genuine acting talent is often trumped by good looks, a relationship with someone famous, or membership in an acting dynasty. In A Decent Interval, the casting of theater leads is the result of a TV publicity circus rather than the normal auditioning process. A formerly successful director is unable to find work doing straight plays. One immensely talented actor spirals down after a life of fame; the career of another ends prematurely. It seems a miracle that Charles not only sticks it out, but that he'd never do anything else.

Jean Simmons as Ophelia

Absolutely Perfect for You!

Removing wrinkles isn't thrilling enough

I've never set you up on a disastrous blind date, have I? So trust me when I tell you I have some suggestions that are absolutely perfect for you! Susie, the sport of extreme ironing. It combines danger with the satisfaction of a perfectly pressed shirt. Believe it or not, Rowenta sponsors a team. Sister Mary, wife carrying. The world-record holder is a tax attorney, and I bet the fortitude required to deal with taxes pays off during an obstacle race like this. Kev, toe wrestling. The perfect TGIF sport, requiring a good sense of humor, especially since "it is common courtesy for each player to remove the other player's shoes and socks."

For the rest of you, some absolutely perfect suggestions for books:

Estonian-style carrying is good training for tax law

For people who've been in psychotherapy or promise themselves they never will: Ellen Ullman's 2012 book, By Blood. A professor on leave rents a room in an old office building in 1970s San Francisco so he can work alone yet feel connected to other people. He becomes obsessed with eavesdropping on the therapist next door while she talks with one of her clients, who has a "richly creamy" voice and feels dropped down like an alien into her present relationship and the world of the couple who adopted her. Themes of identity, secrets, and obsession.

Sloths are banned from toe wrestling competition

Jazz lovers who like writers Ian Rankin and Peter Robinson: John Harvey's Wasted Years. Some present-day robberies remind Nottingham cop and loner Charlie Resnick of an investigation he handled a decade earlier.

People mulling a second career after racing horses: Dick Francis's Odds Against. In the first Sid Halley book, an ex-steeplechase jockey sets himself up in the private eye business.

Fans of resourceful female protaginists, not to mention those who love Paris: Cara Black's Murder in the Bastille. The fourth Aimée Leduc book finds our heroine struggling with her vision as she investigates a murder.

Bossaball is for volleyball players who need more oomph

Golf fans who don't believe someone named Bubba Watson won the 2012 Masters Golf Tournament: Simon Brett's Situation Tragedy. When actor Charles Paris wins the golf club barman role on the BBC TV series The Strutters, you know murder is par for the course.

People into long books, who think Vikram Chandra's wonderful Sacred Games is too short at 900 pages: Gregory David Roberts's Shantaram. This 950-page book, by a great Australian storyteller, is about a man who escapes from prison and flees to Mumbai, India. There, he runs into all sorts of interesting characters.

No snow necessary and picnicking-ants friendly

Those considering a career in stealing art masterpieces and double crosses, reasons why not to: Aaron Elkins's A Glancing Light. Seattle museum curator Chris Norgren travels to Bologna, Italy, to finalize arrangements for an upcoming art show, and he runs into Trouble.

Hardboiled/traditional fans who know how to be a friend: Jeremiah Healy's The Staked Goat. Healy is a law-school grad and former military policeman who uses this knowledge in a series about John Francis Cuddy, an Army-cop-turned-private-eye in Boston. In the second book of the series, Cuddy gets a call from an old buddy and hears a code for danger. Soon, Cuddy investigates his friend's death.

Extreme croquet is not for the timid or sane

Readers who struggle with an aging mother or need a goat-kidnapping how-to––or both: D. C. Brod's Getting Sassy. Robyn Guthrie's freelance journalism doesn't pay enough to keep her mother at Dryden Manor, so Robyn starts windowshopping around for a doable crime. It just so happens her accountant, Mick Hughes, is a former jockey who knows a goat-loving horse favored to win the Plymouth Million. It also just so happens the owner of the goat-loving horse conned Robyn's mother out of a lot of money.

Lovers of swashbucklers: Arturo Pérez-Reverte's Pirates of the Levant. The last book in the series featuring freelance soldier-of-fortune Captain Alatriste and his companion, Íñigo Balboa, is narrated by a reminiscing Íñigo.

There you go. One of these books will be perfect for you. If you can think of a book perfect for someone else, don't be shy. We're all looking for the absolutely perfect book. Set us up, please!

Book Review of Simon Brett's Blotto, Twinks and the Dead Dowager Duchess

Blotto, Twinks and the Dead Dowager Duchess by Simon Brett

In grand old mansions, the treasured volumes in the library were leather bound and, many times, unopened. In my library, the treasured volumes with a place of honor are the Felony & Mayhem books. I can assure you that my collection is close to complete because I like the authors represented and I really enjoy the books themselves, with their excellent covers and the high-quality vellum-like paper.

Recently, I was introduced to Simon Brett’s intrepid duo, Blotto and Twinks. Blotto is the youngest son of the Duke of Tawcester, christened Devereux Lyminster. His nickname is not derived from his drinking habits, since he rarely imbibes. While incredibly handsome, his main expression is usually one of confusion. He is a simple soul, maybe a bit simple-minded, who believes that if one lived by the rules and conduct expected in a cricket game the world would be a better place. His sister, known as Twinks, née Lady Honoria, is the Sherlock of this duo, possessing a very fine deductive mind with exhaustive knowledge of methods of murder. Her inadvertent talent is having men fall in front of her like ninepins. She, seemingly unaware of her beauty, lives for the occasions when she can put her mind to solving crimes.

In Blotto, Twinks and the Dead Dowager Duchess, just hot off the Felony & Mayhem Press, Blotto has begun to realize that his mother, the Duchess of Tawcester, had cleverly set a matrimonial trap for him. She has been dangling the daughter of a friend of hers in front of him since she has come out. Blotto just wishes she would go back in. If he can find a female who can provide the companionship and loyalty of a good horse, it might be a different story. As it is, an extended weekend house party has been planned, and Blotto doesn’t think he can deal with the inevitable murder that is bound to be solved by a brilliant amateur sleuth as well as the problems of evading his mother’s plans for matrimony.

As the weekend commences, Laetitia––the girl in question––begins following Blotto with what, in another girl, might be called dog's eyes, but in this case is actually frog’s eyes. Before long, the murder takes place and the victim is Laetitia’s mother. The expert amateur houseguest sleuth has called the members of the party as well as the staff into a large room and immediately pins the evil deed on Corky, the family chauffeur, since there was no foreigner to pin it on.

Blotto and Twinks have already really gotten a handle on the murderer, as Twinks noticed a painted red hand on the victim’s back. They acknowledge the fact that it is no use mentioning their suspicions, because their mother, the Duchess, has ordered the crime be solved immediately and, in the authorities' eyes, amateur detectives at house parties are always right.

Thus begins the affair of the League of the Crimson Hand. The story takes place in the 1920s, during a time of considerable change, but there are still the classic dim aristocrats, loyal retainers, dastardly villains and perils Pauline would cringe at. The first of these is an opium den, which provides the next clue, and the chase is on, in a vintage version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Blotto’s vehicle of choice, though, is his classic Lagonda. With this as his steed and his cricket bat as his lance, Blotto leaps into action, rushing in where any intelligent angel would shudder to enter. Twinks’s genius is his perfect balance.

Simon Brett has a deft hand with parody, playfulness and punch lines. He has always been a master at developing a good mystery and he doesn’t fail here. The story is clever, bright and pokes gentle fun at the attitudes of the time. The prose is salted with slang which, authentic or not, made me smile. As a matter of fact, I laughed, chuckled and occasionally guffawed throughout my reading. There is a fine line between smart and silly, and Brett has great intuition about where it is. I had fun reading this book and will keep it on my shelf to read again.

Note: I received Blotto, Twinks and the Dead Dowager Duchess as a free review copy.

Stocking Snuffers

So Black Friday has come and gone and Cyber Monday is history. My major decisions about gift giving have been made for the most part. So now it is time to concentrate on the little things that make holidays so special. Maybe it's time to follow through on the resolutions for 2011 before another year is upon us. I have some small suggestions for you to either put on your wish list or to give to the needy members of the family. All of these things would fit in a Christmas stocking or a St. Nick's shoe on December 6.

Do you have a co-worker who is driving everyone in the office mad? Then I suggest this small poison-containing ring. Perfect for a little sleight-of-hand during coffee break and you will start a new year happier at work, and maybe even nab a promotion. Agatha Christie always called poison a woman's weapon, I don't know about that, but I will say that the poison rings available on Amazon seem to favor the feminine tastes.

Then there is that brat next door who keeps parking in your spot and leaving you to carry groceries an extra 20 feet. He is sort of a rat, isn't he? Just head straight to Amazon for a great selection. Two-day delivery. It would probably look nice sprinkled on some gingerbread. I could put this in my husband's stocking but he would just think we had a rodent problem and miss the point entirely.

Is there someone you know who has a boss who keeps harassing her? A small gift in a variety of colors might give her the hint about how to take care of her problem. After handling the situation she could leg it out of the crime scene wearing the weapon. Anthony Berkeley might be able to give you some hints if you read his The Silk Stocking Murders. In this story several young girls were killed by this gentle-looking weapon. Sherlock Holmes had a time with them in his story "The Case of the Silk Stockings." These days, although not worn as commonly, you will find them on Amazon.

Your friend doesn't want to be discovered doing the dirty deed? The old ice pick in the ear befuddles the police sometimes. There is even one with a cover so it won’t stick though the Christmas stocking and it will look like a pen in a pocket. This way, he won't have to use whatever is at hand––like the murderer in Black, White and Dead All Over. John Darnton's killer used a paper spike sitting on a newspaper editor's table. You can quietly order a number of the usual picks from Amazon––or maybe from a spearfisherman company.

On the other hand, here is something that is easily available, yet appears innocuous. It is the easy-to-carry, non-threatening USB cord. It is so much better than the old lamp cord, which comes attached to a lighting appliance. I have not read about a murder using this method of strangling, but I will admit to having been driven to murder when needing to use some USB cords for more banal purposes. But the Apple techies in Bangladesh are too far away to strangle.

If the problem is that your cousin doesn't really like blood on her hands and would prefer to be setting up an alibi elsewhere, she might find some uses for this little gem. Certainly Inspector Foyle and crew had a time with a murder by this method in the case of "The German Woman." The Foyle's War series is available on DVD. Please keep in mind that these wires leave marks wherever they rub, so this is another use for the silk stocking.

Have you been misjudged once too often and can't take it any more? Well, these handy little items come in a variety of shapes and sizes. You can pretend you are mashing potatoes. The most recent story I read involving death by blunt instrument involved a baseball bat. This gavel is much more symbolic and is much easier to conceal. Just use One-click ordering at Amazon.

Cyanide Capsules

On the other hand, something much less messy and quite painless is the little old red capsule. I don't know how everyone in mysteries is so well acquainted with the smell of this poison. How many of you are familiar with the scent of bitter almonds? I can't even smell regular almonds unless they are the candy-coated kind. In Blotto, Twinks and the Ex-King's Daughter, Simon Brett opens the story with a nice case of the poisoning of a special agent of a king. And the smell, of course, gives away the modus operandi immediately: cyanide!

Is your uncle unconcerned about collateral damage? Well, Alfred Nobel may have had murder in mind as a side effect when he made these little sticks so handy. Stephanie Plum gets on a lot of people's nerves and Janet Evanovich writes that villains have used these handy small bombs to blow up plucky Stephanie's vehicles. I just wish these detonations would make her more decisive, especially about the men in her life. She could use a little brain rattling every now and then to get her out of her rut.

Those of you with green thumbs may not need this handy little how-to book, Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants. Naturally, it is available on Amazon. Just use your pay phrase for easy shopping. Even though I took plenty of chemistry classes in my time, I would need help going from pod to poison. Sheila Pim does a wonderful job of educating us on the dangers in gardening and the knowledge one can acquire for nefarious purposes in her Irish series, which include Creeping Venom and Common or Garden Crime. Bartholomew Gill also uses a foxglove as the MO to make Peter McGarr cudgel his brains looking for a suspect who fits his frame in Death of an Irish Lover.

Foxglove

Hemlock

Socrates used the attractive hemlock plant to end his own life when under a sentence of death. The Hemlock Society, founded as a right-to-die organization that would help people take the final step, took its example from the old philosopher who was deeply into the study of ethics. It has morphed into another society called Compassion and Choices. But these days so far, one man's easy crossover is another man's murder. Those of you who have hemlocks in your backyard can easily make a treacherous tisane if you find it necessary. If you are not so blessed, Amazon has a Hemlock Tree Growing Kit. The rest just requires patience.

If being creative is not for you, there is always the old standby: the pistol. These special items would fit easily into any stocking. These days, guns are at the top of the list as a choice of a deadly weapon here in the U.S. But it is always less expected in England. Still, P. D. James in The Black Tower has the murderer use a pistol. But I must warn you, that with these weapons that would be easy to drop in a stocking, you won't ever be in a position to say, "Do you feel lucky today, punk? Well, do you?"

These pocket-sized weapons may seem to be more to admire than fire but here you must rely on location, location, location. Nonetheless, don't try to take them on an airplane or you will find yourself out-gunned.

The most up-close-and-personal method for murder is the knife. Since they are readily available in one's kitchen I might have to remind you that it is best to use a weapon that can't be traced back to you. Here again Amazon has quite a selection on sale.

There you have it. For most of your murderous shopping needs, Amazon is the place for one-step ordering. I did not overlook the once-ubiquitous letter opener used to great effect in so many murder mysteries. It too would fit the small-but-lethal criteria that makes for such a special touch for the holidays. I fear using the letter opener would date you because only a few of us still get mail in envelopes. So have fun filling those stockings.