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Genre: krimi,
DNA: Brit.
Verdict: Too many villains.
Tagline: Who let the dog out? And why?
Plod goes to an annual crime writers seminar (of 30 participants) to comment on the technical aspects of murder in the five krimis nominated for this year’s prize awarded by the sponsor of this seminar. In each case he faults the descriptions of the murders. The writers, each of whom is present, react to his critique in different ways. One welcomes it as a free professional consultation. Others pretend indifference, and another is passive aggressive hostile. A fifth stomps out of the room at the first quibble. (Yes, I felt like I had attended that seminar.)
The prize awarded; murder ensues. There is an Ellery Queen story with this setting that is lighter and brighter.
The authors and their companions are described, including the companion dog of one of them, along with some of the thirty attendees.
There are loose ends aplenty. Unconvincing characters who are also uninteresting and hard to tell apart rendered in forced prose. Yikes. I chose it for the ostensible academic setting, but that offered poor consolation.
Gill wrote many other krimis, using other pseudonyms. Her birth name was Barbara M Gill but she also used Margaret Blake and Barbara Gilmour.
Read during our stay at the zoo.