ISBN: 0736654658 Order from: Books on Tape
A mystery strong on social details but weak on plot brings some tension but little suspense or enjoyement to the reader.
Reviewed by David on February 01, 2004
Genre: Mystery (Amateur Sleuth)
Synopsis: This is an unabridged recording of Death in Lacquer Red.
Hilda Johansson is a young Swedish immigrant making her way in South Bend, Indiana, in 1900. As a farm girl with little education and less money, she is very fortunate to work as a house servant in the Studebaker mansion. Her steady if hard life is disrupted when a woman is found murdered on the grounds. Against all advice, the Hilda undertakes to investigate the crime after becoming convinced of the police's inability to do so. But a servant's life is very restricted, and Hilda venture may lose her job. Worse, if she actually makes progress in the investigation, she may lose her life.
Full Review: Hilda is an admirable character in many respects: she is hardworking, intelligent, and honorable. The prospect of a wrong man being punished for murder fills her with dismay and righteous indignation. Alas, Hilda also has little sense of humor. This lack of lightness in the book make the otherwise well-defined characters lack attraction. There is much detailed description of the mores of turn-of-the cuntury city, and the hard work and social restrictions imposed on young, poor women like Hilda. However, this detailed description seems to drag at the plot, providing little reward for all the trouble.
Added to the burden is the rather unlikely plot. Hilda's reasoning is weak at several points of her investigation, and the real murderer's actions at the end appear illogical in the extreme.
On the whole, while one admires the recreation of a social mileau rarely undertaken in mystery stories, the book's weaknesses provide little reward for getting through a frequenlty ponderous plot.
Overall: 4.5; Plot: 4.5; Characters: 5.5; Style: 5; World-building: 5.5; Originality: 5.5;
Copyright date 1999, Books on Tape, 2000, Audio cassette, 5 cassettes
ISBN: 0736654658 Order from: Books on Tape