The Headless Lady (Ipl Library of Crime Classics.)

Rating:
Summary: A very fun and entertaining read...
Review: and the only reason I do not give it five stars is that the ending should have been different (it was not who it should have been!!!). The characters were well drawn, with the protagonist, Merlini the Magician, the best of all. The tale takes place at a roving circus and there are plenty of potential suspects and very interesting characters. Most of them have motives and the plot moves very smoothly. In addition, the author obviously knows plenty about the circus as the story is filled with inside lingo and terms which are explained in footnotes that actually add to the story. A bit of humor (bumbling cops), and a few red herrings make this a page turner. However, the ending, while certainly plausible - and backed up with notations relating to previous pages in the narrative - somewhat came from left field. I would say more but it would ruin the end. Anyway, great characters, a great setting, lots of fun, this is a good read for any mystery lover....

Rating:
Summary: A very fun and entertaining read...
Review: and the only reason I do not give it five stars is that the ending should have been different (it was not who it should have been!!!). The characters were well drawn, with the protagonist, Merlini the Magician, the best of all. The tale takes place at a roving circus and there are plenty of potential suspects and very interesting characters. Most of them have motives and the plot moves very smoothly. In addition, the author obviously knows plenty about the circus as the story is filled with inside lingo and terms which are explained in footnotes that actually add to the story. A bit of humor (bumbling cops), and a few red herrings make this a page turner. However, the ending, while certainly plausible - and backed up with notations relating to previous pages in the narrative - somewhat came from left field. I would say more but it would ruin the end. Anyway, great characters, a great setting, lots of fun, this is a good read for any mystery lover....