Down the Garden Path: A Pastoral Mystery

I bought this after reading an article in the Guardian highlighting female mystery writers. I love Georgette Heyer, Josephine Tey, Dorothy Sayers, Muriel Spark - and devour collections of vintage mystery stories. It doesn't bother me when the social mores are outdated, women's roles limited, class roles rigid -- I get that comes with the territory, and you sign on for that. But this is utter rubbish. Plot holes you can drive a truck through, cardboard characters, romance with zero chemistry.. it's just the worst. I found this almost painful, but read it to the bitter end.

I've read this book a couple of times because I enjoy the story and the way it's written. I also like the Misses Tramwell. I know they have been in Ellie Haskel books and also in "God Save the Queen". I wish Dorothy Cannell would bring back the characters from "Down The Garden Path" in one book, and also the characters from "God Save The Queen" in another. They were interesting and very likeable.