Missing Persons

I sought out this book because I enjoyed the TV series so much. The mysteries were decent and it was great fun seeing Patricia Routledge play the astute character of Hetty Wainthrop in contrast to goofy Hyacinth Bucket. It was a real letdown to discover that the author apparently had Hyacinth Bucket in mind... and if that reference did not make any sense to you, neither will "Missing Persons." All books require a certain understanding of the time and place in which they were written, but some are more accessible to outsiders than others. This is not one of them. I have enough knowledge of British slang of a certain vintage and I sufficient grasp of what Britain was like before and during WWII that all of the flashbacks and character exposition--via recollections and dated colloquialisms--made a sort of sense to me. While the main action of the story takes place in more or less contemporary Britain, there is so much that takes place in flashbacks or recollections that anyone lacking this knowledge base will have a time getting off the ground with this book. With said knowledge base, the reader could still be lost pretty easily amid the constant head-hopping and often inadequate speech attributions. And if the reader is prepared to go in armed with a smattering of history, a heap of colloquialisms, and the mental agility to follow the almost stream-of-consciousness progression of actions, they will be rewarded with rather unappealing characters and a story that feels like it was thrown together from leftovers that really oughtn't be served together. And when I say unappealing characters, imagine neighbors who actually DESERVED to live next to Hyacinth Bucket. This might be on the funny side if it weren't for the constant hearkening back to one character's stillborn baby, and the broken family left behind by another character. (Not spoilers, since the book starts by referencing both these things and keeps returning to them until even the author apparently finally got sick of it.) This is NOT advice I would normally give, but... if the concept of an older British lady solving cozy mysteries in a contemporary setting, with her young sidekick doing much of the leg work, holds any appeal for you--track down the 'Hetty Wainthrop Investigates' TV series. Patricia Routledge infuses the character of Hetty with intelligence and warmth completely lacking in the books, and in Dominic Monaghan's portrayal, her young apprentice is sympathetic and fun instead of a glorified McGuffin that the author seemed to lose interest in with his storyline only haphazardly resolved. Do the author one better and lose interest BEFORE picking up the book.