They Found Him Dead

The bodies pile up right from the start in this delightful, fast-paced 1930's British murder mystery. As an avid Regency fan, I know and love Miss Heyer's historical romances. But I had no idea she also wrote contemporary mysteries. Contemporary, that is, when she wrote them in the 1930's. I love British mysteries from that period--art deco furniture and decorations, sleek, romantic clothes, and dialog chock-full of the idioms of the day. The "Him" of the title is Mr. Silas Kane, patriarch of the wealthy Kane family and senior partner in the firm of Kane and Mansell. The story opens at Silas's sixtieth birthday party, introducing us to the eccentric cast of characters and the story setup when Silas refuses to do business with an Australian firm his partner, Joe Mansell, champions. The next day, Silas is found dead, apparently having tumbled off a cliff on his nightly walk. An accident, surely. The firm, and the disagreement, passes to his nephew, Clement, who welcomes his uncle's fortune so that he can pamper his spoiled wife, Rosemary. Alas, Clement's riches last only a short time, because, in a matter of days, he is found shot to death in Silas's library. Murder is definitely in the picture now, and the local police summon a Scotland Yard superintendent to untangle the case. Who murdered Clement? Was Silas also murdered? Suspicion falls on everyone from Silas's starchy mother, Emily, to her self-contained companion, Patricia, to her grand-nephew, Jim, who is Patricia's fiancee and now the senior partner in the company. Other suspects include Trevor, Rosemary's oily would-be lover, the Mansells, father and slippery son, and even Oscar, the genial representative of the Australian firm. About the only person not suspected is Jim's half-brother, fifteen-year-old Timothy, who has overdosed on American gangster films and "helps" the police, thereby earning the nickname of "Terrible Timothy". (Hint, one of the suspects listed here is the murderer.) The story is fast-paced, funny, and I didn't figure out the murderer until Miss Heyer revealed the culprit at the end. All in all, a highly enjoyable read, and a book I couldn't put down. I look forward to reading Miss Heyer's other mysteries.

The bodies pile up right from the start in this delightful, fast-paced 1930's British murder mystery. As an avid Regency fan, I know and love Miss Heyer's historical romances. But I had no idea she also wrote contemporary mysteries. Contemporary, that is, when she wrote them in the 1930's. I love British mysteries from that period--art deco furniture and decorations, sleek, romantic clothes, and dialog chock-full of the idioms of the day. The "Him" of the title is Mr. Silas Kane, patriarch of the wealthy Kane family and senior partner in the firm of Kane and Mansell. The story opens at Silas's sixtieth birthday party, introducing us to the eccentric cast of characters and the story setup when Silas refuses to do business with an Australian firm his partner, Joe Mansell, champions. The next day, Silas is found dead, apparently having tumbled off a cliff on his nightly walk. An accident, surely. The firm, and the disagreement, passes to his nephew, Clement, who welcomes his uncle's fortune so that he can pamper his spoiled wife, Rosemary. Alas, Clement's riches last only a short time, because, in a matter of days, he is found shot to death in Silas's library. Murder is definitely in the picture now, and the local police summon a Scotland Yard superintendent to untangle the case. Who murdered Clement? Was Silas also murdered? Suspicion falls on everyone from Silas's starchy mother, Emily, to her self-contained companion, Patricia, to her grand-nephew, Jim, who is Patricia's fiancee and now the senior partner in the company. Other suspects include Trevor, Rosemary's oily would-be lover, the Mansells, father and slippery son, and even Oscar, the genial representative of the Australian firm. About the only person not suspected is Jim's half-brother, fifteen-year-old Timothy, who has overdosed on American gangster films and "helps" the police, thereby earning the nickname of "Terrible Timothy". (Hint, one of the suspects listed here is the murderer.) The story is fast-paced, funny, and I didn't figure out the murderer until Miss Heyer revealed the culprit at the end. All in all, a highly enjoyable read, and a book I couldn't put down. I look forward to reading Miss Heyer's other mysteries. ARC provided by Sourcebooks

They Found Him Dead is a mystery in the tradition of the cozy English country house whodunits, and I loved it. A birthday party is held for Silas Kane at his country home, Cliff House and a whole cast of quirky English characters attend, including his mother, business partners, young cousin, and the cousin's half brother, a rambunctious teen who loves exploring and is into everyone's business. When Silas does not come down for breakfast the next morning, family and staff look for him and he is found dead at the foot of the cliff, apparently falling during his pre-bedtime walk. The inquest declares it an accident, but young Timothy Harte is convinced it was murder, and it looks like he may be correct when Silas's heir is shot dead at his desk. The local constabulary calls in Scotland Yard, and with Timothy in the middle of their investigation, they still manage to gather information and come up with several suspects. The investigation takes a fresh direction when it appears that attempts are being made on the life of Jim, the second heir! I enjoyed all of the quirky characters, the ladies' maid who is overly loyal to her mistress, the no-nonsense young housekeeper, the smarmy business partner who likes to make moves on the ladies, the demanding and crotchety grande dame, and all the others. Each character description is precise, right down to their clothes and hobbies, making them vivid and easy to remember when try to figure out who is committing these murders. Definitely try They Found Him Dead or one of the other Georgette Heyer mysteries that have been re-released by Sourcebooks. They are all very reasonably priced and in paperback. [...]

"They Found Him Dead" by Georgette Heyer is as close as Ms. Heyer gets to a series with the inclusion of Superindent Hannasyde and Sargent Hemingway in their third baffling case. Everyone is trying to help them solve the case as the heirs to a fortune are being assassinated. Bright new characters command the stage with the star being Timothy Harte, a brash young man in love with American crime films, who tries his hand at learning to be a detective until he may be the next victim. It seems a shame this clever story was missed during the film noir period, it has all the perfect elements. An intriguing read with plenty of laughs. Nash Black, author of "Qualifying Laps" and "Sins of the Fathers."

A wonderfull Heyer read, in the tradition of Detection Unlimited, this rollicking mystery will keep you guessing wildly till the last page! Charming new characters are introduced to complement familiar friends, Superintendent Hannasyde and Sergeant Hemingway once again being called on to solve a baffling double murder. Absolutley delightfull!! Youll love Terrible Timothy, Pretty Paul and Dashing Dermott.