Review of: The Unfinished Clue

Author: Georgette Heyer
ISBN: 9781402217968
Pages: 336
Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark (March 2009 [first published 1937])
Genre(s): Fiction, Mystery, Cozy
Grade: A-
Challenge(s): 100+ Reading Challenge - Read 'n Review '09

The Unfinished Clue is a wonderful 'English country-house' who-dun-it by Georgette Heyer (like Behold, Here's Posion). The victim in this case is General Sir Arthur Billington-Smith. The General is murdered the Monday after a, shall we say, stressful weekend "house party". There is no shortage of suspects even if you do not consider the fact that someone may have come into his study from the open French-doors.

Possible suspects include:

• Captain Francis Billington-Smith, the General's nephew who is at the house party hoping to find the General in a good enough mood to pay off his most recent gambling debt
• Basil Halliday, the General was obviously flirting with Basil's beautiful wife Camilla, who did nothing to discourage this attention
• Stephen Guest, he has been in love with the General's wife Lady Fay Billington-Smith (from afar) for 2 years

Given the General's bullying disposition these are just 3 possible murderers on a very long list of suspects. There is an added element to The Unfinished Clue. Lady Fay's younger sister, Dinah Fawcett, is also visiting on the fateful weekend. Cool, calm Dinah is thrown a bit off center by the Inspector from Scotland Yard who is called in by the local police to help solve the murder of General Sir Arthur Billington-Smith.

At first glance, it should have been a lovely English country-house weekend party. But it's the guestlist from hell, and the host, Sir Arthur Billington-Smith, is an abusive wretch who everyone at the party Turns out to have a reason to hate. When he's found in his study, stabbed to death and clutching a torn check in his hand, the unhappy guests and estranged family find themselves under the scrutiny of Scotland Yard's cool-headed Inspector Harding.

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Reading Wrap-Up

(I'm actually backdating this post because I totally flaked!)

This Wrap-Up post covers March 18 - April 30. (Why does this cover 6weeks?)

• Alanna: The First Adventure
• The Crimes of Paris: A True Story of Murder, Theft, and Detection
• The Unfinished Clue
• Girls in Trucks
• Behold, Here's Poison
• Follow Me: A Novel
• The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

These are the books that Reaghan (my 3yo) and I finished during March 18 - April 30

• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 100th Anniversary Edition
• Wild Cherry Makes a Wish: Flower Fairies Chapter book #4
• Jasmine's Starry Night
  

Wondrous Words Wednesday {4-8-09}

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. Feel free to join in the fun.

My words for this week come from pages 65 - 295 of The Unfinished Clue by Georgette Heyer. There are lots of them this time.

1) delphically- "'Let him come poking his bad-tempered nose into my kitchen, that's all, Mr Finch!' she said delphically"

delphic (the lowercase version; NOT Delphic) adjective -- oracular; obscure; ambiguous

2) sepulchral- "Your name was spoken in a sepulcgral voice, and out you went, feeling a little sick at the pit of your stomach."

an adjective -- of, pertaining to, or serving as a tomb

3) laconic- "Dinah sighed, wishing that he would be a little less laconic."

an adjective -- using few words; expressing much in few words; concise

4) catarrh- "He was a worried-looking man of about fifty, with a quick, fussy way of talking, and what appeared to be a chronic catarrh."

noun -- inflammation of a mucous membrane, esp. of the respiratory tract, accompanied by excessive secretions (yum!)

5) evinced- "Lola, unlike Camilla, evinced not the slightest desire to leave the Grange."

verb -- to show clearly; make evident or manifest; prove

6) matutinal- "She even forebore to complain any more of the matutinal habits of cocks [roosters], though she did once announce that once she was married to Geoffrey the matter would have to be arranged."

adjective -- pertaining to or occurring in the morning; early in the day

7) pecuniary- "'Did Miss deSilva, then, break the engagment for pecuniary reasons?'"

adjective -- of or pertaining to money

8) expatiate- "His tone implied that he was prepared to expatiate on the subject, but the telephone suddenly buzzed at his elbow, and he was obliged to answer it."

verb -- to enlarge in discourse or writing; be copious in description or discussion

Wondrous Words Wednesday is hosted by Bermudaonion. Here is the link to today's post. "What new words have you discovered lately?"

Wondrous Words Wednesday {4-1-09}

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. Feel free to join in the fun.

My words for this week come from The Unfinished Clue by Georgette Heyer.

1 ) averring - "With the exception of an incident in his youth, there had been no other woman in his life; he knew beyond need of averring it that there would never be another."

aver is a verb meaning: to assert or affirm with confidence; declare in a positive or peremptory manner.

2) puling - "Just like this damned puling generation, always grumbling at fate; no guts to 'em; he'd like to have a few of 'em in his old regiment."

puling is an adjective meaning: whining; whimpering

Wondrous Words Wednesday is hosted by Bermudaonion. Here is the link to today's post. "What new words have you discovered lately?"

It's Tuesday, Where Are You? | Teaser Tuesdays {3-31-09}

I'm somewhere in the countryside of England. I'm at the home of the Billington-Smith's. General Sir Arthur Billington-Smith is very rude to most everyone in the house, including the invited guests!

• Grab your current read
• Let the book fall open to a random page
• Share with us two (2) "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you're getting your "teaser" from ... that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!
• Please avoid SPOILERS.

This week's Teaser comes from THE UNFINISHED CLUE by Georgette Heyer. These sentences come from page 33.

Every annoyance of this disastrous week-end was Fay's fault, from the unwelcome arrival of Dinah to the ill-assorted party assembled for dinner in half an hour's time. Anyone but a fool would have had the wit to wire regrets both to Dinah and (Stephen) Guest.

For more travels visit raidergirl's blog an adventure in reading. For more teasing visit MizB's blog Should Be Reading.

Buy THE UNFINISHED CLUE @ a bookstore near you!

Buy THE UNFINISHED CLUE on Amazon.

2009 - 100+ Reading Challenge

I wasn't going to join this challenge becasue I didn't think I could read so many books in one year. I've decided that it's okay to 'fail' the challenge. I want to give it a shot; the worst that can happen is I won't read 100 books. No one is going to hunt me down if I come up short. =)

Go here for full rules. All books count for this challenge. Challenge runs from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009. I will update this post as books are finished. I will link the titles to the reviews as they are written.

1. Emily Post: Daughter of the Gilded Age, Mistress of American Manners by Laura Claridge
   
2. The Smart One by Ellen Meister [reviewed for IJustFinished]
3. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
4. Specials by Scott Westerfeld
5. A Day with My Dad at the Beach by Lance Waite
6. King's Fool by Margaret Campbell Barnes
7. Baron Thinks Dogs Are People Too! by Laurie Dean
8. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
9. Alanna (Song of the Lioness, Book 1) by Tamora Pierce
10. The Crimes of Paris by Dorothy Hoobler and Thomas Hoobler
11. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum
12. The Unfinished Clue by Georgette Heyer (review will post in late May as per Sourcebooks)
13. Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch
14. Wild Cherry Makes a Wish by Pippa le Quesne
15. Behold, Here's Poison by Georgette Heyer
    
16. Follow Me by Joanna Scott
17. Jasmine's Starry Night by Kay Woodward
18. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
19. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
20. Kushiel's Justice by Jacqueline Carey
21. Strange Angels by Lili St Crow
    
22. Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey
23. Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton
24. LOST Ate My Life by Jon "DocArzt" Lachonis and Amy "hijinx" Johnston
25. Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey
26. Kushiel's Mercy by Jacqueline Carey

Last Updated: June 10, 2009