tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post956818425571016297..comments2024-03-28T14:38:25.395-07:00Comments on Bitter Tea and Mystery: The Beast Must Die: Nicholas BlakeTracyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-49557323372642327602020-10-24T13:13:53.376-07:002020-10-24T13:13:53.376-07:00Thanks, Col. I enjoyed this book more than I expec...Thanks, Col. I enjoyed this book more than I expected, which is always a good surprise.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-76781626591735764282020-10-24T13:12:19.463-07:002020-10-24T13:12:19.463-07:00Thanks, Katie. I am sorry to wait so long to respo...Thanks, Katie. I am sorry to wait so long to respond. I hope you enjoy The Beast Must Die when you get to it.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-89472065871753389292020-10-23T22:44:46.263-07:002020-10-23T22:44:46.263-07:00I've heaard of the book, who hasn't but ne...I've heaard of the book, who hasn't but never been tempted until now. Maybe I'll cross paths with a copy. Great review, Tracy.col2910https://www.blogger.com/profile/06422138069939709043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-23989505555724700222020-10-01T04:42:13.395-07:002020-10-01T04:42:13.395-07:00Wow! Great review! This one is going on my TBR lis...Wow! Great review! This one is going on my TBR list. 🙂KatiesCottageBookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13026170344658814735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-61378491385321499812020-09-25T10:58:20.112-07:002020-09-25T10:58:20.112-07:00Sounds like great weather, Rick, if you can stay i...Sounds like great weather, Rick, if you can stay in and read. (Although I don't like wind.)<br /><br />I think most of Blake's novels are lighter than this one, which is probably why I put this one off so long. TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-6894986851556866642020-09-25T10:33:37.600-07:002020-09-25T10:33:37.600-07:00I have read just two Strangeways books, one of the...I have read just two Strangeways books, one of them about a body in a snowman, I think, and enjoyed them and didn't consider them dark at all. Needless to say this is not one of them.<br /><br />Very windy, dark and rainy here today, good reading weather!Rick Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07978136287154214297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-58848251508310847722020-09-24T16:08:33.837-07:002020-09-24T16:08:33.837-07:00Cath, it is definitely a different type of mystery...Cath, it is definitely a different type of mystery, and does a very good job of mystifying the reader. The other books in the series are closer to the standard format, and I have enjoyed the ones I have read.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-84509262522419856292020-09-24T15:27:17.042-07:002020-09-24T15:27:17.042-07:00Well, I didn't know Cecil Day-Lewis wrote crim...Well, I didn't know Cecil Day-Lewis wrote crime books as Nicholas Blake. Well, well! Sounds very good too, I will keep an eye out for it. Cathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06371069000185280668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-63820514927612488922020-09-24T15:00:17.215-07:002020-09-24T15:00:17.215-07:00Kate, I have read #1, #2, #4, and #8 since I start...Kate, I have read #1, #2, #4, and #8 since I started blogging. I did like Minute for Murder, partly because of the setting and period, so I suspect I will enjoy some of the later ones too. I don't have copies of #3 or #5, so I will have to do something about that. I do have some later books.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-16849381032377091822020-09-24T13:39:54.024-07:002020-09-24T13:39:54.024-07:00I would say the first 5 or so are Blake's more...I would say the first 5 or so are Blake's more creative efforts. His later books are much more formulaic and less inventive.Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05616800837907092489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-52282943858385688992020-09-24T13:33:15.454-07:002020-09-24T13:33:15.454-07:00Aidan, this was a very clever book and so differen...Aidan, this was a very clever book and so different from the other books in the Nigel Strangeways series, I think. I have only read one book from that series that occurs later than this book (Minute for Murder, #8 in the series) and liked it a lot. It is a mystery in an office setting. I want to find more for comparison.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-65722311083630234372020-09-24T11:31:55.982-07:002020-09-24T11:31:55.982-07:00I enjoyed this one a lot too. It is a clever idea ...I enjoyed this one a lot too. It is a clever idea and, like you, I thought the whodunnit angle was clever.Aidan @ MysteriesAhoy!https://www.blogger.com/profile/16970535722492180648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-58708441172392406962020-09-24T09:50:57.929-07:002020-09-24T09:50:57.929-07:00Kate, I agree this is one of Blake's better bo...Kate, I agree this is one of Blake's better books, compared to the ones I have read recently. Definitely a good read, and it kept me guessing, which I like. I was glad to get past the journal portion, though. TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-17400991659186283222020-09-24T09:47:51.913-07:002020-09-24T09:47:51.913-07:00Margot, even after I avoid a book for years, I usu...Margot, even after I avoid a book for years, I usually decide that reading it was beneficial. I liked the differences between this book and the other books in the Strangeways series, but I wouldn't want to read a steady diet of this darker type of book.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-76690043982999184422020-09-24T09:45:35.096-07:002020-09-24T09:45:35.096-07:00Neeru, I read your review after I finished the boo...Neeru, I read your review after I finished the book. I think you made some good points, especially about Lena's part in it all. I had similar thoughts while reading the book but they did not detract from my enjoyment overall.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-48140675204148567572020-09-24T09:43:15.685-07:002020-09-24T09:43:15.685-07:00Patti, I don't think I have read all of the Ni...Patti, I don't think I have read all of the Nigel Strangeways series, maybe about half of them and most I don't remember. But I plan to make up for that. TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-9321493667831137982020-09-24T09:19:44.691-07:002020-09-24T09:19:44.691-07:00Thank you for the mention. Glad you enjoyed this o...Thank you for the mention. Glad you enjoyed this one - structurally and thematically I think it is one of Blake's most creative and innovative.Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05616800837907092489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-5521350268061374872020-09-24T08:22:31.263-07:002020-09-24T08:22:31.263-07:00I agree, Tracy, that this is a dark book about som...I agree, Tracy, that this is a dark book about some very dysfunctional people. Still, I thought it was an interesting read, and Blake did some creative things with the plot. I'm glad I read it, too.Margot Kinberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08599589137890528065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-64776218013858594502020-09-24T07:48:49.378-07:002020-09-24T07:48:49.378-07:00Thanks for the link, Tracy. I had problems with th...Thanks for the link, Tracy. I had problems with this book but would like to read more of Blake.Neerunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4167054806459662988.post-7539646212552215082020-09-24T05:16:55.537-07:002020-09-24T05:16:55.537-07:00And he was the father of my favorite actor-not the...And he was the father of my favorite actor-not the least of his achievements. I think I read almost all of this series and I remember them on the shelf. But I must have donated them on one of our later moves. I can remember the covers so clearly. pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.com