Bronwen Truscott

Not a review, there are so many, but a question: why was the body's face disfigured? I don't think Poirot explained.

A fairly entertaining wartime mystery novel, in the style of the BBC's Foyle's War. There are many references to period detail: phone boxes, gas masks, petrol rationing and evacuees; the toxic paint storyline is based on a true experience in the author's family. A major criticism is that there are FAR too many characters (close on 60 in a 380 page novel) I needed to make a list of them in order to follow the story (and several names never were explained.) All the characters remained shallow and even Maisie's appearance was never described- perhaps reading earlier Maisie Dobbs is a prerequisite. The book would have benefitted from being edited more tightly: the chapters could have been shorter and the dialogue reduced (and handfuls of characters removed) with no impact on the story. However, all but one of the many story threads are drawn together by the end of the novel, the single loose end making way for a sequel.