Georgette Heyer

Georgette Heyer wrote forty historical novels and it is for this genre that she is primarily known. These are mainly light-hearted romances which are for the most part set in the Regency period, Her heroes are almost always rich, aristocratic, handsome and with magnificent physique, Her heroines, though often feisty and independent are inevitably only too happy to surrender themselves to the safe haven of the arms of the dominant male! These are nice, easy reading and a pleasant way to wile away an hour or two. (And one or two of them, ‘The Toll Gate’ and ‘Regency Buck’ for example, do contain an element of murder and mayhem.)

However, she did write twelve honest to goodness crime novels, which are not at all bad. Some of her characters are wonderful – Vicky and Wally in ‘No Wind of Blame’ for example and her plot lines do keep you guessing. Her detectives, Superintendent Hannasyde and Sergeant (later Chief Inspector) Hemingway are well-drawn, likeable characters and Georgette Heyer’s writing style is relaxed and free-flowing.

I like these books. Although in my opinion they do not have the ‘can’t put down’ quality of a really great whodunit, they are competent, interesting examples of the genre and I would recommend them to any murder mystery addicts.

Georgette Heyer Crime Novel Collection

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Georgette Heyer

Murder Mystery Blog: Towards Zero

‘TOWARDS ZERO’ – I.T.V. (UK) SUNDAY 3 AUGUST 2008



I have avoided watching the last couple of offerings in ITV’s ‘Marple’ series for the reasons set out elsewhere on this website, but as towards zero is a real favourite with me, I had a sort of masochistic curiosity about it. Because of course, MISS MARPLE DOES NOT APPEAR IN ‘TOWARDS ZERO!!’

Why do they do it?? If Agatha Christie had wanted Miss Marple to solve this case, she would have placed her firmly in the heart of the story, but SHE DIDN’T! Instead she made this a case for Superintendent Battle, assisted (quite unofficially) by a young man called Andrew MacWhirter. Andrew is central to the original plot line, but did not feature at all in this TV version and it suffered hugely because of it, not least because it altered the romantic element of the story. And Superintendent Battle’s psychological approach to the statements of the suspects is a significant factor in the eventual unmasking of the villain and he was missed

It has to be said that the programme makers, apart from the above glaring distortion, stuck pretty well to the original plot and had they left ‘Miss Marple’ out of it, it would have been tolerable, but every time the camera panned to Geraldine McEwan, any feeling of involvement was immediately destroyed. I really wonder what Agatha Christie’s grandson Mathew Pritchard can have been thinking of to allow the programme makers to so sabotage his grandmother’s work.

I await with interest Julia McKenzie’s first outing as Miss Marple and I am trying (honestly I am!) to keep an open mind until I have seen the result.

Watch this space!

Murder Mystery Blog: Towards Zero