Vera

Do not read this. I stuck with it because the author's plan was interesting. The hero is a Whimsey-like youngest brother of a Duke, an old Etonian, rich, handsome and good. But the rest of the book is a sweaty sex and communism tale of Madrid and London in the months before the Spanish Civil War. It would have been a fun take on the cosy 'golden-age' aristocratic detective but for one thing: every one of the three murderers turned out to be homosexual or a heartless and inhumane idealogue. The homophobia was there from the start but I had thought, after a passage about two thirds in, that the author was going to keep one homosexual character admirable as a foil for the bad guys, but no. He turned out to be responsible for one of the murders AND a matricide as well. Good grief. Other criticisms are that although the novel is structured with lots of characters confronting the privilege of the protagonist, there is nothing in his character or life that reflects the criticism, nor in that of his excellent brother, sister-in-law or nephew. When he wrested control of the plane from the poisoned pilot and landed safely in Madrid, I laughed out loud. It's possible that one of the other books in this series, one without homosexual villains, would be a fun read. If you're intrigued by the set up, try one of them.