Knowing of Gyles Brandreth from the television and radio, I rather thought this book might be a little “sophisticated” for me. He’s a vastly intelligent man and, like Stephen Fry, he often loses me with his mind but I needn’t have worried, because The Candlelight Murders(as it's known in the UK) ...
Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle go to the Vatican for a bit of sleuthing. Why not?The book turned out to be a lot of fun. Lots of little tidbits on the Vatican, its places and how it operates, as well as some interesting conversation from the two leads.We received the paperback as a gift. Just...
I suppose problem number one is that this is book 5. I haven't had 4 books to build up an appreciation for the character Wilde. At any rate, I've made it half way through but am giving up. I don't like Wilde, I don't like Doyle, I'm not at all interested in what happened, I find the writing pedan...
Brandreth is a well-known broadcaster, but I hadn't realised he was such a prolific writer, having established the real Oscar Wilde in a fictional new career as an amateur detective. Set in the 1880s, mostly in Paris, this is a tale of drinking, drugs, and phenomenal acting. Edmond La Grange, the...
As historical fictions go, this is a whirlwind of a collection of fascinating historical characters. While Wilde is the star, one cannot deny the allure of the other characters such as La Grange. Reading this book brings to mind the old adage: life is stranger than fiction. The perversities; absu...
Detektīvi gan nav mans iemīļotais žanrs grāmtām, un pilnīgi notiekti filmas formātā šis darbs man patiktu krienti vairāk (paradokss, ka detektīvfilmas gan man daudzas patīk, romāni teju nekad.Ideja par vienā darbā saliktiem vairākiem slaveniem rakstniekiem (bez Vailda tur ir Arturs Konans Doils u...
Good sequel to the candlelight murders. I particularly enjoyed that there are more "celebrities" turning up in this one, for example Bram Stoker and Walter Sickert, who at one point was a suspect for being Jack the Ripper (Particia Cornwell maintains that theory still today). Again the book is fu...
Although there are still instances of 'let me tell you something fascinating-but-unnecessary about Oscar Wilde', this was a far more enjoyable read than the first book. The plot was ingenious – quite Agatha Christie-esque, I thought – and satisfying. My biggest frustration is that despite all the...
Hoppa över den här serien och läs istället "The Harry Houdini mysteries". Det är tre böcker som har allt det som "Oscar" saknar; starka karaktärer, kvickhet, spänning, tidsatmosfär, och framför allt - det oväntade. "Oscar" släpar sig fram utan mål. Några fräcka citat här och är räcker inte. En os...