This one again I dug out from some top crime fiction list I managed to find on the internets, so I ordered the book through ebay for like, a euro (expecting a crime masterpiece and praising my luck for getting a hardcover copy so dirt cheap :)). Well, it was an alright book, although its style was, to use a word that my editor-tutor likes, somehow too pedestrian, even for an unassuming crime booklet to be devoured in a couple of days. Not to put too fine a point on it, but! -- Alma looked at Walter. He turned around. Five minutes later, they were dining in her stateroom. They looked at each other. Alma was nervous. They continued to eat in silence. Walter looked unperturbed. ...I am not quoting verbatim here, but I swear there were parts in the book exactly like this, it was getting even funny how there was no end to these three-word sentences, and for no particular reason. The story is not completely meh, in fact, I have to admit I was quite hooked and couldn't put the book down until I was through. Plot is quite ridiculous in some parts, though, and characters act quite bizarre at times. Still, events are not entirely outlandish or far-fetched, I guess. (Although, they tend quite a bit toward the improbable). It's a matter of taste, perhaps, I just like characters to be more fleshed out and realistic and, hehe, complex.Anyway, three stars is a fair verdict, I think, and only for the entertainment value, as it did keep me intrigued for a night or two.
If I could I would give six stars. If there was something like “the perfect mystery-novel” this book would deserve that title. The “False Inspector” has everything you ask from a good crime-novel: Claustrophobic scene (crossing the Atlantic on a ship), some characters that make you curious who they really are, some confusion, some funny occurences and several twists that turn the story around without any lack of logic. The best thing: In my opinion the book contains not a single word too many. Everything is at its right place, the timing is perfect and in the (surprising) end you detect that you can interpret apparently solid facts in quite another way than you first thought.
What do You think about The False Inspector Dew (2003)?
A fun book. This is the second Peter Lovesey novel I've read, and it was quite different from the first ("Bloodhounds"). This one is much lighter - it wouldn't be much of a stretch to call it a parody. It almost had the feel of a 1940s comic-mystery film, and for that reason I think I was willing to overlook some of the coincidences and far-fetched twists, particularly the ending. It may not hold up to scruitiny as a by-the-rules whodunit, but it sure was fun to read. I look forward to more Lovesey in the future.
—David
Peter Lovesey has never let me down. I did avoid this book for years because I was such a fan of the Sergeant Cribb books (and the television versions) and was afraid this wouldn't be as good, but oh how wrong I was! Walter Dew was the name of the Chief Inspector who arrested Dr. Crippen (also read Thunderstruck) and it is the alias dentist Walter Baranov assumes to murder his wife when she leaves England on the Mauretania to make it big in movies in the US 1921. In many ways, this story echoes
—Marfita
Lovesey is a new author for me and I'm just beginning to understand what to expect of him. This is the best of his I've read so far. Largely set on board an ocean liner in the early 1920's, it effortlessly evokes the costumes and customs of an earlier age. As in other Lovesey books, the characters are the victims of their own flaws and foibles, so the plot unfolds like an old-fashioned TV sitcom--something I don't usually expect in a mystery and find refreshing. Like a sitcom, the plot requires an extra dose of suspension of disbelief rewarded by some laughs. The only difficulty I have with this formula is that it leaves some elements of the mystery unresolved, so I've learned not to expect anything remotely Conan Doylish from Livesey. But if you're looking for gentle humor in period costume, and a dependably amusing read, I think you'll love Lovesey.
—Cork Tarplee
