Reading the Detectives discussion

Welcome to our December 24 Challenge read of The Case of the Ghost of Christmas Morning The second book in the Anty Boisjoly Mystery series by PJ Fitzsimmons, first published in 2021.

Anty Boisjoly tackles the peculiar case of the war hero who visits his old friends on Christmas morning — after being murdered on Christmas Eve.

In The Case of the Ghost of Christmas Morning, Wodehousian clubman, flaneur, idler and sleuth Anty Boisjoly pits his sardonic wits against another pair of impossible murders. This time, Anty Boisjoly’s Aunty Boisjoly is the only possible suspect when a murder victim stands his old friends a farewell drink at the local, hours after being murdered. Like The Case of the Canterfell Codicil, the first Anty Boisjoly mystery, The Case of the Ghost of Christmas Morning fits the narrow literary needs of those who feel that Ruth Rendell isn’t frivolous enough and that Blandings Castle could stand a few more baffling murders.

Please feel free to post spoilers in this thread.

I've finished this one now and must admit I was thoroughly confused by Anty's long explanation at the end and the number of people pretending to be one another!

I'm guessing it was a spoof of similar explanations at the end of one or two real GA mysteries (I won't say which ones to avoid spoilers!) but I got completely lost in it all.

Thank goodness it wasn’t just me - my brain is rubbish for remembering characters the moment I shut the book, but when they play ring around the roses like that, forget it!

True, the author was probably poking fun at my least favorite bit of any mystery-the long, detailed summing up! The rare case when I prefer a dramatization over reading the actual mystery. Goes faster, I can see the murder method, locale, how this or that was accomplished-so often I simply can’t follow!🙄

Yes, I agree about the long, detailed summing up at the end of mysteries, Susan! Great point about these often being easier to follow in a dramatisation.

I'm also not a big fan of too many fake identities etc, although obviously these are sometimes needed for brilliant twists!

Fair enough ;)

The ending was hard to follow but very tongue in cheek. I think you were right on the other thread though, Susan, new mysteries can never replace the originals.

Odd how modern writers, who presumably love the genre just never quite get it write. I am not necessarily referring to this series but just overall.

Just read this. Agree with comments about confusion of false identities. I have to admit that although I was initially intrigued by Arty's humorous comments and the other characters' eccentricities, I lost interest during the sloggy middle of the book. I made myself finish but didn't care much as the conclusion unravelled.