I did not carefully read this. If you like this sort of writing, it could be an interesting story about kidnapping and theft. However, I found it tedious to read. For me, the characters were cardboard cutouts, and I could not get involved with any of them. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc with no requirement for a positive review.

A Rather Difficult Conundrum is a Wispy Fescue Mystery. I had not read any other books by this author, Geoffrey Start. So ... admittedly ... maybe I should not have selected this book as the place to start ... but I did like the cover.

I felt that the writing in A Rather Difficult Conundrum was a bit pretentious (and unnatural), for example ...
I related all we had discovered since our telephone conversation yesterday. He sat and listened, concentration etched on his face, his eyes never wandering from mine, until we were interrupted by a booming cockney voice, which I assumed must be the proprietor of this dining establishment.

Additionally, some of the situations in the plot I found as frustrating; but I don't want to provide any spoilers.

My favorite character was the kidnapped victim, but the role of that character was fleeting.

Many thanks to NetGalley and The Book Guild Ltd for approving my request to read the advance read copy of A Rather Difficult Conundrum in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is July 21, 2024.

This was a totally absorbing story from the first page to the last. Great interaction between the various participants, which brought the story to life. All the boxes were ticked on the way to the conclusion, which was a fitting ending.

Having read the first book in the Wispy Fescue series, The Biscuit Barrel Murder, I knew I was in for another entertaining read from Geoffrey Start.

Based in the 1920s, Sir William ‘Wispy’ Fescue is an amateur sleuth who, along with a couple of chums, has set up a detective agency, that this time is tasked with finding the missing daughter of a ship-building magnate.

They have a jolly good time travelling across several countries via several modes of transport attempting to solve the case via several twists and turns.

If you’re looking for a light hearted, banter filled, historical cozy mystery, this is the book for you! (But have plenty of snacks to hand, as there are so many references to food that I got rather peckish while reading it!).

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

missing-persons, abduction, newspaper-owner, threats, ransom, historical-mystery, historical-research, historical-setting, 1920s, investigations, investigators, witty, chase-scenes, action, British-humor, verbal-humor, banter, cozy-mystery*****

Wispy Fescue and his detective agency are called upon by a shipbuilding magnate to find his missing daughter. The characters most certainly are, there is as much action as there are laughs and gastronomical excursions. A great fun read!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from The Book Guild via NetGalley. Thank you!
#InteractiveTableOfContents #InteractiveLinksAndReferences #WispyFescueMysteries

Eccentric Characters…
Well executed whodunnit, much in the vein of the Golden Age , 1920’s set and the second in the series. ‘Wispy’ Fescue and his detective agency return as they delve into the case of a missing person which takes them scuttling across Europe in a desperate adventure. A pacy plot populated with a cast of eccentric and eclectic characters, an engaging narrative and a fun storyline. Enjoyable and entertaining.

A Rather Difficult Conundrum is a fun cozy historical mystery and the second amateur sleuth adventure featuring "Wispy" Fescue and his cohorts, set in the early interwar golden age by Geoffrey Start. Due out 28th July 2024 from The Book Guild, it's 320 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

It's a modern effort, written and published currently, but there's a nice verisimilitude with 1920s classic mysteries and there's more than a soupcon of homage to PG Wodehouse, Marsh, and Allingham contained in it. The main protagonist is a minor noble, one Sir William "Wispy" Fescue who, along with his lady wife and a pair of friends manage to track down stolen prize cattle, works of art, and in the latest adventure, hopefully rescue the daughter of a shipping magnate before she comes a cropper.

The whole is delightfully well written and all the moving parts function precisely as intended. In another nod to Marsh, it happens that head sleuth Wispy's wife is a recognised artist who has already been accepted at the Royal Academy exhibition. (Shades of Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn).

There's a great deal of humour throughout, and much lighthearted banter. The author has a tendency toward internal monologue/commentary on pretty much every page, but the rhythm soon fades more or less into the background.

Four stars. Delightful very light fun.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

An historical cosy mystery set in the 1920s. This is the second book in the series featuring Wispy Fescue and his detective agency but the first one I have read. The story is an easy read and reasonably fast paced. The plot was mostly entertaining but not very exciting. I didn't think much of the main characters. There was very little to distinguish them from each other. At times their dialogue seemed a bit forced and too much of a caricature. The lesser characters were either bland or over done. I wasn't sure whether this was supposed to be a humorous book. It felt like it was trying to be something like a P. G. Wodehouse style book but never actually made it. I found the overly long descriptions of the meals and picnics they had to be rather annoying - they went through an awful lot of hampers!
Light and reasonably entertaining but not my cup of tea.

7 August 1922. Sir William "Wispy" Fescue is approached by wealthy shipping magnate Sir Chester Eastoff and Lady Alberta as their 24 year old daughter Florence went missing six weeks ago, and the police have failed to find her. Now they have received a ransom demand and want to employ his agency in finding her. But with Eastoff having enemies, who can they trust, and who is actually involved.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its cast of varied and likeable characters.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Having greatly enjoyed 'The Biscuit Barrel Murder' last year I have been eagerly awaiting this second outing for Wispy Fescue and his team and to borrow a compliment he might well have paid himself - 'it's an absolute corker!'
The author writes with a seductive lightness of touch and a ready wit, teasing his readers with some fabulously eccentric characters who wouldn't be out of place in a P.G. Wodehouse romp.
The plot is intricate and intriguing and there's a real sense of 'Boy's Own' adventure in an international chase by foot, car, rail, sea and air, and the introduction of two new flying aces, Count von Dohmenhorst and Baron von Scharmbeck, and scenes worthy of John Buchan at his best.
An absolute joy to read. I look forward to the next in the series.