Blotto, Twinks and the Ex-King’s Daughter (Blotto, Twinks #1) by Simon Brett (Felony & Mayhem, $14.95, 211 pages)
The treacherous footman Pottinger has been impaled by a dagger in the library! “Who by?” asked Blotto. Then remembering that he had been at Eaton, he amended his question to, “By whom?”
The back cover of this book might read, “Camp and spoofy, while altogether enjoyable!” No serious effort is required to read the rather small volume that author, Simon Brett, hails as “the first Blotto and Twinks mystery.” The publisher is Felony and Mayhem which is a clue to the tone of their books.
Blotto and his sister Twinks are the son and daughter of the Dowager Duchess of Tawcester (pronounced “taster”). Being dim-witted and handsome is Blotto’s curse and blessing. His sister Twinks is both beautiful and brainy which makes her the detective while he is merely there as window dressing. The period piece is set in England between the first and second world wars. The Dowager Duchess follows through on the obligation of her landed gentry’s class by entertaining house guests of lesser social standing. The ex-king of Mitteleuropa and his entourage are beginning to outstay their welcome when the inevitable happens. A murder victim is found quite by accident by Blotto is his ancestral home.
The mayhem and subsequent murders that occur serve to heighten the potential for puns, class snobbery and altogether good jokes. Author Brett has been a fixture in British radio and television. He has also written three detective novels prior to this, and his latest, Blotto, Twinks and the Dead Dowager Duchess (Blotto, Twinks #2). Brett definitely qualifies for the designation “prolific.”
The volume size and excellent writing make this book ideal for summer reading.
Well recommended.
Ruta Arellano
A review copy was provided by the publisher. “Brett’s latest is a complete wow… comic in an ebullient yet still sardonic, P. G. Wodehouse way…” Booklist
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