Oxford Blood: A Jemima Shore Mystery Novel | British Detective Fiction | Perfect for Mystery Book Clubs & Rainy Day Reading

SPOILERS: A middle-aged, childless marquess’ wife bears a miracle baby. Unfortunately the baby dies, but unbeknownst to the mother, a nurse switches a healthy male baby for the dead one. This is great in one way, because the alternative heir to the marquisate is a real creep. But on her deathbed, the nurse confesses. People start investigating and people start dying. Fantastic possibilities, right? Well, they are all wasted.I always enjoyed Lady Antonia’s histories, so I thought I’d try her mysteries. No comparison, I’m afraid. Agatha Christie she isn’t. Ruth Rendell she isn’t. Reading this book is like trying to untangle a ball of yarn after a kitten has gotten to it. Zillions of characters, few properly developed, yet you’re supposed to remember all their names throughout the book. And the affect is flat. This person is murdered, that person is murdered, yet you feel the author doesn’t give a damn. And neither do you. The detective, Jemima, right in keeping with the author, seems divorced from all emotion. When she feels jealousy, Antonia has to tell you. “She felt jealous.“ No development. It’s like everybody is coked up. The murderer’s motive seems woefully inadequate, and not at all in evidence. Furthermore, it has nothing to do with the juicy sounding central mystery of the plot. It’s not the kind of thing you can solve by paying attention to the clues, and it’s not psychologically gripping. I won’t be reading more of these.