A Dismal Thing to Do

A Dismal Thing to Do by Alisa Craig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’d never come across Charlotte MacLeod before, and was sent this by my Canadian friend Suzy. “America’s Reigning Whodunit Queen” trumpets the blurb in the back matter of this paperback dating from 1988, followed by a quote comparing her to Agatha Christie. And with good reason, it turns out. When I started this book, I’d just finished They Came to Baghdad for the sadly missed Goodreads Agatha Christie Reading Group. The style was fractionally more modern, but was just as crisp and precise without being in any way derivative, and it immediately drew me in.
MacLeod seems to be virtually unknown here in the UK. I can only assume this is to do with the historic decisions of international publishing houses over whom they will publish in their various territories. With the advent of Amazon, such decisions are pointless…and yet they are still being made.
I only wish it had been Janet, wife of DI Madcoc Rhys of the Royal Canadian Mounties, who got to play the detective. He’s fun, but she’s more fun.
But that’s just my own humble opinion…what do you think? Do let me know!

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