Duplicate Death

Duplicate Death (1951) Georgette Heyer (Inspector Hemingway #3)

Mrs Lilias Haddington is a domineering woman who is trying to find the “best” marriage for her daughter, which is why she’s managed to work her way into society–even though no one is quite sure how she managed it.

(T)he social smile which had become so mechanical that she frequently assumed it when addressing persons, such as her secretary, whom it was quite unnecessary for her to charm.

Beulah Birtley is Mrs Haddington’s much put upon secretary–staying because she seemingly has nowhere else to go.

Although Mrs Haddington wants Mr Timothy Harte to marry her daughter Cynthia, Timothy only has eyes for Beulah, despite his mother’s concerns, which brings Timothy’s half-brother, Jim Kane, down to London.

This was published ten years after the second Inspector Hemingway story–six years after the end of the war–and revisits characters from They Found Him Dead, where we first met Timothy Harte and James Kane.

I’d like to know what you’ve been up to since I saw you last.’

‘School – War – Cambridge – Bar,’ replied Timothy succinctly.

(H)ow’s that brother of yours? I hope no one’s been trying to bump him off since I saw him last?’

‘Only Jerry. He lost a leg at Monte Cassino, but otherwise he’s flourishing. Got four kids, too.’

This is the first book written in this time period that actually states one (and implies another) character is queer.

‘He used to be very thick with Seaton-Carew, and always flying into tantrums if ever Seaton-Carew paid too much attention to anyone else.’

‘Oh, a homosexual, is he?

I won’t say he was one of the better characters, but he was queer, and he didn’t die, so that’s something for that time I suppose.

The one problem with the mystery was that you knew it wasn’t going to be Timothy Harte, and since Beulah was his love interest, you knew it wasn’t going to be her, which further limited the pool of suspects.

There was also a huge drugs subplot. It was interesting to see how they were addressed at that time.

An interesting mystery, and although it was interesting to see a queer character who had been named as such in what had been a contemporary story, he wasn’t a good character, and some of the language hadn’t aged especially well.

But it was interesting.

Characters: Mrs Lilias Haddington, Miss Cynthia Haddington, Mr Daniel Seaton-Carew, Mr Timothy Harte, Miss Francesca Beulah Birtley Meriden, Lady Nest Poulton, Mr Godfrey Poulton, Miss Beatrice Trix Guisborough, Mrs Irene Guisborough, Mr Kenelm Guisborough, Sir Roderick Vickerstown, Dr Theodore Westruther, Mr Sydney Butterwick, Miss Violet Pickhill, Colonel Cartmel, Mr Freddy Atherstone, Thrimby, Miss Gwenny Mapperley, Mrs Foston, M. Gaston, Miss Spennymoor, Mr Charles Ashbourne, Baroness Rozhdesvenskiy, Superintendent Hinckley, Chief Inspector Stanley Hemingway, Inspector Pershore, Sergeant Snettisham, Inspector Alexander Grant, Sergeant Bromley, Ex-Superintendent Darliston, Dr Yoxall, Mr Francis Caister, Kempsey, Mr Eddleston, Mrs James Kane, Mr James Kane, Miss Susan Kane, Master William Kane, Lady Norma Harte

Published by Poisoned Pen Press

Rating: 7.5/10