Why Shoot a Butler? by Georgette Heyer

Why Shoot a Butler by Georgette Heyer was first published in 1933. As you would expect from such a title it’s one of her thrillers, rather than her more well known fare of historical romances, although in my experience she never could resist writing some romance into any book that she has written.

This is only her second thriller I believe and for me it’s main problem is that it’s about 100 pages too long for a 1930s thriller/murder mystery, which makes for a fair amount of tedium along the way.

Her amateur detective is a barrister called Frank Amberley. On his way to a weekend in the country he comes across a young woman standing by the roadside, next to a car. It’s foggy, but she doesn’t seem to have been in an accident, on closer examination there are bullet holes in the car windscreen.

So far so good because I much prefer a thriller to get going early on, but it doesn’t half slow down over the 312 pages. This one was written very early on in her writing career and I think she improved a lot later. There isn’t even so much of her trade mark witty repartee between the characters. I’m glad I read it though, I think I only have Envious Casca to read now – of her thrillers – it seems I have bucketloads of her Regency romances to read though. I think I’ll be choosier about reading them, and stick to those that are highly recommended by bloggers.