Georgette Heyer: Pistols for Two

• ISBN-13: 9781402256981
• Publisher: Sourcebooks, Incorporated
• Publication date: 2/7/2012
• Pages: 256

Intrigue, elegance, and glittering romance...
In eleven charming short stories, the Queen of Regency romance presents an exquisite romp through affairs of honor and affairs of the heart. Featuring rakes and rascals, orphans and heirs, beauties and their beaus, the legendary Georgette Heyer's signature wit and inimitable style bring the Regency world dazzlingly alive. 

 Sometimes I forget how much I love Georgette Heyer. And then I read Georgette Heyer, and I remember. This particular work is actually an anthology of short stories. And every one of them is satisfying in its own way. They are, of course, all romantically inclined, some more so than others, and they are all humorous. Not necessarily the laugh-out-loud-and-hold-your-stomach kind of humorous, more along the lines of hijinks and strange personages. Several of the stories are cases of mistaken identity, or simply mistaken assumptions. Some are the exigencies of youth. All are delightful, I assure you.
 Normally, I don't like short stories. At least, romantic short stories. Most of the time, authors are unable to fit a truly engaging love story into so few pages and have you feel satisfied at the end. You're left wanting something more, wandering what happened to the couple when the story ended. Here, you might wonder what happened after, but it doesn't feel like you're missing something. They are fully complete. Love it.
 Overall: A+
 I really love Georgette Heyer. I might have given a slightly higher mark than normal simply because my expectations are lowered for short stories, and these were just so excellent, but I will always give Heyer high points. Definitely go read this. Or read her whole canon. That would be best.

Georgette Heyer: Detection Unlimited

• ISBN-13: 9781402218057
• Publisher: Sourcebooks, Incorporated
• Publication date: 9/7/2010
• Series: Inspector Hemingway Mysteries Series , #4
• Pages: 384

 Slumped on a seat under an oak tree is old Sampson Warrenby, with a bullet through his head.
 Everybody in the village is ready to tell Chief Inspector Hemingway who did it. Could the murderer have been the dead man's niece? Or perhaps it was the other town solicitor? The couple at the farm had a guilty secret - what was it? And why is it someone else actually wants to be the prime suspect?
 Add to this the fact that Warrenby was blackmailing someone, and Hemingway has his work cut out for him.
 
 Let's be clear about this title first, because it confused the hell out of me initially: it's called Detection Unlimited because basically every character in the novel is trying to solve the mysterious death of one Mr. Sampson Warrenby. And they all have their theories. Which leads to much hilarity (in my mind at least).
 Mr. Sampson Warrenby, much like a lot of other victims in English murder mysteries, was pretty universally hated, excepting his simpleton niece. Okay, she's not literally a simpleton, but she's just about as annoying as one. She's one of those people that conforms to what society expects and puts a rosy glow on her now-dead uncle. I suppose I have a lot of angst about her since she's obviously still bothering me.
 The mystery, then, lies in who actually had a motive aside from pure dislike, because if we went on that alone, the entire village would be on the suspect list. And they actually are. They lead a merry chase for our hardworking Inspector and his erstwhile companion, who does not have a working appreciation for the cleverness of our little hero.
 Some of the characters are fun and make up for the other busybodies, and the end is a twist that you probably would have seen coming if you'd thought about it enough. The real surprise, though, is more the method of murder than the actual culprit.
 Overall: B
 Not my favorite of Heyer's mysteries, but still a jolly romp nonetheless. And a few of the characters were quite enjoyable and took some of the sting out of the general nosy character of the village.

Jennifer Kloester: Georgette Heyer's Regency World

• ISBN-13: 9781402241369
• Publisher: Sourcebooks, Incorporated
• Publication date: 8/1/2010
• Pages: 400

Immerse yourself in the resplendent glow of Regency England and the world of Georgette Heyer...
 From the fascinating slang, the elegant fashions, the precise ways the bon ton ate, drank, danced, and flirted, to the shocking real life scandals of the day, Georgette Heyer's Regency World takes you behind the scenes of Heyer's captivating novels.
 As much fun to read as Heyer's own novels, beautifully illustrated, and meticulously researched, Jennifer Kloester's essential guide brings the world of the Regency to life for Heyer fans and Jane Austen fans alike.

I ADORE GEORGETTE HEYER. I'm going to scream that from the mountaintops someday, I swear. I mean, really, what's not to love? She's clever, she's funny, she's historically accurate, and her love stories are beautiful without being cheesy or overtly sexual like the romances of today. I highly recommend her to anyone and everyone.
 This book was not written by her, obviously. Rather, it was written about the world in which her characters lived with the intent that readers of her novels would gain a) an appreciation of how much work went into the accuracy of her portrayals and b) a greater understanding of the Regency period. It's beautifully organized and easily understood. There are lots of pictures and so some of the descriptions, such as the vehicles and the fashion that have lots of similar terms that are hard to distinguished, are made much easier to catalogue. The author is obviously a huge fan of Georgette Heyer's work (you would have to be, and besides, who isn't?) and she truly makes you realize how accurate Heyer was. I always heard she did a remarkable amount of research, but I suppose I never registered how much until I finished this book.
 I honestly don't really know what else to say, other than it was a very informative and interesting read that wasn't boring, which is high praise indeed for this kind of book.
 Overall: A
 As many pictures as there were, I would have liked a few more for the more refined distinctions amongst clothing and vehicle styles.

Georgette Heyer: Death in the Stocks

• ISBN-13: 9781402217975
• Publisher: Sourcebooks, Incorporated
• Publication date: 10/1/2009
• Pages: 314

 A moonlit night, a sleeping village, and an unaccountable murder....
 In the dead of night, a man in evening dress is found murdered, locked in the stocks on the village green. Unfortunately for Superintendent Hannasyde, the deceased is Arnold Vereker, a man hated by nearly everyone, especially his odd and unhelpful family members. The Verekers are as eccentric as they are corrupt, and it will take all Hannasyde's skill at detection to determine who's telling the truth, and who is pointing him in the wrong direction. The question is: who in this family is clever enough to get away with murder? 

Georgette Heyer does it again. I don't think I've run across a Heyer novel that I don't like, although some occasionally stray into TMI territory. Not TMI in a bad way, just too detailed and a little boring. But she always pulls it out. What makes her detective/mystery novels so great are not necessarily the intricacy or originality of the plotlines, but rather that which always makes Heyer stand out - her great characters. She creates characters that are humorous and sympathetic, and she does not disappoint in this entry in her canon.
 When Arnold Vereker is murdered, suspicion turns to his immediate relatives and those close to them, a development they seem in no hurry to avert. Rather, Kenneth courts suspicion and seems to take great pleasure in foiling the police and seeing how far he can push them, while discussing how he would theoretically murder his half-brother with his sister, Antonia, the other half of the suspected Vereker pair.They continue to play this cat and mouse game to the dismay of their counsel, and cousin, Giles Carrington. As the story progresses, suspicion turns from one sibling to the other, then to their respective fiancés, and they continue to speculate on how they each could have committed the murder. Not that they did, of course. 
 It's almost amusing how ineffectual Hanasyde is in this novel. Normally he's right there, solving the cases, but this time he seems to just be sort of helplessly swept along by the force of Giles' investigation and the Vereker's personalities. You sort of feel sorry for him, really. The end is a little surprising, purely because you knew that the culprit was going to be one of the cast of characters as that is how Heyer operates - she doesn't pin the murder on a random passerby that isn't introduced to the novel until the final chapters. But that is all I will say on the matter. Scouts honor.
 Overall: A-
 The mystery wasn't there as much as it has been in previous books. The investigation seemed to loose its steam several times along the way, although the reader was suitably distracted by the developing relationships, so they didn't feel the loss of a cogent plot.