Death of a fool

The Dance of the Five Sons has been performed at the winter solstice for over 200 years. William (a.k.a "The Guiser") Andersen, the village blacksmith, maintains the old traditions, vigorously rehearsing his sons in their accustomed roles. This year the Guiser's never-before-seen granddaughter has come for a visit. Another newcomer is Mrs. Bonz, the morris dance fanatic; her relentless questions and constant snooping are annoying the whole village. Even worse, Ernie, the youngest Andersen brother, has become dissatisfied with his customary role. Still, the performance goes on as usual, at least until the finale. The Guiser's character is supposed to rise from the dead; instead, he is discovered with his head cut off. Scotland Yard detective superintendent Roderick Alleyn is called in, investigates, and, as always, solves the case. Alas, the descriptions are excessively long and tedious. Even Nadia May's flexible voice and expert reading cannot impart interest to the rather wooden detective and his scanty deductive processes. Fortunately, the supporting characters, while stereotypical, radiate warmth and charm. Death of a Fool may be one of the worst books ever written by this first-class mystery author. Recommended for moderate to large libraries with a strong demand for classic mysteries. I. Pour-El, Des Moines Area Community Coll., Boone, IA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.