I have often talked on the blog about what a contrary reader I can be. On holiday, I read Christmas books whilst sunbathing. It is currently freezing here in the UK. While we have no snow it is currently -4. We have just been out for a walk with Hattie and have all practically run back to the warmth of our home. So what better title to read then a book set on a sunny holiday.

Read all about the book I read in Dubrovnik

I also realised that during my last post, I never shared with you my particular book quirk. This follows the start of Between the Covers on BBC2 where guests talk about their book foibles. Whenever I start a new book, I look at the front cover, turn to the back cover (or the inner page if it is a hardback) and read about the book plot. And then starting from the very first page, I read through any author's notes, introductions and the strike page to see where the book was printed. Only then can I start the story proper. I will NOT start the story without doing all of this.

But back to today's review, we've got a crime to solve and a holiday to enjoy!

From the back of the book

Inspector Cockrill has finally booked a holiday destined for a Mediterranean tour with a motley crew of fellow vacationers. By the time they have reached the island of San Juan el Pirata off the Italian coast, the tour group is a bubbling pot of rivalries and tension between friends and lovers threatening to boil over to violence in the summer heat.

As six holidaymakers relax at the beach under Cockrill's watch, the seventh of their number is slain in the hotel. Believing that the murderer must have been one of the beachgoers, Cockrill faces what must have been an impossible puzzle - one that must be solved before the island's own police force delivers the wrong suspect to their doom.

My Thoughts

This is part of the wonderful British Library Crime Classics that seeks to bring crime books back in print for a new generation of readers to enjoy, and this was a good one! Published in 1955, this is a later Inspector Cockrill novel, but is absolutely fine to read as a standalone novel. The first thing to say is that it is great fun, and the writing is very funny. Poor Inspector Cockrill is a reluctant holiday maker to say the least, and never quite feels at ease on holiday or sharing time with his fellow holidaymakers.

These vacationers are an interesting group - a concert pianist whose career was cut short after a tragic accident, his devoted wife, a fashion-mad writer, a seemingly greasy tour guide, and a woman of wealth. This is a bunch of characters, any one of which could have committed murder.

Whilst Inspector Cockrill investigates, he is brought under pressure by the Island's police force who are determined to rest someone, regardless of whether they actually committed the crime or not.

I did find myself laughing out loud at times, and the crime was ingenious with Inspector Cockrill having eyes on all the suspects at the time of the murder. So how did they do it?

Well you will just have to read this and find out! Great fun.

This book marks me finishing my Goodreads challenge to read 50 books this year. I set it as it marks an auspicious birthday for me. I'm hoping to get a few more read by the end of the year!