Dress Down Sunday: Slight Mourning by Catherine Aird


published 1975



LOOKING AT WHAT GOES ON UNDER THE CLOTHES




Slight Mourning 1


“Helen! Helen, what on earth are you doing down here? And at this time of night …”

Helen Fent started. “Oh, it’s only you, Annabel. You gave me quite a fright.”

“And you gave me quite a fright,” countered the young nurse briskly. “I thought you were nicely tucked up in bed …”

“I was …”

“And then I find you pattering about downstairs in your night-dress. It’s a white one, too.”

Helen gave a shaky little laugh. “I expect I do look a bit like a ghost.”

“In the dark as well.” Annabel was reproachful. “You might have put a light on.”

“Sorry,” she said penitently. “I didn’t think.”

“I was just coming up to bed anyway,” said Annabel. “I would have come in to see if you needed anything for the night. Did you want another hot drink?”

“Yes … no. No”— Helen took a deep breath—“ thank you.”

“Or a sleeping tablet? I’ve got some with me.”

“No, thank you.” Helen shook her head. “It’s not that. I was just making quite sure we were all locked up for the night.”


commentary: A couple of people did this one for the year 1975 over at Rich Westwood’s Crime of the Century meme (last November’s edition), and intrigued me enough to download it.

Over at Past Offences there are two excellent reviews mentioned, and JJ said in the comments ‘for sheer structure Slight Mourning is easily one of the most interestingly written books I’ve read in a long time. Plot-wise it’s very good, too, but the way Aird introduces all the elements in the opening third or so is really quite fabulous.’

And that pretty much nails it.

It has a really clever, satisfying format: from an opening that features bell-ringing (to remind us of Sayers The Nine Tailors), via a man who dies in a car crash but was poisoned first, to a mental reconstruction of a dinner party via social norms and female intuition – this is a story that pleases the reader.

There are the usual touches of Aird humour;
“We’d heard that [the dead man] ate his dinner all right.” 

“Heard?” chortled Dabb, the pathologist, robustly. “I know for sure, Sloan. I had a look.”
And the story (unnecessary but hilarious) of the alibi that revolves round a soldiers’ reunion where the participants got very drunk and recreated their most successful attack at the host hotel…

I loved the clever details of the dinner party – Inspector Sloan’s wife gives him information he needs, and imagines the table setting, and the brilliant clue of the imperfect pudding.

There are some great clothes: Helen, above, the grieving Slight Mourning 2widow, at the funeral
had chosen to wear a linen dress in a shade of charcoal grey which went well with her raven hair but which also served to heighten her pallor.
And there is discussion of a
longhaired art dealer chap with the fancy tie thing …”
“Cravat,” said Sloan distastefully, “or jabot. I don’t know which.” Sloan himself only went out without a collar and tie on Sunday mornings when he went into the garden to tend his roses, and since his marriage he’d affected a decent sports shirt for gardening.
While Constable Crosby’s
conception of “plain-clothes” was a piece of natty gent’s suiting, and Sloan could only call his choice of a tie for a funeral conspicuously unsuccessful.
This is inspector Sloan’s annoyingly incompetent sidekick, with remarks like this:
“We’re like a couple of mosquitoes in a nudist colony, aren’t we, sir?” he hissed cheerfully. “Our trouble is that we don’t know where to begin.”
It was handy that I knew so certainly that it was 1975, because actually I would otherwise have placed it earlier – this is an old-fashioned village with a lot of class consciousness, and Inspector Sloan wouldn’t dream of having a dinner party himself. Times are changing though.

I don’t think anyone could have guessed the full story of the crime, but that didn’t stop me enjoying this: a classic village mystery with a lot of very funny moments.

Neither of the pictures is of the right date, but Angelina Jolie in the grey dress had the right look, and I wanted to avoid the nightdress pics that suggest too much jeopardy…

There’s more Catherine Aird on the blog – click on the tag below – this has been my favourite so far.































Comments

  1. I sometimes think Aird doesn't get the attention she deserves, Moira, so I was glad to see you choose an Aird this time. I do like her wit; it sometimes sneaks up on you, but it's there. And, yes, she does build up to a plot really effectively. Glad you enjoyed this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, you know where you are with Aird, she is never less than entertaining - and mercifully short. I am enjoying reading through her oeuvre in a meandering relaxed way!

      Delete
  2. This one sounds very nice and I look forward to it. I still haven't read His Burial Too, and then this one. Aird has been a nice rediscovery. I know I read some of her books earlier, but could only remember them vaguely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's me exactly Tracy, I know I read her in the past and was neutral about the books (and certainly can't remember which ones I read), but now I really enjoy them.

      Delete
  3. No, not for me thanks. Slim pickings of late which is no bad thing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No encouragement from me to make you buy more books!

      Delete
  4. Thanks, Moira. Pretty sure I read it long ago. Time for a re-read, I think.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are nice safe re-reads - though as I say above, I can never remember which ones of hers I have read. Working my way through now, though not in order.

      Delete
    2. I have reread and enjoyed it. I do like a book that I can finish between London and Derbyshire on the train. And I liked the regimental dinner where the hotel manager took all their shoes.

      Delete
    3. Oh good - perfect train book! And yes, hotel scenes were very funny.

      Delete
  5. You have to appreciate a mystery that features mumps as a plot point.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love it that a cough always means consumption (unless you are Miss Silver) and mumps always means....

      Delete
    2. Well...40% of the time, it does.

      Delete
    3. But maybe you are talking about real-life, actual statistics? I think official book occurrence statistics tell a different tale!

      Delete
    4. You can take the girl out of Public Health...

      Delete
  6. OK, despite not being crazy about Sloan and often having what seems like a lot of padding, you've convinced me, more Aird for me! or this one, at least!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fair's fair, Sergio - it was actually you doing a post on His Burial Too that got me back into Aird - there were some great discussions on your post and it fired up my interest. So you are to blame!

      Delete
  7. Oh, drat, need to spend more time reading. I liked the one by Aird I read, "Henrietta, Who?" Very pleasant and relaxing read and witty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes - harmless, not too gruesome, and lovely and short!

      Delete
  8. A vacation day to spend it reading one of her books.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The picture of Angelina Jolie is from "The Tourist" - a film which is worth seeing just for her clothes. (Well, actually the story is not bad either, but the clothes are FABULOUS.) And the grey dress is a genuine vintage article from the 1950s - how cool is that?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fascinating details - thanks for the info. I haven't seen The Tourist, I must look it up. I am very impressed that her costume was vintage...

      Delete
    2. Is The Tourist based around the Steinhauer book? I think you read that one didn't you?

      Delete
    3. I read it and liked it very much (must read more of him...) but looking up the film it doesn't seem to be based on that book. It does sound good though, exactly the thing for some relaxed weekend night. Fantastic cast.

      Delete

Post a Comment