Where Joliffe Learns Stuff He Wishes He Hadn't

A Play of Dux Moraud by Margaret Frazer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nearly a 5-star read for me. Call it 4.5?

This novel is exactly what it's supposed to be: a clever mystery with interesting characters, set in a well-constructed historical setting. I enjoyed it.

The pace is somewhere between measured and brisk, and that works. There's space for more story than just the mystery, more character development and world-building, because it's not rushing like an action thriller, but it's not slowed down enough to feel plodding. Steady progress, interesting scenes, decent movement all the way through. It feels just about right for pacing.

I like the main character, Joliffe, who is believable in his role as an actor who is pushed to investigate sketchy situations on the sly. He's not an expert in investigation or analysis, but he's sharp and persistent and sneaky enough to get to the heart of mysteries like this one. (Their benefactor, Lord Lovell, needs him to look into the unexplained death of a young man who was going to marry the daughter of a man who owes him homage. The daughter is about to marry a second man, and Lord Lovell thinks something is wrong.)

I don't love the constant sniping between some of the characters, but I sort of get it. Unrelated people in a troupe, forced into company around the clock, probably get a bit annoyed with each other. That's a bit of reality I don't care for. At least it isn't every page.

I've now read three books by this author (collaborators) and they were similar in one thing: when I have several books going, I'm always glad to pick this one up. I have books that languish with a bookmark stuck on page 40, but not this series.

Recommended. This is book 2, but I don't think it matters too much how you read them.

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