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I didn’t know this author, and I don’t know how I found out about the publication of this book. I guess it would be because of some editorial news bulletin to which I am subscribed. In the synopsis of the book, they clarify the following about the author:
” A member, along with Dorothy L. Sayers or Agatha Christie, of the select club of mystery writers of the thirties, Anthony Berkeley brought psychological depth and refinement to the genre and created an atypical and unforgettable detective: Roger Sheringham, successful novelist and detective amateur at times .”
It really reminds of Agatha Christie novels: the atmosphere; the murder is committed in a specific and limited place, so the number of suspects is quite small; also the plot, not lacking in mystery, which is revealed by the protagonist Roger Sheringham; and even the ending, which would be totally unexpected and surprising, were it not for the thoroughness with which both the clues and the deductive processes of the writer-detective are described.
The resemblance ends with the author’s way of writing (though I don’t know if my impression is due to the translation) because it seems a bit childish to me? Superficial? I don’t really know how to describe it. As for the protagonist, though he doesn’t lack a sense of humor, he’s a bit of a chatterbox, he doesn’t stop, he’s talking all day, deducing and drawing conclusions of which he’s totally sure, though later it turns out that he’s wrong. Lastly, I would highlight, in a negative sense, the matter of the clues, which are numerous, and which seem to be screaming for them to be found. Hey, we’re here!
Well, in short, it’s entertaining, light and classic.