The Case of the Canterfell Codicil by PJ Fitzsimmons

The Case of the Canterfell Codicil, the first book in the Anty Boisjoly Mysteries, by PJ Fitzsimmons is a tongue-in-cheek portrayal of a British upper class family’s stoicism, bordering on apathy, in the face of death.

Buy or Pass Recommendation:

Buy. If you like witty and irreverent humour, and bald truths baldly expressed with no sense of irony, this is the book for you. The mystery is more the backdrop, though.

The Good

The book, from the country setting to the idiosyncratic characters to the dry humour, is quintessentially British. It’s essentially a satire on capitalism and classicism but deftly done.

So caught up are the Canterfells in their own sense of importance that Anty Boisjoly’s satire-laced truth bombs fall on deaf ears, time and again. In fact, there were times I questioned Boisjoly’s intentions myself–is he self-aware or just as dense as the others?

The style is reminiscent of Yes Minister.

The Bad

Not bad per se, but the mystery does a take back seat. As a reader, it’s the humour, and not the mystery of the unsolved murder, that draws you and keeps you in. 

The Nit-picks

None.

It’s the kind of book where you alternate between chuckling at the situation, and shaking your head at the characters’ foibles. A delightful read, by and large.