Hasnýt dated a bit, 22 Mar 2002
Although written twenty-five years ago this thriller is just as exciting to read today. Jemima Shore is a television celebrity with her own programme. Termed as an investigator on TV, in the books which feature her she often investigates crime on the outside. We learn from this book that Jemima was educated in a Catholic Convent. Her former school friend, now a nun at the same convent appears to have starved herself to death and the Reverend Mother invites Jemima to the community to find out the truth.

Intelligent and Absorbing, 05 May 2000
This was the first of Antonia Fraser's whodunnits featuring Jemima Shore that I read. The standard was not matched by the others, but this one is a treat. Though the heroine is not particularly sympathetic, the story moves briskly and interestingly along. The characters, even in the various short flashbacks, are well drawn and their environment is credible. Years ago, Thames Television made a series called "Armchair Thriller"; this was one of the stories featured, and the only one that was thrilling in any measure at all! Recommended.

Hasnýt dated a bit, 22 Mar 2002
Although written twenty-five years ago this thriller is just as exciting to read today. Jemima Shore is a television celebrity with her own programme. Termed as an investigator on TV, in the books which feature her she often investigates crime on the outside. We learn from this book that Jemima was educated in a Catholic Convent. Her former school friend, now a nun at the same convent appears to have starved herself to death and the Reverend Mother invites Jemima to the community to find out the truth.

Intelligent and Absorbing, 05 May 2000
This was the first of Antonia Fraser's whodunnits featuring Jemima Shore that I read. The standard was not matched by the others, but this one is a treat. Though the heroine is not particularly sympathetic, the story moves briskly and interestingly along. The characters, even in the various short flashbacks, are well drawn and their environment is credible. Years ago, Thames Television made a series called "Armchair Thriller"; this was one of the stories featured, and the only one that was thrilling in any measure at all! Recommended.

Tartan triumph, 27 Jul 2008
Antonia Fraser's Jemima Shore series is always entertaining, witty and reliable, and this one seems to have a bit more emotional depth than some of the others. Second in the series (after Quiet as a Nun), Jemima Shore needs to get away from her high profile TV career and chooses to rent a `cottage' on a remote Scottish island. But on arrival at Inverness she meets the charismatic uncle of her landlord together with a half-sinister, half-amusing MP and learns that the man she's renting from has just been found dead...

Written in 1978 this deftly weaves a plot encompassing Scottish devolution, the heirs of Bonnie Prince Charlie, Jemima's own amorous adventures and, of course, murder galore. Without either explicit gore or sex, this is a hugely entertaining, fun and well-written read.


BEWARE: re-naming of a previous title, 07 Nov 2006
Fellow Jemima Shaw fans BEWARE. I've just bought this book and was looking forward to reading a new mystery. However, on the title page of my copy, it says this was "originally published as the Wild Island". The Wild Island was published in 1978. I'm very disappointed, I hope you don't make the same mistake.

Hasnýt dated a bit, 22 Mar 2002
Although written twenty-five years ago this thriller is just as exciting to read today. Jemima Shore is a television celebrity with her own programme. Termed as an investigator on TV, in the books which feature her she often investigates crime on the outside. We learn from this book that Jemima was educated in a Catholic Convent. Her former school friend, now a nun at the same convent appears to have starved herself to death and the Reverend Mother invites Jemima to the community to find out the truth.

Intelligent and Absorbing, 05 May 2000
This was the first of Antonia Fraser's whodunnits featuring Jemima Shore that I read. The standard was not matched by the others, but this one is a treat. Though the heroine is not particularly sympathetic, the story moves briskly and interestingly along. The characters, even in the various short flashbacks, are well drawn and their environment is credible. Years ago, Thames Television made a series called "Armchair Thriller"; this was one of the stories featured, and the only one that was thrilling in any measure at all! Recommended.

Tartan triumph, 27 Jul 2008
Antonia Fraser's Jemima Shore series is always entertaining, witty and reliable, and this one seems to have a bit more emotional depth than some of the others. Second in the series (after Quiet as a Nun), Jemima Shore needs to get away from her high profile TV career and chooses to rent a `cottage' on a remote Scottish island. But on arrival at Inverness she meets the charismatic uncle of her landlord together with a half-sinister, half-amusing MP and learns that the man she's renting from has just been found dead...

Written in 1978 this deftly weaves a plot encompassing Scottish devolution, the heirs of Bonnie Prince Charlie, Jemima's own amorous adventures and, of course, murder galore. Without either explicit gore or sex, this is a hugely entertaining, fun and well-written read.


BEWARE: re-naming of a previous title, 07 Nov 2006
Fellow Jemima Shaw fans BEWARE. I've just bought this book and was looking forward to reading a new mystery. However, on the title page of my copy, it says this was "originally published as the Wild Island". The Wild Island was published in 1978. I'm very disappointed, I hope you don't make the same mistake.

Meet Jemima Shore, 15 Sep 2001
This was an easy read. No need to concentrate and easy to pick up after a couple of days. Although this suited me at the time I usually require something faster paced and meatier. Jemima Shore is an investigator, no not like V. I. Warshawski or Kinsey Milhone. Jemima is more of an investigative journalist. She has her own television programme though in this book she is trying to track down a killer and unravel an old secret. This was my first book by Fraser but I am going to track down others.

Hasnýt dated a bit, 22 Mar 2002
Although written twenty-five years ago this thriller is just as exciting to read today. Jemima Shore is a television celebrity with her own programme. Termed as an investigator on TV, in the books which feature her she often investigates crime on the outside. We learn from this book that Jemima was educated in a Catholic Convent. Her former school friend, now a nun at the same convent appears to have starved herself to death and the Reverend Mother invites Jemima to the community to find out the truth.

Intelligent and Absorbing, 05 May 2000
This was the first of Antonia Fraser's whodunnits featuring Jemima Shore that I read. The standard was not matched by the others, but this one is a treat. Though the heroine is not particularly sympathetic, the story moves briskly and interestingly along. The characters, even in the various short flashbacks, are well drawn and their environment is credible. Years ago, Thames Television made a series called "Armchair Thriller"; this was one of the stories featured, and the only one that was thrilling in any measure at all! Recommended.

Tartan triumph, 27 Jul 2008
Antonia Fraser's Jemima Shore series is always entertaining, witty and reliable, and this one seems to have a bit more emotional depth than some of the others. Second in the series (after Quiet as a Nun), Jemima Shore needs to get away from her high profile TV career and chooses to rent a `cottage' on a remote Scottish island. But on arrival at Inverness she meets the charismatic uncle of her landlord together with a half-sinister, half-amusing MP and learns that the man she's renting from has just been found dead...

Written in 1978 this deftly weaves a plot encompassing Scottish devolution, the heirs of Bonnie Prince Charlie, Jemima's own amorous adventures and, of course, murder galore. Without either explicit gore or sex, this is a hugely entertaining, fun and well-written read.


BEWARE: re-naming of a previous title, 07 Nov 2006
Fellow Jemima Shaw fans BEWARE. I've just bought this book and was looking forward to reading a new mystery. However, on the title page of my copy, it says this was "originally published as the Wild Island". The Wild Island was published in 1978. I'm very disappointed, I hope you don't make the same mistake.

Meet Jemima Shore, 15 Sep 2001
This was an easy read. No need to concentrate and easy to pick up after a couple of days. Although this suited me at the time I usually require something faster paced and meatier. Jemima Shore is an investigator, no not like V. I. Warshawski or Kinsey Milhone. Jemima is more of an investigative journalist. She has her own television programme though in this book she is trying to track down a killer and unravel an old secret. This was my first book by Fraser but I am going to track down others.

Not well written, 27 Aug 2006
The story is a really good one, unfortunately the book isn't very well written. I had to read a couple of passages more than once to work out what the author meant, and there are lots of contradictory sentences. Some of the bits in brackets were more a hinderance than a help too, they broke up the flow and a lot of the time told you things you already knew. However, the book is worth a read as the basic story is exciting.

Hasnýt dated a bit, 22 Mar 2002
Although written twenty-five years ago this thriller is just as exciting to read today. Jemima Shore is a television celebrity with her own programme. Termed as an investigator on TV, in the books which feature her she often investigates crime on the outside. We learn from this book that Jemima was educated in a Catholic Convent. Her former school friend, now a nun at the same convent appears to have starved herself to death and the Reverend Mother invites Jemima to the community to find out the truth.

Intelligent and Absorbing, 05 May 2000
This was the first of Antonia Fraser's whodunnits featuring Jemima Shore that I read. The standard was not matched by the others, but this one is a treat. Though the heroine is not particularly sympathetic, the story moves briskly and interestingly along. The characters, even in the various short flashbacks, are well drawn and their environment is credible. Years ago, Thames Television made a series called "Armchair Thriller"; this was one of the stories featured, and the only one that was thrilling in any measure at all! Recommended.

Tartan triumph, 27 Jul 2008
Antonia Fraser's Jemima Shore series is always entertaining, witty and reliable, and this one seems to have a bit more emotional depth than some of the others. Second in the series (after Quiet as a Nun), Jemima Shore needs to get away from her high profile TV career and chooses to rent a `cottage' on a remote Scottish island. But on arrival at Inverness she meets the charismatic uncle of her landlord together with a half-sinister, half-amusing MP and learns that the man she's renting from has just been found dead...

Written in 1978 this deftly weaves a plot encompassing Scottish devolution, the heirs of Bonnie Prince Charlie, Jemima's own amorous adventures and, of course, murder galore. Without either explicit gore or sex, this is a hugely entertaining, fun and well-written read.


BEWARE: re-naming of a previous title, 07 Nov 2006
Fellow Jemima Shaw fans BEWARE. I've just bought this book and was looking forward to reading a new mystery. However, on the title page of my copy, it says this was "originally published as the Wild Island". The Wild Island was published in 1978. I'm very disappointed, I hope you don't make the same mistake.

Meet Jemima Shore, 15 Sep 2001
This was an easy read. No need to concentrate and easy to pick up after a couple of days. Although this suited me at the time I usually require something faster paced and meatier. Jemima Shore is an investigator, no not like V. I. Warshawski or Kinsey Milhone. Jemima is more of an investigative journalist. She has her own television programme though in this book she is trying to track down a killer and unravel an old secret. This was my first book by Fraser but I am going to track down others.

Not well written, 27 Aug 2006
The story is a really good one, unfortunately the book isn't very well written. I had to read a couple of passages more than once to work out what the author meant, and there are lots of contradictory sentences. Some of the bits in brackets were more a hinderance than a help too, they broke up the flow and a lot of the time told you things you already knew. However, the book is worth a read as the basic story is exciting.

Light fun read, 01 Jun 2002
Set in Oxford, this frothy but intelligent novel describes the behaviour of upper-class undergraduates at Oxford with dry wit. The whodunnit aspect is very capably carried out, with biology-based twists reminiscent of Dorothy Sayers. Not great literature, but diverting!

Stereotypes abound in dreary aristo misto, 05 Sep 1999
You would think nothing had changed in Britain since WW2. Every character is a stereotype: the Earl is cool, charming, polite and wants above all a son to carry on the name, the Professor is eccentric, the Nanny is overcome with religious guilt on her deathbed (SO lower class of her) the scion of the noble house is frivolous and appallingly behaved, but of course has a noble heart underneath it all. Goodness, how us lower orders lap up these tales of the high life, reassured that the world is run just as it should be. I'm studying Crime Writing at present, and am sampling around authors I have never read. And in this case an author I will never read again. I can honestly say that this is a book which, once you have put down, you cannot pick up again. I'm a quick reader and this is a slight book, but it took me three days to finish this tripe.

And to cap it all - Jemima Shore doesn't even solve the mystery - she simply happens to be around when the murderer reveals themselves!

This is Class A crap - don't bother.