A Bloody Hot Summer Paperback – Illustrated, October 23, 2019

I love British murder mysteries. Correction. I love well-written British murder mysteries where the prose pulls you in and makes the characters and story come to life. I cannot believe these accolades seriously apply to this book:#1 Amazon Bestseller - Contemporary British Fiction#1 Amazon Bestseller - International Mystery & Crime"A modern interpretation of a golden age detective novel, in the spirit of Agatha Christie and other writers of crime of the interwar period. A very satisfying homage." –Paul C.W. Beatty, award-winning author of Children of Fire and member of the Crime Writers' AssociationI can’t believe that with over 1200 books already on my Kindle I made space for this one. I can’t believe I spent money on it. I can’t believe I am still trying to slog through it. The writing is clunky and the short choppy sentences paint no pictures to draw you in. The adjectives are clumsy and ill-fitting. I cannot get acquainted with the cardboard cutouts that stand in for the characters because they are given no personalities. The ‘detective’ jumps to unsupported conclusions and hops jerkily around all premises of the mystery. My freshman Lit teacher would have given a student a C at best for writing something like this.

Trevor D’Silva’s A Bloody Hot Summer is an old-fashioned British mystery, marked by an ever-building body count and a delicious parade of clues. Yet the novel also serves as a penetrating commentary on the price of Empire with its enemies made near (Scotland and Germany) and far (India and South Africa). By interweaving the complex history of the Fitzhugh family from 1850s India to fin de siècle South Africa (during the Boer Wars) to the Great War right up to the story’s present day 1927, D’Silva delivers a narrative soiled by the undercurrents of violence and greed.Yet the serious price of that brutal colonial history is given buoyancy by the author’s playful approach to the mystery genre. The author clearly is having fun here as he draws on the traditional tropes and hints with elements ranging from poisoned medicines to cut saddle straps to secret passageways to dull knives to evidence hidden behind paintings. The presence of the charming, unassuming detective Dermot Carlyle on the scene gives the novel a measure of British restraint that keeps the tone wry and pensive.Plus, D’Silva’s assured pacing propels the story ahead so that the clues and deaths accumulate in intriguing ways. As I mentioned in the opening, all of this cultivated, amusing mayhem is offset by the darker legacies of British history, one for which the Fitzhugh family paid an extremely high price, even as it gained great fortune. Indeed, no fortune could be more unfortunate.At one point Pippa says to her boyfriend Richard, “You will have to wash your shirt or the stain will never come off.” The stains are everywhere in this novel and they hurtle back to a dark past, most pointedly in the concentration camps during the Boer War. Through his weather motif, D’Silva slyly hints how the legacy of colonialism permeates every aspect of English life. As Major Havelock points out, “This heat reminds me of South Africa and India.” That heat bears down on the characters through A Bloody Hot Summer, an environment that can be withering. The atmosphere is one ripe for exposure and revelation.Finally, the elaborate maneuvers Dermot employs to draw out the murderers are masterful and lead to a very satisfying climax. I highly recommend A Bloody Hot Summer since it serves as a fun, engaging mystery while unearthing a past the evokes both shame and the opportunity for redemption.

Torturous plotting, labored writing, flat characters; not worth the effort unless you’re stuck with nothing else to read(Also several “Americanisms” & minor typos—“disappointingly” for “disappointedly “, etc.)

The storyline itself was OK. However, to me, it read like it was written by a 15-year-old. I thought maybe this was the authors first book so, nice try. But I looked him up and apparently he’s award-winning. I don’t know I can’t say that I’ll be reading anymore of his books.

This story is so delightful, I loved it! An English murder-mystery in the tradition of one of the finest authors in the genre. I can’t imagine any person who enjoys this type of reading being disappointed in the least.The author has proven his journeyman status as a writer in all accounts. His handling of important aspects such as plotting, action and dialogue are masterful. His scene-setting and narration is elegant. I find nothing to complain about. Not even a single spelling error popped up to irritate me as I read.I award 5 stars to “A Bloody Hot Summer”!

Very convoluted, with many different characters! Lost track of who was who. Short, choppy sentences. Still had me guessing till the end, who done it, though.

Mr. D’Silva has a great imagination and he certainly put it to good use when coming up with the plot for this book. Introducing us to the multi-generational characters over decades and continents and empires, the mysteries were fascinating as they evolved and identities were revealed. Unfortunately, the writing didn’t keep up with the brilliant machinations. Nearly every sentence reminded me of the “Dick, Jane and Sally” books used to teach children to read in the US during the ’50’s and ’60’s - subject, verb, clause - “See Spot run. See Spot run to the door. Good boy, Spot.” The denouement was excellent in that it tied up every loose end and answered every question, but disappointing in that it was pretty much presented as a list of facts that went on for pages with no exciting build-up or subtle disclosures. There is also a useful little glossary at the end of the book explaining many British and American terms. Overall, I enjoyed this book even if the writing is somewhat immature.

The story reminded me of Agatha Christie's novels. The setting, the manor house and also the detective, made me fell like it was a combination of Midsomer Murders and Agatha Christie. Hope to read more from this author and for those who do not know British English, there is a glossary at the end of the novel, to understand the words and slang used in the UK.

Oh no! Sorry but I have just got to page 35 and have had to give it up! I read previous reviews saying that British Colonial history had been well researched (hmn, superficially I think) but English cultural society, manners and language are obviously alien to the writer! Keep trying, but write about what you understand!

So many slip-ups that a bit of research into the British police and their ranks would have avoided - there is no such rank as 'Detective' for a start. Detective Constable, Detective Sergeant, Detective Inspector, but not plain 'Detective'. Then there's the woman police officer - WPC, not PWC (though perhaps that could have been a typo, though it is in there twice). Goodness, they were fortunate to find one, given there were only 110 in England & Wales in 1924 and only 175 by 1936.I know it may seem nit-picking but a brief read of Agatha Christie's or Dorothy Sayers' works would have informed the author, surely? Then there's the lexis - so many little drifts into American word use.It's a pity, because the story is engaging and clearly some research has been undertaken but a good British editor (or one familiar with British Golden Age detective fiction) would surely have picked up the oddities that are so jarring.

By half way I'd worked out who the murders were and their true identity - so why plough through the rest of the book. There are many murders by many different methods. The author has tried to throw everything into the book and it doesn't work.A really annoying aspect was the way the author kept switching between dialogue and telling you what the characters said/did. This inconsistency should of been picked up by an editor. It's always better to show than tell.The detectives came across as naive and slow witted. Clues are really emphasised so you can't miss them giving the book a childish feel.

I never know what to write , here goes i'never heard of Trevor D'Silva .It was a free book among many and A Bloody Hot Summer i picked !I started reading and could'nt stop ,beleave me when it came to the end of the i wanted it to carry on.Its about two familys, murder and greed , from there is mistory intrige 1900s to now .Please read this book and find out for yourselfs x thanks to Trevor for the read x

Big thanks to the author, Trevor D'Silva. Absolutely enthralled with this book, the research that must been painstakingly involved to create the cleverly woven historic connections throughout. The intrigue was genius. Would highly recommend this to any serious reader.