First in a series with St. Just
A small but fun chat
SPOILERS RIGHT AWAY, SO BEWARE
*** (19:00):Welcome to New Chatroom , BCCJillster.u!
BCCJillster: Hey Barb!
BCCJillster: how are you feeling?
*** (19:01):Welcome to New Chatroom , someonegetchristine.u!
BCCJillster: Hi ya Chris
someonegetchristine: Hi Jill, Barb!
riverblue: Hi guys -
BCCJillster: I love that you guuys can make these chats
riverblue: i was confused with the time
BCCJillster: did I get it wrong?
someonegetchristine: its 8 a.m. our dst has kicked in!
BCCJillster: OH dear LOL
someonegetchristine: lol Jill, nothing wrong!!
riverblue: gave me time to get a cuppa and make myself completely comfortable
BCCJillster: sure thing
someonegetchristine: exactly barb, and read the morning paper!
BCCJillster: I had to reread the ending to remind me why the heck she did it
riverblue: i took it back to the library a couple of weeksd ago and it's scary how little i remember
someonegetchristine: yes, it was a bit complicated how it all knitted together
BCCJillster: I know. That's why I try to read them close to the chat
BCCJillster: Now that's an understatement Chris
BCCJillster: In retrospect, I suppose it was clever but....
riverblue: i seem to remember a sort of what the ? at the end
BCCJillster: exactamundo barb
riverblue: it all came together out of nowhere
someonegetchristine: well so did I, especially when Natasha's identity was exposed
BCCJillster: that's why I thought it was so unfair---I love the ones where they cleverly hide clues
someonegetchristine: if I'd had more clues maybe I could have figured something out
someonegetchristine: I agree Jill
BCCJillster: but even knowing she was Violet's daughter, it still didn't make sense
riverblue: yup
BCCJillster: wouldn't she have inherited anyway?
someonegetchristine: thats what I thought, via George ??
BCCJillster: Or just via her mom
*** (19:06):Welcome to New Chatroom , kathylaz.u!
BCCJillster: YAY Kathy
riverblue: we seem to have got straight into this anyone else coming?
someonegetchristine: Hi Kathy!!
BCCJillster: LOL I don't know
kathylaz: helloooooo
riverblue: hellp Kathy
riverblue: i mean hello
kathylaz: wow! barb AND chris!
someonegetchristine: is it a sunny day Kathy?
BCCJillster: ain't it fun?
kathylaz: i can help, too!
riverblue: things aren't so bad i need hellp!!
kathylaz: yeah, very sunny. how's VA?
BCCJillster: oh good, I m glad someone can Kath
BCCJillster: sunny and a bit warm
BCCJillster: I'd love to be smelling sea air though
kathylaz: and down unddeeeerrrrrr?
someonegetchristine: a bit overcast and cool
BCCJillster: you're coming out of winter right?
riverblue: cold and sunny - we've had great weather but it's been a horrible week while our visitors were here
riverblue: we are - spring is springing
BCCJillster: Did the tsunami/earthquake affect NZ?
riverblue: not down south
riverblue: Chris?
kathylaz: i was surprised i actually knew someone affected by it
someonegetchristine: iminimal up north, but there have been nz fatalaties
someonegetchristine: sp awful!!
BCCJillster: people who were on the islands right?
kathylaz: a former co-worker's father's pharmacy collapsed, and his brother/sis-in-law were trapped
riverblue: yes
BCCJillster: oh dear
someonegetchristine: some nz residents on holiday, a two sisters from up north, teachers on holiday
BCCJillster: in the Solomons?
kathylaz: he says they got out with some injuries, nothing serious, after about 8 hours
BCCJillster: what a nightmare
someonegetchristine: no Solomons were fine, Tonga had some deaths
kathylaz: scary
BCCJillster: oh right Samoa got the brunt of it
someonegetchristine: its a popular holidat destination for nz'rs
BCCJillster: since I read a book where a tsunami hit, the picture is too clear in my head
BCCJillster: I think it was one of the Amitav Ghosh books
riverblue: just broken up
BCCJillster: what is?
riverblue: a catfight in my living room - our 2 old cats were going hammer and tongs
BCCJillster: OMG
riverblue: fur flying and yowling
BCCJillster: eeeek
someonegetchristine: lol what about?
kathylaz: oh no!
kathylaz: who knows...it's CATS
BCCJillster: LOLLLLL
riverblue: exactly!!! a law unto themselves!
BCCJillster: I understand dogs a lot better
BCCJillster: I can't live with an animal I can't trust
kathylaz: or live with an animal that thinks it owns YOU
riverblue: they're both getting madder and madder as they grow older
someonegetchristine: old age sounds fun!
BCCJillster: when somehing sleeps with its claws near my face, I want to know she's not going to turn
riverblue: we wanted cats with personality - be careful what you wish for LOL
BCCJillster: Exactly!
BCCJillster: Isn't that the beginning of Middlemarch, or one of those classics
BCCJillster: I laughted so hard whenI read it where I wasn't expecting that wisdom
BCCJillster: Geee it might be just us!
riverblue: looks that way
someonegetchristine: tea anyone ?
BCCJillster: It's sad that people don't build itinto their plans.sigh
BCCJillster: Kathy, we had started tearing apart the ending...
BCCJillster: how did you feel about it?
kathylaz: go for it
kathylaz: well, i was ok with it
kathylaz: but then started reading the boards more
kathylaz: and started to agree
BCCJillster: Oh good, another viewpoint...tell me why
BCCJillster: OH NO lol
someonegetchristine: I felt it was rushed and had to re-read associations etc
kathylaz: it was a cheater's way to end, because there was no way to see it coming
someonegetchristine: exactly
BCCJillster: that was my complaint too
riverblue: yes, Chris - it felt muddled
someonegetchristine: I agree Barb
BCCJillster: it was so complex, why not put that energy into something we could share?
kathylaz: i felt as if i was sprinting....although i thought it was because i was hurrying to finish to get the book back to the library!
riverblue: and i liked the police much more than the family yet we stuck with thr family way more
kathylaz: right jill, especially since the rest of it carried us along in the investigation
BCCJillster: do you think they consider themselves clever when they pull a rabbit out?
kathylaz: when we weren't allowed to "see" the photos, that wasn't fair
riverblue: is this going to be series?
BCCJillster: Yes
BCCJillster: But even so, he didn't invest a lot in St Just
kathylaz: yes, not fair, or yes, series?
riverblue: then i'd like to be getting to know St Just more
BCCJillster: I wouldn't recognize him on the street as I would Dalziel
BCCJillster: Yes series
kathylaz: or the folks in three pines
BCCJillster: RIGHT
riverblue: yes, exactly
BCCJillster: I love memorable detectives
BCCJillster: There are several I know I could pick out of a crowd in Times Square
riverblue: it took a long time for him to come on the scene and we never eally got to 'know' him
BCCJillster: agree
kathylaz: we got to know the family, though
BCCJillster: unfortunately
kathylaz: she gave very clear picutres of all of them
BCCJillster: what a bunch of squirmy worms
riverblue: more then i wanted to LOL
kathylaz: so yes, i agree about wanting to know more about st just
kathylaz: LOL
BCCJillster: OH I forgot the author is a woman
someonegetchristine: I was pleased Sarah and Jeffrey got together at the end
riverblue: what an unlikeable lot
riverblue: yes
BCCJillster: Yes...and wasn't it just too cute that Jeffrey was related too
someonegetchristine: Wasn't Adrian cruel to his family though -belittling and criticisng them all the time, horrible person
kathylaz: THAT was starting to annoy me....how there were all sorts of hidden connections revealed
kathylaz: but we didn't get the hints earlier
BCCJillster: with no hints....right LOL
someonegetchristine: impossible to guess
BCCJillster: at least plant a few clues
kathylaz: i'm never worried about guessing (except for our whodunits)
riverblue: we had no way of knowing and that's not playing fair with readers
kathylaz: but i do NOT want to feel left out
BCCJillster: You don't guess when you read mysteries?
kathylaz: if i get to the end, and think "i should have seen that coming!" but didn't, that is a good mystery
someonegetchristine: I need a few signposts along the way
kathylaz: yeah, but if i'm unable to guess, i don't let it bother me
BCCJillster: ok I understand that Kathy
kathylaz: as long as I can say "should have known" at the end
BCCJillster: I like being fooled--but fairly
kathylaz: right!
riverblue: i like to feel I'm in on the action or at least seeing what the police see
BCCJillster: Carr used to put footnotes on his solutions to point back to the clues he'd hidden
riverblue: but i'm not bothered if i don't see the answer
BCCJillster: as long as there's reason for our guesses, I don't mind if I miss
BCCJillster: Do you all read Fossum?
riverblue: yes
someonegetchristine: yeah I like her books
kathylaz: only the one we read together
kathylaz: so far
BCCJillster: I was thinking about her building relationship with Sejer
BCCJillster: Kathy...they're pretty good although very different for me
someonegetchristine: Sejer, the detective in her books?
BCCJillster: She doesn't go into his life in each of the books, but in enough of them to make him better known
BCCJillster: Yup here 'tec
BCCJillster: Her not here
BCCJillster: I look forward to that
riverblue: we see him through skarre's eues too and get to know more about him that way too
riverblue: eyes
BCCJillster: yup and the relationship between him and Skarre
BCCJillster: anyway, sorry to divert
kathylaz: i did like this author's voice overall... it felt right, and the story did evolve in a paced way
BCCJillster: I couldn't figure out why stupid Ruthven was killed if not to remove him as heir
riverblue: i'd read another - often it's gets stronger as a series develops
BCCJillster: Ok you try it and tell us if she pulls another rabbit trick
riverblue: LOL
BCCJillster: If she plays fair, I'll read it too
BCCJillster: That whole business about Natasha being a cop....
BCCJillster: what a bunch of sillyness
someonegetchristine: and pregnant ?
riverblue: that was weird - is that oart of a cop's duties?
BCCJillster: now she is, now she's not...ooops she is
BCCJillster: LOLLLL
kathylaz: totally unbelievable that she would take her undercover investigation as far as that (pregnancy)
riverblue: didn't ring true one little bit!
BCCJillster: at one point I got so confused I thought N had slept with her own brothere
someonegetchristine: lol
BCCJillster: If Ruthven had been his...
kathylaz: it just made it seem as if the only reason she became a cop was to achieve the end (get to adrian by any means)
kathylaz: but even that didn't get spelled out accurately
BCCJillster: but if she's V's daughter, and V inherits...then just kill A & V
BCCJillster: in that order
riverblue: why ruthven?
BCCJillster: Im still not sure I understand that part
someonegetchristine: she would've havbe inherited indirectly through george
BCCJillster: IF...
kathylaz: thought it was twofold...she didn't know about the change in status/inheritance, and wanted to "hurt" adrian
BCCJillster: oh right to the first part...
BCCJillster: why did she want to hurt Adrian?
kathylaz: but, as a cop....why COULDN'T she have known?
kathylaz: just for revenge, and spite
BCCJillster: over what?
BCCJillster: he covered up for her mother
kathylaz: i'm getting mixed up....
riverblue: actually the more i think about this book the more i reaklise i didn't understand much of it and just let it go rather than try to get to grips with it
BCCJillster: me too LOL
kathylaz: the "original" motive was to get rid of ruthven to get even
kathylaz: but that wasn't the "real" motive
kathylaz: it ended up being just for the money
BCCJillster: well I thought I was understanding it as I was reading...but then I was all wrong
BCCJillster: to et even for being dumped uou mean?
kathylaz: by original, i mean the police attributed that motive to her
riverblue: yeah me too but when i realesed i didn't i couldn't be bothered going back to figure it out
BCCJillster: so she thought she had to get Ruthven out of the way because of the will, right?
kathylaz: one thing that REALLY bothered me....was the "lie" that st. just used on natasha about the blood test
BCCJillster: LOL Barb, I know what you mean
someonegetchristine: but was the Police motive correct - even St Just was a bit vague on some detail
kathylaz: if he knew the answers, that seemed a bit risky
BCCJillster: I forget what he said about the test
kathylaz: so, maybe he was vague, and just played a hunch
someonegetchristine: blood test - I can't remember what he said about that
kathylaz: told her that they checked her dna through records at work, to match against some evidence
someonegetchristine: he discredited it if I remember correctly
kathylaz: but not knowing if she would know that he wouldn't be able to access her work records
BCCJillster: even if we had known that N was Violet's daughter--would we have guessed her as the killer?
kathylaz: no
kathylaz: well, yesssss....now that i think of it
kathylaz: she was one of my original 2 choices!
BCCJillster: Really?
BCCJillster: what motive?
kathylaz: yes, her and jeffrey
someonegetchristine: it woul;d have given me some leads
riverblue: what made you come up wuth her?
kathylaz: i couldn't determine motive; just thought that it would be nobody in the family
BCCJillster: Oh I recall you saying that
kathylaz: they all seemed too mean, but not full of action
kathylaz: so i was looking for someone on the periphery
BCCJillster: Maybe the author was going for an Agatha C type ending--a version of they all did it
riverblue: i thought about jeffrey but not N
BCCJillster: same here Barb
someonegetchristine: in fact I should have paid more attention to my hunches when I learned N was pregnant
BCCJillster: it would have made sense if she were clearing Ruthven out so that George inherited
riverblue: i never found her believable as a cop and the book lost credibility for me at that point
kathylaz: good point, barb
BCCJillster: that's true
BCCJillster: I remember reading a great series by Cyril Hare I think, where all the solutions were based on kinks in English Law
BCCJillster: so even if you didn't know how the law worked, you could still figure out SOME aspect of relationship
someonegetchristine: I must look him up - any good?
BCCJillster: I thought so....from the 40s I think
riverblue: the characters were pretty one-dimensional in that they were all mostly extremes - put it down to being a first book (is it?)
kathylaz: think so
BCCJillster: yup it is...but look at Still LIfe as a first book!!!!
BCCJillster: I can still remember scenes fromt hat book
someonegetchristine: that was a goodie!!
riverblue: that's true!
someonegetchristine: me too...
BCCJillster: I just loved those wall paintings
BCCJillster: I hope the new one is good
riverblue: and the characters were ones we invested in straight away
kathylaz: i just got it....looking forward to it
someonegetchristine: hmmmmmpf
BCCJillster: you bet...especially the townsfolk
BCCJillster: LOLLL Chris
kathylaz: sorry....if i finishe quickly, will send it!
someonegetchristine: (sulking)
riverblue: Chris - give me time to read it and I'll send it up
kathylaz: but, i'll warn you, not a fast reader
BCCJillster: I sent my extra copy to Mary--I should twist her arm to send it to you two if she hasn't passed it on already
someonegetchristine: (not sulking)
someonegetchristine: lol
BCCJillster: you have it Barb?
someonegetchristine: bring it up barb lol
riverblue: yes, but i've been to sick to tackle it - want a clear head to enjoy it
BCCJillster: Oh great, how did you get it?
someonegetchristine: is it for sale in ChCh?
riverblue: coutney had 2 copies
BCCJillster: Ahhhhh
riverblue: courtney
BCCJillster: Glad you'll get to read it then Chris
someonegetchristine: you've got another week's holiday?
someonegetchristine: yes, yes Jill
riverblue: thank goodness - still feel too yucky to go back to work
BCCJillster: We can reschedule that chat date if it doesn't work out in time
BCCJillster: You guys get bonus point for showing up consistently LOL
kathylaz: oh man. it's better to be sick when you HAVE to work, so you can take sick days and not impact your vacation time!
BCCJillster: It's not fun being sick and having to work though...hack hack
BCCJillster: I've had so much trouble conentrating
kathylaz: yeah, my theory works only if you are not a freelancer
BCCJillster: Wouldn't it be SUPER if we could write a mystery together, with all the tricks we've learned???
riverblue: haven't taken a sick day all year and now so far this holiday has been just one long blah with all m y bugs
kathylaz: yeah, we'd be good!
riverblue: had to keep going while we had visitors but I'm just crashing now
someonegetchristine: why don't we have a go then sometime, that'd be fun
