Daughters-in-Law - Henry Cecil
In
this 1961 comic novel, retired army major Claude Buttonstep comes from a long
line of losing litigants. He accordingly detests lawyers and judges. His two
sons, justifiably, worry about breaking the news that they have fallen in love
with twin sisters Jane and Prunella. The brothers fret that their lady-loves
being kind, intelligent, and attractive will fail to balance the fact that
Prunella is a barrister and Jane a solicitor.
Provoking
a legal crisis is Mr. Trotter, a new neighbor. He borrows the major’s power
mower – a high end item in the Fifties in England. Trotter refuses to return it
despite the major’s increasingly heated demands. Against his instincts,
the major goes to law. Jane and Prunella take up the cudgels in order to get in
good with their prospective father-in-law.
If
this mystery sounds all homey and fluffy, that’s because it most definitely is
domestic and light. After all, not for nothing is author Henry Cecil listed on Cozy-Mystery.com.
A lawyer and judge, Cecil used his professional life as the foundation of his
writing. This cozy courtroom drama is full of comic touches and curious plot
twists.
I’m
not saying it’s laugh out loud hilarious (rolling on the floor laughing isn’t
healthy for middle-aged backs anyway). But the amusement naturally
comes out of the characters and incidents. The writing is pristine, especially
in the climactic courtroom scenes.
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