From goodreads.com:

A sumptuous dinner turns deadly in this Edwardian mystery introducing master chef and amateur detective Auguste Didier - and featuring the charismatic Prince of Wales himself.

Only a dinner of first-class excellence can tempt the Prince of Wales to endure the ordeal of being president of the Society of Literary Lionizers. And he ensures this by insisting that the year's highlight, the banquet at Broadstairs, will be cooked by master chef Auguste Didier.

Broadstairs is famed not only as a seaside resort but also as the holiday haunt of Charles Dickens - the author the society has chosen to lionize for the year of the prince's presidency. The banquet, attended by six Peggottys, two Betsy Trotwoods, a couple of Little Dorrits, a Scrooge, and a Mr. Pickwick - not to mention a highly emotional Miss Havisham - goes well, but the readings that follow do not. In the middle of the murder scene from Oliver Twist, the reader, Sir Thomas Throgmorton, collapses and dies.

Throgmorton has been poisoned, and Inspector Naseby of the local constabulary believes Didier's banquet is to blame. Luckily, the irrepressible Didier joins forces with inspector Egbert Rose of Scotland Yard to clear his name and uncover the real culprit.

Headline 1992

Kaksinkertaisen vesivahingon (ulkoseinän/parvekkeen remontoijat aiheuttivat tulvan kotiini 18.6. ja 30.6.) seurauksena lähtee SmartPostia Kokkolaan :)

Hippunen jännitystä kesäpäiviin!

Looks like fun to read, thank you!

Quite interesting, even if Auguste Didier wasn't familiar to me before. But I liked the era and its customs, and of course the connection to literature.

To Kirjakko on European Wishlist-tag!

Arrived safe and sound to arctic Sipoo. -22 C. Yesterday our clinic was closed for bad weather, first time in 24 years. It snowed for 24h between yesterday and the day before.
The book looks interesting and I've even visited Broadstairs on my first interrail-trip in 1984.

I'm busy reading promised tags, but my old friend Elisabeth, 84 yrs., is in need of new books, having been socially distancing herself for almost a year now. She likes cosy mysteries, nothing too exciting or violent, so I hope this will be ok.
I will get the book back once she has read it.

I have all Myers's books in my shelf already! Returns to Kirjakko.

The book is back! Surprisingly few books have been on her shelf already, when you see all those full shelves in her apartment.

I'm currently living in two flats and didn't know in the morning that I would be spending the night here, so left my current reading in the other flat. Not to worry, both flats are full of books and this was my pick for the evening. I can now return to Broadstairs after 37 years...

So much to comment on after just a few pages:
I've never been a fan of seaside resorts or beach life, but I should have lived when bathing machines were still at use. Saw one on the premises of the Osborn House, the summer retreat of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria on the Isle of Wight. The "machine" looks like a gypsy caravan and ladies go in it to change into swim suits. Then the caravan is dragged into water and when it is in deep enough, ladies open the door and swim outside. I think there is no floor in a bathing machine, so the water rises in it and thus the ladies can just swim outside when the door is opened and nobody sees them getting in or out of water, although swim suits at that time didn't reveal much anything. When they were done with swimming the ladies returned to the benches of the bathing machine, which was then pulled onshore again and they could change into their normal clothes (which were stored higher, so they would not get wet). The Prince of Wales in this book mentiones of making sure to get an invitation from Mama to lunch at Osborn (to escape Broadstairs).
Dickens Literary dinner - somebody says she will be reading aloud The Death of Little Nell. When I was visiting the Dickens House in London the guide told that a young female relative had died in one of the rooms and that would have been the inspiration for Dickens to write about the death of Little Nell. I haven't read the Old Curiosity Shop, but Oscar Wilde has and this is his comment: "One must have a heart of stone to read The Death of Little Nell without laughing."
I've seen the shop in London which is said to be the one described in the Old Curiosity Shop and it housed a shoe shop then, but had the Old Curiosity Shop sign.

Mayfair is my neighbourhood nowadays when in Britain. Well, when one still travelled. Close to theatre district, Waterstones main store, Fortnum&Masons and much more.

Have been taking a little outing today with my ex-boss who has fallen for horses in her adult years, which in my opinion makes the condition worse than usual. I had promised to accompany her to the stables she keeps her gelding (she also has a mare which lives in Sweden and which she hardly ever rides, she just keeps sending money for her upkeep and training), but I packed this book along just incase I got bored. Well, I didn't have time to read, although Erkylä Mansion could have been discribed in this book as well, just look at the riders' leisure corner at the old stable (built in 1847)! Left some horsey books there on the shelf...

Back to the book, Hampstead Heath mentioned. My brother's godmother spread the ashes of her husband on the Heath as they used to take their Sunday walks there when they still lived on Golders Green. When the hubby past away, she sold their house and moved to a flat in Hampstead, next to the Heath, so I have had some nice walks there as well. I like Hamsptead neighbourhood much more than Golders Green.
So far a bit too many people in this book, hard to keep tags on who is who. Also some quarrels taken too far to be funny, like the ending of chairmanship - who gives a damn if it is the 22nd or 23rd April??

The book has began to lose pages, so I had to put some sticky tape on them.
I have to say that the plot is a bit too far-fetched and jumpy to my taste, so I'm saying good-bye to Auguste and the Prince of Wales on Page 102/279.

Pic: Dickens House, Broadstairs.

Perhaps you want to try this out?

Oh, yes please! Thank you very much for the book!