This was a very quirky unusual book but I really enjoyed it. I know a few people to recommend this to

This is the third in the series featuring barrister Arthur Skelton and I just love these books. While I think you could read each of these are their own, it is always helpful to read these in order. Skelton’s dry sense of humor always gets me, as well as the antics of his wife Mila, and assistant Edgar.

While the mystery was not my favorite of the three (don’t get me wrong–it was still interesting)–what I found most fascinating was Skelton’s doubts and self-reflections around his job and purpose. These were also reflected in his evangelist cousin Alan, who questions his faith.

If you are a fan of historical mysteries with a cast of entertaining characters, give this series a try!

Unfortunately the poor quality of the ARC made it sometimes almost impossible to keep reading. Too many typos and repeats.

I just ordered the book on Amazon so I'll be able to give a better review soon.

Many thanks anyway for the ARC

Set in the 1930s, Skelton’s Guide to Blazing Corpses sees Arthur Skelton, assisted by his trusty clerk Edgar Hobbes, juggling the defence of Tommy Prosser, accused of the murder and immolation of vacuum cleaner salesman Harold Musgrave, with a number of other cases. One of the joys of the series is the glimpses of these cases whose unlikely subject matter, such as the difference between ‘knickerbockers’ and ‘plus fours’, turn out to be loosely based on actual cases (as the Author’s Note reveals). I particularly liked Arthur’s joy at being able to utter the word ‘lavatory’ in open court – not once but twice – in relation to another case.

Fans of the series will be delighted by the return of characters from the previous books, such as Skelton’s cousin and prolific correspondent, Alan, who along with his sister Norah, travels the country in a caravan spreading ‘the joy of Jesus’. What’s particularly clever is the way the author uses Alan’s experiences to highlight the impact of the Depression on ordinary people. It’s a time of low wages, traditional industries closing down, ill health caused by poor housing, and families struggling to put food on the table. So completely different from now then…

I was also overjoyed by the return of Rose Critchlow now working as an articled clerk for the solicitors who provide most of Arthur’s work. During her trip to Heidelberg in Germany to secure a vital piece of evidence she witnesses the first signs of the malevolent influence of the Nazis that will eventually culminate in the outbreak of the Second World War.

It’s not all doom and gloom though because one of the lovely features of the series is the humour, whether that’s Edgar’s newly acquired obsession with Czech cubist furniture design, the secret of the perfectly pressed trouser or the humiliation of a pompous opponent by Arthur’s formidable wife, Mila. Arthur and Mila’s affectionate banter is a lot of fun too.

After an exciting and dramatic conclusion to the case of the blazing corpse, the end of the book sees Arthur rather disillusioned with the justice system and the inequality he witnesses on a daily basis. Will the man the newspapers have dubbed ‘The Who Refuses to Lose’ give up? I hope not.

Skelton’s Guide to Blazing Corpses is a delightful, ingenious historical crime mystery, and a great addition to the series.

This is the third book in the series and equally as good. In this book it isn’t so much the murder mystery that’s interesting but the development of the characters Skelton and his cousin Alan. Events make them question and look at their lives from a different angle. They are good people trying to make life better for those who need their help. Perhaps it’s a modern fable and we should all take note?

this story starts with the literal Blaze of Glory. However even though this is a mystery death and who has comitted this it is more about the slice of life aspects of the main characters house and staff. This has gripped me however did find some parts of this more tedious to get though

Skeleton’s Guide to Blazing corpses takes on the classic golden age mystery of the dead body in the burned out car. This is a 1930s staple where the body must be identified, the case must be defined as murder and then somehow solved. This is all background though because the real mystery is how does Edgar’s housekeeper get the pleats in his trousers so diamond sharp? Everyone wants to know but it is a secret she will take to her grave. In this book Arthur is suffering a bit of ennui as he takes on boring big money cases that are ultimately unsatisfying and wonders what the point of it all is especially when his cousins Alan and Nora write to him of all their good a and godly works. Arthur finds himself at a cross roads so he takes on the case of the burned out car. If you liked the previous books in the series you’ll like this one.

I had a lot of fun and throughly enjoyed this story, the third in a well plotted and witty series.
It's not my favourite as some parts are a bit long winded but I was very happy to catch up with the characters and follow Skelton and some of his weird and funny cases.
The main plot is fascinating and full of twists till the last one, I learned something about cubist furniture, and the difference between knickerbockers and plus fours.
I missed Alan as he an Nora were not part of the investigation. Their part is more about social and political questions and it's quite heartbreaking if compared to the lighter tone of the rest.
An enjoyable book, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
T

Barrister Arthur Skelton is becoming a legend in his world and his clerk Edgar is keen for this to remain the case.
So when a defence is offered that does not pay, the publicity involved in the burning corpse is enough for him to take it on.
Set in the 1930s with a real sense of what the world is like told through the eyes of an unlikely hero I love these books and this one sets the reader in the time and place as well as offering insight into court cases of the time as well as the ways in the world was turning on the brink of war.

I don’t know what it was about this book but I just couldn’t get into it and unfortunately gave up at about 40%.
The whole story seemed long winded and the speech very stilted.
I really didn’t care about any of the characters, even the lead protagonist, Skelton who is a barrister in the 1930s. Occasionally there was an interesting section like the Lord Mayor’s parade but generally speaking the writing did not enthral leaving me to abandon it half way through.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc.

Deliciously Infectious Dry Wit....
Beautifully drawn, character driven mystery with a Golden Age feel and the third in the Skelton’s Guides series.
November 1930, Guy Fawes Night, bonfires blaze but what else is lurking amidst the flames? Skelton, aided by clerk Edgar, is about to be drawn into another conundrum which will play and intertwine seemlessly with other cases on his books. Characters are painted with a tremendous lightness of touch and dance off the page. A cleverly drawn plot which incorporates an interesting social commentary, much atmosphere and wonderful dialogue which is laced with an infectious and delightful dry wit. A first rate read

When I first started reading the book I hadn’t realised it was the third in the series, so I was concerned there would be some back story specific to the preceding books but thankfully that wasn’t the case.

The book was enjoyable, I enjoyed the characters although some were a little wooden. Some of the dialogue seemed stunted.

I enjoyed the story overall but it was a little slow in places and I felt the author focussed on the surroundings of the story rather than the story.

I think I would like to go back and read the first two in the series.

The book begins on Guy Fawkes' Night November 1930. Mr. Glazier has built a big bonfire on top of Dunworth Beacon. However, a teen couple have found a car on fire at the bottom of the hill, and there appears to be a man inside. They run up to the pub to get help. Since the car belongs to vacuum cleaner salesman Harold Musgrave, it is assumed that he is the burned man. Musgrave was bankrupt, facing charges for bigamy, and had several other women he was known to visit. Thus at first he was assumed to have taken his own life. However, that morning he had taken 1250 pounds out of the bank. Soon the police had arrested Tommy Prosser, a local man who had been arrested several times, and had actually been in the bank the same time as Musgrave. Barrister Arthur Skelton, only 39 years old, is asked to take on Prosser's case. Skelton has become very well known for winning difficult cases and they have been well publicized.

In this book he works on several cases, but the major story is about the dead man in the car. One of the other cases which Skelton has taken on is for Denison Beck. A woman who has been his patient dies of a heart attack after his treatment. Beck is a medical electrician who cures all kinds of ailments including incapacity for exertion, hangovers, and spermatorrhoea. Besides his machines, he has a secret treatment which Skelton finally finds.

The characters are somewhat quirky, and all my favorites from the previous book I read are there again: Alan and Norah the evangelists, Edgar the clerk, Skelton's wife Mila, and Rose (who does a very important task in this book). Skelton is now referenced by "The Man Who Refuses to Lose".

This is the third book in the series. The stories are based on real incidents involving Norman Birkett and is both humorous and clever.

Skelton's Guide to Blazing Corpses is the third in a series by David Stafford. Skelton is a very successful lawyer in 1930s London with a clerk called Edgar. Although the book does, indeed, start with a blazing corpse, Skelton has a couple of other cases on the go simultaneously.

The blazing corpse plot is based upon a true story from 1930 that I recall reading about some years ago where a car was found alight with a body at the wheel. The author mentions in a postscript that several of the other sub-plots are also based upon true stories reported in newspapers of that time.

I love these Skelton books. The dialogue is superb. Skelton is going into court and stops to speak to an usher. Does he ask “Who is the presiding judge today?” or “Is his lordship in a good mood?”. No. Skelton asks “What’s happened about Fulham?” because he knows the usher’s son is trying to get onto the boys’ team. Skelton and Edgar meet to discuss accepting some new cases and start off by discussing curtains. I think this is one of the huge strengths of the books: Stafford’s ability to wrong-foot the reader. The characters are behaving quite realistically – why wouldn’t you and I chat about soft furnishings if I was considering buying new ones? – but unexpectedly in the context of a novel. Our expectations as readers are that dialogue will move things along or give the reader information and will thus be related to the plot. We do not expect a discussion about jacquard damask with a floral pattern in washed teal and a royal blue. As Skelton said, “Oh.” However, these apparently random conversations CAN often illuminate matters – a chance conversation in this book proves a suspect’s innocence.

I am full of admiration for the way the author juggles several plots / cases and resolves them all beautifully but, most of all, I love the characters and the dialogue. David Stafford’s Skelton books are simply superb.

#SkeltonsGuidetoBlazingCorpses #NetGalley

This is the third outing for lanky barrister Arthur Skelton and his motley amateur sleuthing crew, which once again I enjoyed very much. There’s a good main story throughout this book, with little asides for Arthur to occasionally defend various other interesting cases, mostly based on true court cases from the historical record.

I think it’s necessary to read this series in order, so that the character development and story arcs for each person are encountered in the right order, I’ve started to become quite fond of the various characters, especially the evangelical letter-writer cousin, Alan. Recommended for lovers of historical mysteries, but start with book 1!

I did a little cheer when I heard there was another "Skelton's Guide to..." book out. Set out in a similar vein to the other two, these books tick along nicely with a cast of interesting characters. I was really pleased to see his cousins were back (my favourite characters) and this time they are now Moral Hygienists! David Stafford does wonders in keeping the Golden Age of crime books alive. Keep them coming!

As someone who reads books, then completely forgets the plot, I picked this up knowing I'd enjoyed the previous two, but really not much more than that.
So as each character showed up on page, there was a tiny spark of delight at remembering them.
The whole gang is here again, Skelton, Edgar, Mila, Rose, Alan and Norah.
I was delighted to see each of them.
Fascinating that each of the cases was based on true cases from old papers, there's some strange goings on out in the world.
Aside from the characters, it's the humour that has me racing through these books, it definitely raised a smile or two.
I look forward to book 4, 5 , 6 etc etc