Death in Cyprus

Death in Cyprus
by M.M. Kaye


Blurb:

Twenty-year-old Amanda Derrington is on an extended cruise with her uncle when she decides to make a short side trip to the sun-washed island of Cyprus. But even before the ship arrives in port, there is a suspicious death. Once the passengers reach the island, it soon becomes clear that the death was in fact an act of murder. What Amanda had meant to be a pleasant excursion quickly takes a turn for the worse in this classic novel of suspense and romance.

My Reaction:
While not without flaws, this was a perfectly acceptable bit of escapism. It's not destined to be a personal favorite, though.

M.M. Kaye seems to have done the same kind of writing as Mary Stewart, but not quite as well. For instance, in this book there are a few pleasant descriptions, but in general, the exotic locale isn't as finely painted as in Mary Stewart's best work. I don't come away from the book feeling as though I'd visited Cyprus. The main thing I remember is that Kaye falls back again and again on the description of places as "dust-scented". I can't for the life of me understand what she means by that. How does dust smell? (Believe me, this is not a humblebrag to the effect that I never allow dust to accumulate! I've just never noticed it having a particular scent.)

More complaints: The author's approach to romance is very dated, and I'm becoming tired of her odd habit of repeatedly comparing her young, beautiful heroines to other, slightly older characters.  It seems to happen in all of the Death in... novels-- or at least the three I've read so far. In this instance, the descriptions of Monica are distasteful. No-one can believe the possibility that such a "thick", plain, middle-aged frump could attract the attention of any man ever. (She's actually described as "plain and effective and thick and thirty-five-ish"-- the shame of being 35ish! She also had the audacity to have "buck teeth and a forty-two inch waist".) Only the young, thin, and lovely-- or possibly the very-well-preserved not-quite-young 30-something-- should hope for love, apparently. And if a man ever does pay attention to a plain-featured, chubby, 35-ish woman ("a frustrated spinster"), it's only because he has ulterior motives. ("He was probably the only man who had ever looked twice at her, and he reduced her to a pulp.")

I haven't read many reviews yet... Was I the only one who noticed how often "Amanda demanded"? It happened so many times! Hilarious! Maybe it was more noticeable to me, though, because I read it aloud. (...Yes, I read aloud while I walk. I find I just enjoy some books more when I'm reading aloud, and my mind is less likely to wander. Usually there's no-one listening but the dogs. They're a wonderful audience for my "performances".)

Another side-note-- Amanda's hair was almost a character in its own right! First, we hear how beautiful it is-- and so unusual, too. (In the 1950s, most fashionable young women had their hair cut short, of course.) Then the hero starts commenting on it... And finally it ends up saving her life-- twice!  (Well, alright, the second time is debatable, but it's definitely mentioned as a factor in the fact that she isn't quite as damaged as she might have been if she had a bobbed cut.) I went from being annoyed by the hair to finding it, too, hilarious. (Maybe I'm easily amused.)

...But if you can look past those kinds of things, it's vintage escapism. (You kind of have to take the bad with the good, with a lot of these books.)