At the back of the book note by Author 'Launceston Station was axed by Dr Beeching for the purpose of this book I axed Dr Beeching ' ( )

A good mystery but I'm not quite sure why. The characters were interesting and I liked learning about Cornwall and also trying to figure out what year this all took place in. Late 60's, early 70's? The mystery wasn't really much of a mystery but there was a certain amount of suspense. Would the nice people who had gone missing be found alive? The chief protagonist is also interesting. ( )

I erred in reading this fourth series installment before reading previous ones. A confusing array of characters ended up at a hotel. I had a vague idea Eleanor might be the series sleuth, but I was uncertain. Adding confusion to what I perceived would be a cozy series was a plot suggesting she worked in intelligence, tracking spies. Further adding to the confusion was a niece working as a police detective assigned to the same detail as she was. The plot itself was difficult to follow, introducing threads perhaps just for the purpose of making the work of historical fiction with an early 1970s setting, for without the young Rhodesians, the novel's timing could be any time after vans were manufactured. A chase of the suspects in the fog was perhaps the most exciting bit of the novel. The ending fell short. The book jacket and location caused me to believe this would be an enjoyable cozy jaunt, but they misled. The author needs to decide what mystery genre she wishes to write and stick with one. A combination cozy, police procedural, and espionage set in Cornwall does not work. ( )

I thought that this book was going to be about a secret meeting in Cornwall under the auspices of the British Foreign Office sometime in the 1960's or thereabouts (it was never made clear when it was happening). Two African students studying in England and representing opposing groups in Rhodesia were meant to discuss their positions on the Smith government. (They never did, although there were reports of them disagreeing with one another).
Early on the story becomes a muddled one about a pair of unsavory characters staying at the same remote resort as the secret meeting. It ran out of steam about two-thirds of the way through and after a tedious car chase in the fog, it coasted to the ending; I read it to the end only to find out the point of the story. It never became clear.
One interesting sidebar is a same sex couple story. Given the times, such a relationship was scandalous to some of the characters. Many of the characters obviously played roles in previous books in the series and had history with one another, but this does not affect the telling of this story (muddled as it is). The two Africans get forgotten in the telling -- one plays a rather bizarre role in the car chase.
If chatty muddled British adventure stories appeal to you, this book will suit you. ( )