Book Review: Reckoning at the Riviera Royale by P.J. Fitzsimmons (Anty Boisjoly Mysteries #5)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Anty, laughs, and a puzzling mystery

Cons: Sometimes the humor could be toned down a little

The Bottom Line:

Clearing big suspect

Circus of alternatives

Laughs and clues combine

The Elephant in the Case

I juggle various series and sometimes that means I don’t get back to series as quickly as I’d like to. But when I sat down to read Reckoning at the Riviera Royale, I was already smiling. This being the fifth Anty Boisjoly Mystery from P.J. Fitzsimmons, it was exactly the fun locked room case I was expecting. 

Anty is a man in the upper classes in British society in 1929. He’s recently found himself getting involved in some rather impossible crimes and finding his way to the solution. All of that is served with a heavy dose of dry wit since these books are accurately described as a cross between P.G. Wodehouse and Dorothy L. Sayer. 

This book finds Anty off to the French Riviera at the invitation of his mother. They have a strained relationship, but Anty goes because he thinks this will be a good chance to confront his mother over a nagging question about his father’s death.

But when he arrives, he discovers there’s been a more recent death. There’s a floating circus on the island where Anty is, but the headliner has been killed, trampled to death by his elephant. The animal is set to be executed for this crime, but Anty isn’t buying it. Can he find the real culprit in time to spare the beast?

While this is the wildest case Anty has tackled yet (pun always intended), it feels perfectly at home in the series.  And, yes, the story takes the mystery completely seriously.  Anty is working to solve a real crime with real motives, no matter how outlandish the main suspect might seem.  The solution fits perfectly with this series, and I found it satisfying.

This series has very few returning characters.  In addition to Anty, there’s his valet, Vickers, who is a character all by himself.  Since this book is set in France, we don’t see the inspector that Anty has dealt with in the past, making it just these two.  The series isn’t strong on story arcs, meaning you can read the books in any order.  I pick up this series because I enjoy Anty’s antics and the way he pulls out solutions to impossible crimes.

Now, this isn’t the say the characters are bad.  They are created for their comedic abilities, but they still feel real for this universe.  And they make me care about the outcome while keeping me confused as to who might have done it.

Have you gotten the feeling that the comedy is front and center with this series?  Because it most definitely is.  At times, I do feel like it is a little too clever for its own good, but most of the time, I’m laughing at the wit and word play.

If you are looking for something that is equal parts locked room mystery and comedy, you need to give this series a try.  Reckoning at the Riviera Royale is a circus in the best way possible.

Laugh and puzzle over the rest of the Anty Boisjoly Mysteries.