Ten Little Herrings by L.C. Tyler

The only strange thing about my telephone conversation with Ethelred was that he had been dead for almost a year.

This is the beginning of a short and rather funny prologue. This line is unusual - as not many people talk to dead people and so raises a question.

Next paragraph:

Well, you know how it is. You're sitting in a dead person's flat round about midnight. The Sussex rain is chucking itself against the period windows.

The tone is tongue-in-cheek funny, quirky, and light which doesn't sound forced or pretentious. I like the last line from above, even though it's obviously a weather reference. The reason I like it is because it is doing more than describing weather. It's establishing place - providing concrete information. Weather that introduces place is better than simply weather for weather's sake. Plus, the rain is personified by using the verb "chucked itself" which establishes tone. There has been some creative effort made to reword: It was a dark and stormy night...

Chapter 1:

I haven't always been an agent.

By the end of the first page we learn that agent means literary agent and the cynicism of the character towards the publishing industry is not only accurate but fascinating.

First thing said:

"Ethelred Tressider's residence."

Verdict: Definite Pass

Sincerely,
Theodore Moracht