Cantrip is missing! Having been seconded to assist with the mysterious Daffodil settlement in the Tax Haven of the Channel Islands, he disappears, and there seem to be bodies all over the place, bodies and unlimited suspects who might well have been involved in murdering them - or then again might not. Even murder isn't necessarily on the cards here. Really, it is up to Professor Hilary Tamar to sort things out and find the culprits, and find Cantrip at the same time.

A while ago we were discussion (on a Jane Austen list) the art of the epistolary form of the novel - and perhaps this is the original idea behind Caudwell's form of mysteries - they are very reliant on letter writing. While the first mystery featured letters by Julia from Venice (Thus was Adonis murdered), and the second Serena from Corfu (The Shortest Way to Hades), this has Young barrister, Michael Cantrip, writing from..... well.... all over France - and using the handy mechanism of the Telex machine to send his messages back to the members of the nursery at 62 New Square (and the occassional less than flattering note to their Clerk, Henry).

A very funny, bouynat mystery with the usual Caudwell twist at the end - I guess the unexpected seems to occur every few pages really - The only thing I would mention is that I didn't feel like all the clues were quite at my grasp as they might have been - however, I didn't mind, it was such a rollicking good fun ride. Sometimes I wonder if I read these as mysteries or comedies - they are lovely as both. .

I was delighted with Cauldwell's third book in her too-short series. Much maligned Cantrip always makes me laugh, and you get plenty of him in this book.

After the relatively disappointing second book in the series (The Shortest Way to Hades) I was enraptured to find The Sirens Sang of Murder on a par with the first Sarah Caudwell, the one that made me sing hosannas and rush out to buy everything she had written. One of the strengths and pleasures of Sirens, as with Thus Was Adonis Murdered, is that a large part of it takes the form of an epistolary novel, in this case through telexes in the hilarious voice of Cantrip. Surely Caudwell is a fan of P.G. Wodehouse, since the hapless Cantrip reminds me irresistibly of clueless Bertie Wooster, even down to his malapropisms and his dotty uncle (reminiscent of Uncle Fred). Having so many adventures related through his harried, well-intentioned, quirky voice ("pottle" is one of his favorite verbs) makes everything that much livelier. Another clever, enjoyable device is the use of hackneyed romance-novel cliches, which circulate due to Cantrip and Julia's collaboration on a would-be bestseller. Added to this heady mixture is the faintly dangerous, sexy whiff of witch lore and the supernatural.

If you enjoyed Thus Was Adonis Murdered, don't hesitate to heed the Sirens' seductive cry.

This was the first Sarah Caudwell novel I've read. Perhaps I should have started the series from the beginning, but I found myself unable to overcome my sense of implausability in this novel. I was surprised that the characters all wrote such long, frequent, and detailed letters - I was even more surprised that Hilary Tamar was allowed to read them all. I didn't like the main character because I didn't know anything about him or her, except that he or she talked a little too much in the manner of Sherlock Holmes. I enjoyed the various developments to the plot, until the point that the blame for three successful and several more attempted apparent murders took place. I felt that Ms. Caudwell took the expression "always the person you least suspect" far too literally. Couldn't the person at least BE a suspect? I'm sorry to be offending any Caudwell fans, and I'm very sorry to hear that she passed away, but I found the amount of coincidence truly excessive, the main character unlikeable, and, in short, I found that the best thing about the novel was the front cover (which was excellent.)

Sadly, this will be the last book featuring the adventures of Selena, Julia, Cantrip, Ragwort and their former Oxford tutor Hilary Tamar, as Sarah Caudwell died in 2000. Last is not least, though, as Caudwell again provides her readers with hilarious characters, suspicious situations, and just enough British tax law to keep things interesting.

This installment centers on Julia Larwood's aunt Regina, who lives in the innocent-sounding town of Parsons Haver, West Sussex. This being Caudwell and not Christie, however, the town is populated with the same kind of oddball, interesting characters the rest of her books are (for instance: the town's newest resident is a psychic who keeps a flock of ravens and a vulture in her drawing room). Regina needs advice from Julia on a tax question; she and some friends have made quite a bit of money investing in shares in different companies and they are now being asked to pay a large capital gains tax. Strangely, their investment plan was identical to that of someone apparently involved in insider dealing at the bank of one of Selena's clients. But what is the connection? That's what this band of amateur sleuths sets out to discover.

As in Caudwell's other books, much of the action is explained through correspondence, in this case mostly letters from Regina to Julia, although other characters do take up the pen. The device works well; it allows the reader to see the story from several first-person perspectives at the same time and to get a better understanding of each of the characters who write. The book isn't all letters and no action, of course; several trips are made to Parsons Haver, Regina comes to London, and action on the bank connections sends characters to locations ranging from Cannes to Scotland. Stones fly through windows, ..things are stolen, and Selena, in an attempt to remodel the law offices at 62 New Square, must deal with those nefarious creatures known as builders. And, although this book does not end in the kind of showdown some of Caudwell's other books do, the ending is satisfying just the same.

The best thing about Sarah Caudwell's novels is the tone, the style. The characters couldn't be anything but British, but they are decidedly modern. Ragwort's trip to Cannes, complete with a dominatrix neighbor and a cross-dressing companion who serenades diners at a local restaurant, would be out of place in many novels, but it fits into Caudwell's world perfectly. Her humor is understated but effective; Cantrip, describing his attempts to discover whether another character is involved with the Parsons Haver business, says that upon his mention of the town, the man became very agitated. When Hilary remarks that this seems significant, Cantrip replies, "Yes, that's what I thought. But it turned out he'd just been stung by a bee, so I suppose it's a bit inconclusive." Caudwell's sense of humor also shows in her decision not to reveal Hilary's sex; the reader may attempt to deduce it, but the clues, such as they are, lead nowhere. The Sibyl in Her Grave lives up to Caudwell's other books in style and in substance. Readers will enjoy this last trip to 62 New Square.

The point of Sarah Caudwell's meysteries was never the plot, or the plausibility. The novels are full of majestic letters no one would ever really write, wonderful characters who would never have the careers they have, and intriguing conversations that could never really happen. The pleasure of reading one of these books is, however, all the things that could never really happen.

It's hard to know how to help someone decide whether they would like this book (or the other three the author wrote before she died last year). I'd say that if you like Wodehouse, you will probably like this (but I hate Wodehouse myself). People who like Benson's Lucia books will likely enjoy these. And, oddly, if you are one of the people who loves Pamela Dean's _Tam_Lin_, you will no doubt find these mysteries engaging.

The books are full of improbable plots, which at least don't fall apart until you reflect on them later. The plots are as tangled as a pile of extra-long spaghetti, which makes it all the more fun when the professor untangles them. If you want realism, look elsewhere. If you want beautiful lanugage, interesting characters and acerbic humor, and you are willing to take that wrapped up in a mystery, you'll love these books.

but the story bogged down in the middle too much for my taste. There were a lot of characters and a lot of relations among the characters- I had a hard time keeping up with who was who! My real problem with the book, however, was that much of the story was advanced through letters from one of the good guys. The story had basically slowed to a stop and then all the footwork and plot advancement happened in these letters. I just did not like that method for development. After reading these letters our hero, the Professor, figures everything out and gets on an airplane to resolve the case. Maybe if the letters had been developed as part of the plot and the 100 pages of filler before had been eliminated I could have got into the fun. Oh well!

Another deliciously witty and unexpected Murder Mystery from Caudwell, the second in her all too short career as a mystery writer, and featuring the ever superior Professor Hilary Tamar as the Oxford scholar and semi-detective. These are neat, urbane mysteries which almost make you want to take up discussion of the minutiae of the British Tax code. The characters are generally the same as those which featured in the first mystery in this series- "Thus Was Adonis Murdered" - only this time, to add to the joy of the Tax Code, there is minute discussion of the laws of inheritance, and some Greek mythology vs History thrown in for good measure.

So when Dreary Deidre falls over the side of her uncle's flat during the annual Cambridge/Oxford boat race, none of her family is too disturbed. Most of them think she is better gone than still alive. She was never great fun, always whining, and to top it all off, she had just caused a great stink when they had tried to adjust the entail set up by her great grandfather in which Dedre's cousin (the beautiful, talented and intelligent Camilla) would inherit all. It seems, having resolved this to her advantage, Deidre had everything to live for - but Julia - her barrister of 63 New Square suspects otherwise.

This all leads to a twisted trail of attempted murders, a cruise around the Greek Islands, an uexpected visit to an orgy and a first class flight for Professor Tamar (at someone else's expense naturally).

For Jane Austen fans, this book is a must, if only for the classic scene in which Serena picks up Pride and Prejudice to read....in fact this book would definitely appeal to Austen fans (I think).

I do like Caudwell for her neat use of language, her lovely understated humour and her ability to make the various and fine points of legal language and concepts available to the reader. I also love the very complicated trail she weaves and am in awe of how she twists things all back together again. These are hugely enjoyable books and I almost cry when I think there are only 4 of them.

The first page will tell you whether you are going to find unreadable or (like me) find it one of the most entertaining reads of the decade. The style is elaborately witty with nineteenth century diction combined with descriptions of late twentieth century partying and mayhem. It is all very artificial and mannered. The plot is about the murder of beneficiaries of a will and in many ways a classical English whodunnit. The setting is in London lawyers' (sorry barristers') offices (sorry chambers),lesbian nightclubs and the Ionian Islands. Lots of sex but never explicit. A lot of information about English law, classical Greece, sailing and cricket.

Sarah Caudwell takes us inside the competitive, biting, and formidably intelligent world of the Inns of Court (London's ancient legal system) and introduces us to characters who fascinate as well as intimidate. The result is a beautifully written and fascinating tale that lovers of British humor (with its brilliant, razor-sharp wit) might prefer more than fans of British mysteries.

In this book, the first of the series, the focus is on introducing you to the characters: Hilary Tamar, a don from Oxford; Julia Larwood her klutzy former student, who has a penchant for beautiful men; and the other lawyers who share Julia's rooms at the Inns including Selena and Cantrip. Julia is the center of this story, who after running afoul of the Inland Revenue Service, escapes on an art-lovers holiday to Venice. There, she meets her fellow travellers (odd-balls each one), and falls for the beautiful man who is found dead in his bed after she has left it. All the resources of her friends and former professor need to be rallied to get her out of the ensuing mess.

The mystery is not the thing in this book, but the characters. You may, like me, find the characters alternatively annoying and intimidating. After 3 years at Oxford, I found them all completely plausible if a bit exhausting. However, I kept returning to the book with a sense that I must join their world (however uncomfortable it might be)and watch them solve the puzzle.

Although all of the novels in this too-short series are delightful, this one is by far the best. Professor Hilary Tamar leaves Oxford to visit a group of his former law students practicing in London. One of the group, the preoccupied yet endearing tax barrister Julia, has taken a holiday to Italy, where her weakness for pretty young men has landed her in the middle of a murder.

There are no knitting old ladies (or even in-bred villages) in this book, but it is nonetheless a very British story. The tone is wry and witty but much slower-paced (and less violent) than modern American mysteries. If you're looking for something to read between Sue Grafton and Patricia Cornwell mysteries, this is not the book for you. On the other hand, if you are a fan of Dorothy Sayers and P.G. Wodehouse, you will find yourself right at home.

N.B. As an attorney, I can tell you that a disorganized, preoccupied tax barrister at a prestigious firm is a completely plausible character. The fact that the general public is not aware of such people only means that the firms do a good job of hiding them in libraries, writing opinions about the latest changes to the tax code.

Sheer bliss - the discovery of a whole new series off books. Well, ok, 4 new books, that are wonderfully witty, tart and completely overwhelming perfect in their own lovely style. I compare this to Evanovich because just as Stephanie Plum makes me want to go to Jersey and meet all the people with big hair - Caudwell makes the inside of a barristers office sound thrilling and unmissable.

This is drollery and high humour in sombre throwaway lines. Some things I had to read a couple of times to understand - and in the midst of it all is a very nice and complicated murder mystery. Made more complicated of course because our protagonist, Hilary, insists on solving it (at a distance) and in the most complex way possible. A great deal of fun all up as it happens.

The mystery to solve is just who murdered the beautiful Adonis (or Praxiteles as Julia also refers to him) for whom she had a brief but exciting fling on a Artists tour of Venice. Julia is the prime suspect - she was the last to see him alive - and a copy of her tax code is lying by his bed. They share an interest in the subject she being a barrister specialising in tax and he being one of the revenue.

Much of this is done in the epistolary form -ok I mean by letter but as the rest of the novel ascends into the polysyllabic at the slightest opportunity then I figure so can I. But it does it in a very good natured way and with immense humour bubbling underneath. All because Julia is completely hair-brained - she is very intelligent but cannot find her way around anything in real life so she has gone where she can least harm to any one - advising on tax positions. Hilary, our narrator is lovely, warm and slightly pompous with it. And the other characters are vaguely ditsy in their own ways too. It is a joy to read.

If you like Janet Evanovich, Jilly Cooper, Nancy Mitford, or E F Benson I feel sure this would be a great author to get into. The pity is that there are only 4 novels.

After reading her obiturary in the NYT, I was fascinated by its description of Cauldwell's writing as "the nearest to Oscar Wilde" they had read in years. On that recommendation alone, I bought all three of her titles and await the fourth and final this summer. Not normally a mystery fan, these books are loaded with wit, surprise and high-jinx. The writing is sharp and engaging. Read them all and you'll see why I hope the BBC and Channel 4 put this marvelous Hillary Tamar character on a TV series. I only wish Sarah Cauldwell had lived beyond 61 years - what a shame cancer got her so soon.