As we’re accustomed to from Terry, dinner last night was a fulsome affair, featuring tidbits from all strata of English society. Greeted with a Pimms cocktail, we were then directed to appetizer plates of crustless cucumber sandwiches. Both reflected the novel’s opening: an engagement party hosted by and for London’s elite.
The meal that followed was good old-fashioned England: roast sirloin, crispy roast potatoes with fried onions, mushy peas, and a green salad. Dessert was Terry's hat tip to the Metropolitan Police. He made a lavender shortbread favored by DI Caius Beauchamp and his colleagues. All in all, an excellent repast!
Our Discussion and Review of Vassell’s The In Crowd
The In Crowd earned the 2025 Edgar Award for Best Novel. That was enough to make our reading list, but not enough to win even lukewarm applause from most of us.
Set in modern-day London, The In Crowd begins as a police procedural, but devolves into a sometimes clever and often tedious exploration of class manners, social climbing, diverse workplaces, and interracial romance (and breeding!). The plot consists of two different inquiries that predictably merge into one climactic outcome: who embezzled a pension fund 30 years ago and then, more recently, killed the one witness who might know the answer? And who killed or kidnapped a boarding school girl 20 years ago?
While Jack and I felt the story was—for its genre—reasonably well-told (Jack found it entertaining; I enjoyed the London references), others were less enthusiastic. Glenn deemed it predictable, Stan found it banal, Tom thought it was merely OK, and Doug called it contrived. Messaging us from Vienna, Larry asked the perfectly rational question: “Why again are we reading this book?” Forced to defend his choice, Terry harkened back to his Pearson days, when he worked for an English lord and developed an affinity for English manners.
The award for Back-Handed Compliment of the Evening goes to Paul, who likened our novel to an episode of Charlie’s Angels, where the detective work was always secondary to the eye candy on screen. But expecting Callie to stand in for Farrah Fawcett? That was a bridge too far, even for Paul.
Rating The In Crowd
Edgar Award notwithstanding, The In Crowd simply didn’t meet our lofty standards (irony intended). No surprise then that it notched a mere 5.4, placing it firmly in the bottom quintile of our books rated.
Next Up: The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
Thanks to Stan, we read Proulx’s Close Range: Wyoming Stories years ago and were duly impressed. So it’s about time we turned our attention to her critically acclaimed The Shipping News. Roy’s other choices (Lord Jim, Memoirs of Stockholm Sven, and The Sisters Brothers) didn’t make the cut, but Stan has promised to read Lord Jim and tell us what we missed. Right, Stan?
Sorry I missed the meeting, I gave up on this book after page 50. It just couldn’t get into it. As for book choices, I don’t recall as Sister Brothers was an option. I read this a few years ago and really enjoyed it. The movie sucked!
ReplyDeleteYou weren’t the only one to give up. As for The Sisters Brothers, Roy subbed it in at the last minute. It’s a fun read, and maybe we’ll pick it in the future. Btw, next time leave your name (or sign into Google before commenting).
DeleteSince we were all taken with Callie, I asked ChatGPT to provide a picture of her for me. https://chatgpt.com/share/68ddfb03-7f60-8006-933f-5016b628fea9
ReplyDeleteHubba hubba! She looks just like Tilly Norwood! https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sustainable-finance-reporting/hollywood-performers-union-condemns-ai-generated-actress-tilly-norwood-2025-10-01/
DeleteSorry, Terry, but your ChatGPT sketch of Callie doesn't match her description in the book. She's given a fuller build, more resembling (I'd guess) the author. Regardless, how dare you use AI to bring a character's image to life! That's strictly for the reader's imagination!
DeleteAndrew, thanks for not mentioning that I had a Farah Fawcett poster in my bedroom growing up like you did. Terry, thank you for such a hearty meal. My heart does not thank you!
ReplyDeleteAs I'm sure Larry would attest, it was always about the swimsuit!
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farrah_Fawcett_red_swimsuit_poster#/media/File:Farrah_Fawcett_iconic_pinup_1976.jpg
OK, I admit I made the Charlie's Angels comment. It wasn't so much because of the "eye candy" (thanks for that Chat GPT image, though, I rather liked her), but because of the concept of the answer being unknown until the last minute of the show and no way you would have figured it out. Actually, parts of the book I found predictable, though a couple surprises were more the Angels variety. I did somewhat enjoy reading the book, but I don't think murder mysteries are really the groove of this book club. Our high ratings tend to go to fiction that is carefully crafted and/or classic. BTW, In Crowd does match our usual apparent requirement that a book include misogyny and twisted characters.
ReplyDeletePaul, to be clear, the presence of misogyny and twisted characters is not something we require in our reading, nor expect. Rather, it's something you've taken to assessing in each of our books. Sadly, we find both too often in much of our reading. Thanks for keeping us honest.
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