The dust jacket of Death of a Musketeer boasts a quote from Margaret Frazer: “A fun read.” I’m not sure I agree with s. Frazer, because although a good book, I did not find it to be a fun read. I would describe more as ‘put-downable’. It has a great setting using Alexander Dumas’ characters from his Three Musketeers to solve a murder.
The story opens just as D’Artagnan has challenged Athos to a
duel. Porthos and Aramis are nearby when
the four of them are attacked by the Cardinal’s men. The musketeers fend off the attackers and
then go off to celebrate. Their drinking
lasts until way into the night. As they
leave the last pub, they encounter another musketeer, who has been murdered,
and they discover it is a woman in disguise. Naturally, the musketeers take it upon themselves to solve the murder of
this woman who has a remarkable resemblance to the Queen.
Most of the antics of the story take place during night
times, and it seems that no one in France sleeps at night. It doesn’t matter what hour it is, everyone
seems to be awake, and the musketeers seem surprised to realize they have
awakened someone.
D’Almeida keeps true to the spirit of the Three Musketeers
but it seems odd to have them try to solve a mystery, using their heads instead
of their swords. The story involves a
plot to discredit the Queen using the Duke of Buckingham, which we’ve seen
before in Dumas’ work. There are times when D’Almeida has a character reminisce
or goes off on a tangent to describe the surroundings. Okay, you’re an expert on 17th
century Paris. We get it.
Other readers might find this one more satisfying than I
did. This is the first one of a series, but I'm not interested in reading anymore.
I give it one musketeer out of three.
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