Death on Tiptoe was my first Greyladies purchase, and I have to say that I do like the cover. Greyladies was criticised in a recent Folly review for their covers, but I don't find the front cover of Death on Tiptoe dull at all - I think it looks very stylish.

But you should never judge a book by its cover, and unfortunately I found the content of this book on the dull side. It's a whodunnit, written in the 1930s by RC Ashby, who later wrote the 'Jill' series of pony books under her married name, Ruby Ferguson. It starts out well enough: a houseparty gathers together in a hideous old castle; there's plenty of tension 'twixt guests and hostess; and a game of hide and seek in the dark leads to murder ... I enjoyed the book up till that point. 

But then came the investigation, which really plodded along. I had a problem believing that the amateur detective Lionel West - a judge, but also a suspect - would really be allowed to help the police with their investigation, even back in the 1930s. West was a bit of a bore, and also a bit too keen to protect his friends when he suspected their involvement in murder. And somehow the denouement just wasn't convincing. If this is an example of Ruby Ferguson's whodunnits, I can see why they haven't remained in print while the Jill books have. Maybe she should have written an equestrian whodunnit? I suspect she'd have shown rather more prowess at that ...