The Amazing Mrs Shufflewick - Patrick Newley

A slim volume about a tragic life. Mrs Shufflewick was a cross dressing comic of the 1950s - the product, like many of that period, of WWII and the training ground in ENSA. Like many others of that time they found difficulty in coping with being a comic in post war Britain, and although superficially successful - appearing at the top venues in the country and on radio - managed to fritter all the profits away in drink and with unsuitable managers, and much more unsuitable relationships. Very much a tragedy, with the inevitability of his fate (heart attack brought on by generalised drink related abuse of major organs) is apparent from the opening page. Rating 6/10

A Turn in the South - V S Naipaul

Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley - M C Beaton

Every now and again (and especially like recently when I've been reading some 'heavier' tomes) I like to just rattle through a quick page turning mystery. M C Beaton's Agatha Raisin mysteries are just ideal for this. OK so they aren't intellectual and thought provoking but they just zip along and there are twists and turns and all the loose ends are tied up. And why not? In this one Agatha has been lured back to London for a brief bit of PR business, but this only makes her realise how much she prefers life in the country. And, of course, someone is killed and Agatha gets involved in 'solving' the mystery - much to the amusement of detective Bill Wong, and the distress of his superior Detective Inspector. Meanwhile Agatha is throwing herself at her neighbour, and the book ends with a cliff hanging proposal for middle aged Agatha. The characters aren't wonderfully developed, the plot isn't too complicated, but it is way above average for this kind of thing, and deserves a 7/10.

The Autobiography - Ned Sherrin

I think there is always a problem with biographies of 'living subjects' - the author must be extremely selective about the areas of the life that can be revealed to avoid hurt, or

possible libel suits. This problem is in a sense quadrupled for autobiographies - in all cases what is important, significant or interesting to an individual may not be the same for the average reader. Often the most sensational things about the famous or notorious will not be the very things that someone wants to delve into when writing a history of their life. OK Ned Sherrin is famous for several things and they are dealt with here - That WasThe Week That Was, Side By Side By Sondheim and Radio 4's Loose Ends. On the other hand there are several things that Ned obviously things are important, but clearly passed me by - several plays and films I really hadn't heard of, nor cared much about, and what a name dropper Mr Sherrin is - trouble is quite a few of the names must be well known to a remarkably small and select number of people. Did we really hear about the true Ned - probably not, this could more accurately termed 'reminiscences' rather than staring into the inner man. Very little of Ned's feelings or true personal life intrude - lovers, partners, emotions are generally overlooked. However, entertaining and engaging and worth a rating of 7/10.