Gordon Inglis. Death and Breakfast: A Mystery. Killick Press, St. John's, 2001, ISBN 1-894294-38-6

TAKE ONE LARGE country house, one disabled telephone, and blend with a dark and foggy night to thicken. Throw in an awkward parson, an amateur sleuth, a curmudgeon, a retired detective, a couple of doddering sisters and a few colourful types from the neighbouring village. Season with an apparent murder and a well-aged Mountie (Corporal Cameron preferred, trusted by literary cooks since 1912). Stir gently over a low heat until murky pasts and hidden motives bubble to the surface. Skim and discard red herrings until only the solution remains. Serve cold.

Ah, yes! A cherished recipe, passed down by dear Aunt Agatha and others. It has been a staple of the murder-mystery diet for longer than many care to remember. Served too often or with inferior ingredients, however, it tends to curb the appetite.

Gordon Inglis treads a well-worn path here, excepting the fact that his parlour drama is set in rural Newfoundland. Aside from discourse on icebergs, a lamentation on the plundering of outport antiques, and the defining of dinner versus supper, the premise is all too familiar.A murder mystery weekend is organized for a group of genre aficionados and, surprise! an actual murder takes place. Or at least that appears to be the case. As the loathsome Browne says with a barking laugh, "You've really covered the clichés." Inglis is quite conscious of his creative direction. His characters are fully versed in the methods of Marple and Poirot and there is frequent allusion to writers like Dorothy Sayers and Anne Hart. Still, all is not tongue in cheek. Some of the characters might support the idea of a parody but most are merely stereotypical.

The novel is, ultimately, a minor variation on the murder-mystery formula. This in itself might be enjoyable, forgivable at least, but for the problems of plodding pace, insipid dialogue and lack of real suspense. The reader is left to wonder whether the author is describing himself through one of his characters: "He was an avid fan of the British mysteries that played weekly on American public television, and he was excited by his own inspiration."