Every book I have read by PG Wodehouse has been charming and diverting, and this was no exception. Until now I have mostly read Jeeves books so I was surprised at the differences in this one—specifically, that there was gunplay, a proper romance, and the main character was of near-average intelligence. There were two butlers though—but there’s something suspicious about one of them! My favorite character was Smooth Sam Fisher. The book design was lovely--the publisher was Overlook. Unfortunately there is one use of the “n word” which I think a good editor should take out in the next edition. Oh, I should say, the novel is about a kidnapping, or a series of attempted kidnappings. Agatha Christie said this was her favorite Wodehouse novel. But Wodehouse was very offended by this because he had written dozens more since then, so he thought that meant she hadn't read any of his later work. I bet she did, but she just liked this the best. ( )

Plausible? No. Satisfying? Yes!
My two favorite quotes:
1. Dialogue between a freshly engaged couple, discussing semi-dastardly deeds:
"'Do you despise me?'
I perspired. I could think of no other reply."

2. Reflection upon the energy level of schoolboys and the need for outdoor time:
"There is no pleasanter sight for an assistant-master at a private school than that of a number of boys expending their venom harmlessly in the sunshine." ( )

It's funny, but there's a point in the plot where our hero gets shot(!) in the shoulder during an escape from the villains. It's never resolved. He never gets medical treatment, never examines himself, never even disposes of it by saying something like, "Oh, I thought I was shot but it was just the old bursitis, ha ha, toodle pip." It's a minor point, as his stories are not what one would call realistic, but it threw me out of the story. ( )

Not quite a typical Wodehouse: there are professional criminals, a gun fight in which our hero is wounded, hints of an abusive relationship, and the main character actually matures and becomes a kinder person after the love of his life abruptly leaves him. This change happens before the story starts, but still---most Wodehouse characters don't evolve.

Too much has happened in the world since the book was written to make kidnapping seem cute. Perhaps it's worth noting, then, that Wodehouse and Bolton accidentally abducted a child from a London train station when they thought they were supposed to pick up a young relative of a friend there, (Bring on the Girls!, pp, 182-190.) SPOILER: The kidnapper sees his profession as a means of restoring family harmony by making parents appreciate their child and each other. He has decided to marry and go straight and convinces the Fords that as an expert in his field he is most suited to guard their child from other kidnappers. He doesn't pay for his crimes; he will get a salary because of them. ( )

Although I didn’t find this to be one of P. G. Wodehouse’s funniest works, I feel it rates as one of his best for plotting skills. It reads like a light-hearted crime novel.

I also found it interesting, having read all of this author’s early books that were set in private schools and told from the perspective of the boys, that here we have a novel predominantly set in such a school, only this time we see it from the masters’ angle.

I like how Mr Wodehouse opens events by using a third-person narrative, followed by – a few pages later – switching to a first-person narrator in the form of Peter Burns. Peter’s not a larger than life-type of character, but he’s easy to like through his down-to-earth realism.

The Little Nugget himself is a detestable character, which is the author’s intention, and although his scenes are limited, he serves as a central focus upon which much of the story revolves. ( )