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Mrs. Bradley #13
When Last I Died
This is a crime writing gem featuring vanished children, haunted mansions and family secrets from one of the masters of the crime-writing genre.
190 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1941
21 people are currently reading
368 people want to read
About the author
Gladys Mitchell
92 books141 followersAka Malcolm Torrie, Stephen Hockaby.
Born in Cowley, Oxford, in 1901, Gladys Maude Winifred Mitchell was the daughter of market gardener James Mitchell, and his wife, Annie.
She was educated at Rothschild School, Brentford and Green School, Isleworth, before attending Goldsmiths College and University College, London from 1919-1921.
She taught English, history and games at St Paul's School, Brentford, from 1921-26, and at St Anne's Senior Girls School, Ealing until 1939.
She earned an external diploma in European history from University College in 1926, beginning to write her novels at this point. Mitchell went on to teach at a number of other schools, including the Brentford Senior Girls School (1941-50), and the Matthew Arnold School, Staines (1953-61). She retired to Corfe Mullen, Dorset in 1961, where she lived until her death in 1983.
Although primarily remembered for her mystery novels, and for her detective creation, Mrs. Bradley, who featured in 66 of her novels, Mitchell also published ten children's books under her own name, historical fiction under the pseudonym Stephen Hockaby, and more detective fiction under the pseudonym Malcolm Torrie. She also wrote a great many short stories, all of which were first published in the Evening Standard.
She was awarded the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger Award in 1976.
Born in Cowley, Oxford, in 1901, Gladys Maude Winifred Mitchell was the daughter of market gardener James Mitchell, and his wife, Annie.
She was educated at Rothschild School, Brentford and Green School, Isleworth, before attending Goldsmiths College and University College, London from 1919-1921.
She taught English, history and games at St Paul's School, Brentford, from 1921-26, and at St Anne's Senior Girls School, Ealing until 1939.
She earned an external diploma in European history from University College in 1926, beginning to write her novels at this point. Mitchell went on to teach at a number of other schools, including the Brentford Senior Girls School (1941-50), and the Matthew Arnold School, Staines (1953-61). She retired to Corfe Mullen, Dorset in 1961, where she lived until her death in 1983.
Although primarily remembered for her mystery novels, and for her detective creation, Mrs. Bradley, who featured in 66 of her novels, Mitchell also published ten children's books under her own name, historical fiction under the pseudonym Stephen Hockaby, and more detective fiction under the pseudonym Malcolm Torrie. She also wrote a great many short stories, all of which were first published in the Evening Standard.
She was awarded the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger Award in 1976.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
January 4, 2021
I enjoyed this vintage mystery novel very much because the reader is given all the same clues as the protagonist and has the opportunity to solve the crime right along with her. The story was unique and well-written, but probably a little slow-moving for most modern readers.
I had never heard of this author until I read P.D. James' book on the golden age of detective fiction. Since this a later entry in the series, Mitchell does little to describe Mrs. Bradley and she comes off as rather unappealing - unlike other more popular crime solvers such as Miss Marple, Arsene Lupin, Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown, etc. Still, I look forward to exploring more of Mitchell's fiction.
I had never heard of this author until I read P.D. James' book on the golden age of detective fiction. Since this a later entry in the series, Mitchell does little to describe Mrs. Bradley and she comes off as rather unappealing - unlike other more popular crime solvers such as Miss Marple, Arsene Lupin, Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown, etc. Still, I look forward to exploring more of Mitchell's fiction.
September 16, 2014
I did not realize until I was a little ways into this book that it is part of the series on which the Mrs. Bradley Mysteries for television was based. So I couldn't help but imagine Diana Rigg as Mrs. Bradley - and probably I enjoyed the book more for it. This is a pretty straightforward, old-fashioned, peculiarly English mystery, with lots of twists and turns and possible explanations. This story in particular revolves around a supposedly haunted house, and is rich with the type of spiritualist "science" that was around at the time the book was written (1941). Mrs. Bradley is the star, however: she is so much fun to read, with her internal asides and her clever way of allowing people to expose their own faults, lies, and mistakes, and encouraging them indirectly to serve her own purposes without ever bluntly asking. If you've seen the television series, you will enjoy this book. It's a little bit old-fashioned in the telling - meaning some cultural and contemporary references might miss their mark (as they did for me) but still a very nice mystery.
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April 9, 2025An oddly subdued outing for Mrs Bradley, investigating what wouldn't yet have been called a cold case revolving around two vanished escapees from an institution for delinquent boys, and a death at a haunted house. Even saying that much gives away part of the problem; to a generation who grew up on Scooby-Doo, much of the solution becomes obvious fairly early on. But while you can't blame Mrs Bradley for not spotting that so readily, she really doesn't seem to be on form; there are whole chapters with no cackling, and I think only one fairly mild comparison to a reptile! Granted, she does on the second page advocate mass euthanasia for such young offenders as seem impervious to reform ("This view was received without enthusiasm by the authorities and was treated, even by the Press, with reserve."), but otherwise she almost seems to be filling in for some milder sleuth, opening with a fairly clear mystery and solving it by explicable steps which, you know... it's fine on that level, I didn't hate it, but I expect stranger from Mitchell. Especially as regards another backstory death, in which a wealthy aunt has expired while eating grated carrot, and nobody makes the obvious point that even when eaten by the young and healthy, that stuff just sticks around your mouth so exhaustingly that it always feels like even odds on whether it or you will be seen off first.
May 11, 2014
The first Mitchell I've ever read, and I really enjoyed this one.
Imagine Christie, but a little more 'written.'
Perhaps, in places, a little 'over written.'
The premise is tantalising enough to pull you in, the mystery keeps you going, and the denouement is satisfying enough to make me look forward to enjoying some more now that Vintage are reissuing Ms Mitchell's catalogue.
Long Story Short (LSS): A fun, slightly overwritten romp from the Golden Age of Mystery.
Imagine Christie, but a little more 'written.'
Perhaps, in places, a little 'over written.'
The premise is tantalising enough to pull you in, the mystery keeps you going, and the denouement is satisfying enough to make me look forward to enjoying some more now that Vintage are reissuing Ms Mitchell's catalogue.
Long Story Short (LSS): A fun, slightly overwritten romp from the Golden Age of Mystery.
September 23, 2021
A solid mystery with plenty of suspects, misdirections and red herrings, as well as haunted houses, poltergeist phenomena and seances.
May 13, 2020
A serious, solid Mrs. Bradley mystery - I really enjoyed the whole thing, though I must say I still prefer Come Away, Death as my fave among the handful I've read.
What happened to Aunt Flora, what happened to Tom (twice), what happened to Bella (in summation - a lot happened to Bella!...but what sort of a lot?), and what happened to Tessa. It all spans several years, and what are the connections? A carrot, three scary falls (if you count them all; you have to go back to Flora), and water...the deadly details.
The author seems to take things extra serious this time. I get that; once you know the underpinnings of the plot, and what really happened to certain people, it's not something you laugh about; in this one, no one is out in the middle of the night burying a wombat. Whimsicality and tomfoolery out the window (as well as Tom).
This book is a lot of interviews, and recollections, and diaries, and even juror reminiscences - collected over time by Mrs. Bradley in her attempt to make sense of three or four strange occurrences spread over, oh, what was it, six years or so? Enter one haunted house - but the author perhaps does not get all the mileage out of the haunted house as she could; the moonlit nights out among the Greek ruins, in Come Away, Death were scarier affairs for me. The book never relinquishes its subdued vibe, and it is a bit of a pity that the haunted house sequences - past and present - never quite come to life.
Still, her plot - the reasons why a person or people did so much wrong all the way along, and Mrs. Bradley's hunt to find a coherent chain of events - is a winner. I think this is considered one of her best? I would think that's fair, but I have a lot of them to read yet. Come Away, Death remains my favourite due to its mobility - loved the scenic tour of Greece - its creepier feel, along with some laughs, and its atypical whodunit structure. But When Last I Died, a very different book, is a wonderful alternative and maybe more nightmarish, in its matter-of-fact look at the worst things people do to each other, and how much hiding goes on afterwards. Mrs. Bradley turns the light on it.
What happened to Aunt Flora, what happened to Tom (twice), what happened to Bella (in summation - a lot happened to Bella!...but what sort of a lot?), and what happened to Tessa. It all spans several years, and what are the connections? A carrot, three scary falls (if you count them all; you have to go back to Flora), and water...the deadly details.
The author seems to take things extra serious this time. I get that; once you know the underpinnings of the plot, and what really happened to certain people, it's not something you laugh about; in this one, no one is out in the middle of the night burying a wombat. Whimsicality and tomfoolery out the window (as well as Tom).
This book is a lot of interviews, and recollections, and diaries, and even juror reminiscences - collected over time by Mrs. Bradley in her attempt to make sense of three or four strange occurrences spread over, oh, what was it, six years or so? Enter one haunted house - but the author perhaps does not get all the mileage out of the haunted house as she could; the moonlit nights out among the Greek ruins, in Come Away, Death were scarier affairs for me. The book never relinquishes its subdued vibe, and it is a bit of a pity that the haunted house sequences - past and present - never quite come to life.
Still, her plot - the reasons why a person or people did so much wrong all the way along, and Mrs. Bradley's hunt to find a coherent chain of events - is a winner. I think this is considered one of her best? I would think that's fair, but I have a lot of them to read yet. Come Away, Death remains my favourite due to its mobility - loved the scenic tour of Greece - its creepier feel, along with some laughs, and its atypical whodunit structure. But When Last I Died, a very different book, is a wonderful alternative and maybe more nightmarish, in its matter-of-fact look at the worst things people do to each other, and how much hiding goes on afterwards. Mrs. Bradley turns the light on it.
October 31, 2019
This was my first Gladys Mitchell read, and I enjoyed it but the plot seemed half hearted and seemed to jump around to the point I kept having to go back pages as I was under the impression I'd missed pages out.
It's neither a great whodunit or a great spooky read, I really wanted more of the haunted house and more of a edge to it, but it did not deliver!
I'll read more Mitchell but this one was a slow one to start my reading journey with!
3 stars.
It's neither a great whodunit or a great spooky read, I really wanted more of the haunted house and more of a edge to it, but it did not deliver!
I'll read more Mitchell but this one was a slow one to start my reading journey with!
3 stars.
April 20, 2019
one of the best mrs bradley books i've read. i can't get the setting out of my head.
June 7, 2012
Gladys Mitchell's novels seem to elicit hackneyed phrases. But what can you do when, for a change, they're actually true? It's become a commonplace to claim that you couldn't put a book down; however, in the case of When Last I Died, it's literally true! I stayed up until 3 a.m. to finish this Mrs. Bradley novel, which doesn't give away the murderer -- or even who the real murder victims are -- until the last few chapters. Forgive me for using yet another cliché, but When Last I Died really does keep you guessing until the very end. I never saw the resolution coming.
How can these novels be so neglected? Although popular in Miss Mitchell's lifetime, these novels featuring the sly, wizened, and intimidating Beatrice Lestrange Bradley aren't nearly as well known as the detective novels of Ngaio Marsh, Patricia Wentworth, or Dorothy L. Sayers, even though Miss Mitchell's novels surpass those of Marsh, Wentworth, and Sayers. Why Mrs. Bradley even gives Miss Marple a run for her money!
Miss Mitchell truly lives up to her billing by the English poet Philip Larkin as "the Great Gladys." This is the second novel Mrs. Bradley I've read; it was much better than the first, The Saltmarsh Murders, which itself was very good. Thankfully, Miss Mitchell was quite prolific, and she wrote more than 60 Mrs. Bradley novels -- enough to keep me happy for years!
How can these novels be so neglected? Although popular in Miss Mitchell's lifetime, these novels featuring the sly, wizened, and intimidating Beatrice Lestrange Bradley aren't nearly as well known as the detective novels of Ngaio Marsh, Patricia Wentworth, or Dorothy L. Sayers, even though Miss Mitchell's novels surpass those of Marsh, Wentworth, and Sayers. Why Mrs. Bradley even gives Miss Marple a run for her money!
Miss Mitchell truly lives up to her billing by the English poet Philip Larkin as "the Great Gladys." This is the second novel Mrs. Bradley I've read; it was much better than the first, The Saltmarsh Murders, which itself was very good. Thankfully, Miss Mitchell was quite prolific, and she wrote more than 60 Mrs. Bradley novels -- enough to keep me happy for years!
February 8, 2017
One of the best of Mitchell's Mrs. Bradley mysteries that I've read so far. Carefully plotted and with a twist ending, When Last I Died is also rich with the author's research into the otherworldly, particularly poltergeists. The passages of the diary of Bella Foxley were reminiscent of Shirley Jackson's later Haunting of Hill House (which came a decade later), but the adventure, featuring Mrs. Bradley's chauffeur George, her son Ferdinand and his wife Caroline, and even their son, Derek, make this novel entirely a near-perfect iteration of Gladys Mitchell's world. Readers who haven't met Mrs. Bradley before may wish to start with this novel, although you will miss the establishment of some of the characters from earlier books. Certainly, this one enters into my Mitchell top-five.
Full review here: https://bibliomaneblog.wordpress.com/....
Full review here: https://bibliomaneblog.wordpress.com/....
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December 25, 2022When Mrs Bradley’s grandson finds an old diary in her rented cottage it attracts the interest of this most unconventional of detectives, for the book’s now deceased owner was once suspected of the murders of both her aunt and cousin. Does the missing diary finally reveal what happened to old Aunt Flora? Is the case of Bella Foxley really closed? And what happened to the boys from the local reformatory who went missing at the same time? As events unfold, Mrs. Bradley faces one of her most difficult cases to date, one that will keep readers guessing until the very end…
When Last I Died is the 2nd re-release from Vintage Books of titles from Gladys Mitchell’s Mrs Bradley Mysteries series. It’s rare for a publisher to shine their spotlights on works that have faded from view though some works seem to keep finding the light over and over again with a little help, whatever happened behind the scenes I’m glad I got chance start my exploration of Mitchell’s work.
Why? Because I enjoyed The Saltmarsh Murders but loved When Last I Died even more.
Why? As there is a difference in the narration. The first was narrated by the curate of the sleepy village who was good but only seeing Mrs Bradley from the outside. The narrator in this one is exterior to the action and follows around Mrs Bradley’s actions and internal thoughts, so we get to know Mrs Bradley a litte more intimately.
I have to say as a character she’s fab. She’s nosey, steely, insightful and intelligent without giving over to arrogance. She’s also very curious, and it’s that curiousity which is raised when her grandson finds an old diary in a rented cottage. The book’s owner is now deceased and was once suspected of the murders of both her aunt and cousin. But the contents raises more questions than it answers. Does it reveal what actually happended to Aunt Flora? Is the case of Bella Foxley really closed? And what happened to the boys from the local refectory who went missing that same time?
And it really is a mystery, one that keeps both the reader and Mrs Bradley guessing. My only slight reluctance in the story comes, I guess, from Mrs Bradley pushing at a case that is dead and buried and she doesn’t seem to get enough resistance to her questioning as one might expect.. but then this is a novel from 1941 and she is grandee of society so it doesn’t feel too odd. That was my only doubt.
A great device used by Mitchell is the diary which is reprinted, and which on first glance is heartfelt and absorbing but Mrs Bradley feels differently and she sticks her nose in to find out more about the events. It definitely wrong footed me.
It’s a short novel at 208 pages, but it’s packed with twists, turns and surprises like all good mysteries should be. And in this case the truth of the matter is much stranger than the fiction that surrounds it.
When Last I Died is the 2nd re-release from Vintage Books of titles from Gladys Mitchell’s Mrs Bradley Mysteries series. It’s rare for a publisher to shine their spotlights on works that have faded from view though some works seem to keep finding the light over and over again with a little help, whatever happened behind the scenes I’m glad I got chance start my exploration of Mitchell’s work.
Why? Because I enjoyed The Saltmarsh Murders but loved When Last I Died even more.
Why? As there is a difference in the narration. The first was narrated by the curate of the sleepy village who was good but only seeing Mrs Bradley from the outside. The narrator in this one is exterior to the action and follows around Mrs Bradley’s actions and internal thoughts, so we get to know Mrs Bradley a litte more intimately.
I have to say as a character she’s fab. She’s nosey, steely, insightful and intelligent without giving over to arrogance. She’s also very curious, and it’s that curiousity which is raised when her grandson finds an old diary in a rented cottage. The book’s owner is now deceased and was once suspected of the murders of both her aunt and cousin. But the contents raises more questions than it answers. Does it reveal what actually happended to Aunt Flora? Is the case of Bella Foxley really closed? And what happened to the boys from the local refectory who went missing that same time?
And it really is a mystery, one that keeps both the reader and Mrs Bradley guessing. My only slight reluctance in the story comes, I guess, from Mrs Bradley pushing at a case that is dead and buried and she doesn’t seem to get enough resistance to her questioning as one might expect.. but then this is a novel from 1941 and she is grandee of society so it doesn’t feel too odd. That was my only doubt.
A great device used by Mitchell is the diary which is reprinted, and which on first glance is heartfelt and absorbing but Mrs Bradley feels differently and she sticks her nose in to find out more about the events. It definitely wrong footed me.
It’s a short novel at 208 pages, but it’s packed with twists, turns and surprises like all good mysteries should be. And in this case the truth of the matter is much stranger than the fiction that surrounds it.
March 14, 2020
"It was quite by accident that Mrs. Bradley found the diary of a woman, now dead, who a few years earlier had been arrested, tried and acquitted of murdering a professional ghosthunter. Mrs. Bradley has dealt with murderers before, but she always dealt with them as a professional psychiatrist -- cooly, scientifically, almost flippantly. Now, however, the brilliant old lady is fiercely determined to bring a cruel and ruthless murderer to bay -- even if she has to open up the grave of the woman most people think wrongfully escaped the gallows. It proves to be one of the most difficult cases in Mrs. Bradley's career, even prompting our celebrated sleuth to take several wrong turns herself. First published in 1941, When Last I Died is one of the most acclaimed novels of a writer who was lumped with Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers by contemporary critics as one of Englands 'big three' women mystery writers."
~~back cover
A very complicated plot, awash with so many unsavory characters that the reader is spoiled for choice in trying to discover the murderer. Or is is murderers? To be honest, I like Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers a great deal more and would have abandoned this book if it had been twice as long.
~~back cover
A very complicated plot, awash with so many unsavory characters that the reader is spoiled for choice in trying to discover the murderer. Or is is murderers? To be honest, I like Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers a great deal more and would have abandoned this book if it had been twice as long.
September 21, 2024
Rather a disappointment after a great start. The author has a lovely fluent style but is not very good at pacing the narrative, which gave an unbalanced feel to the whole. There are numerous abrupt jumps forward in time, when it is declared that the main character has achieved something or other, where other authors would use the process of achieving that, to build tension and develop character. And likewise, the author dwells for pages on matters that could be cleared up by a conversation or some other device.
Spoiler follows....
The most egregious example is when she compares Tom's typewritten narrative with the diary. This is absolutely key to starting to understand what is going on. But instead of quoting Tom’s account, letting the reader notice how both sets of memoranda make the same slips, she just mentions in a single short paragraph that there are shared errors. If ever there was a case for show, not tell, it is this, and it cheats the reader, who in a mystery novel is a fellow-sleuth.
For me it started to deteriorate about halfway through. I persisted to the end but won’t be searching the shelves for any of her other books.
Spoiler follows....
The most egregious example is when she compares Tom's typewritten narrative with the diary. This is absolutely key to starting to understand what is going on. But instead of quoting Tom’s account, letting the reader notice how both sets of memoranda make the same slips, she just mentions in a single short paragraph that there are shared errors. If ever there was a case for show, not tell, it is this, and it cheats the reader, who in a mystery novel is a fellow-sleuth.
For me it started to deteriorate about halfway through. I persisted to the end but won’t be searching the shelves for any of her other books.
February 29, 2020
Gladys Mitchell is really a classic mystery writer you should check out if you like the genre: Agatha Christie with an attitude. A near-contemporary of Christie, she is way better, because she has a sense of humor, and ads human interest to her murder mysteries like Christie never bothered to do. Mitchell's stories are not just puzzles, although she faithfully followed the guidelines of the Crime Writers' Association: red herrings and last-minute surprises guaranteed! But there's a lot more going on in her mysteries, and every character in her stories is rounded and full of human foibles and contradictions, like it should be in good literature. What's more, Gladys wrote 66 Mrs Bradley novels, just as many as Agatha... She deserves a much greater reputation. Try her!
May 9, 2022
Another very readable and puzzly outing for the unique Mrs Bradley.
I find that I enjoy GM's books more when she does not try to be overly ornate in her writing, plotting and allusions. Here the cleverness is all in the plot and characterisation. There is also some very amusing writing.
Starting from a diary, Mrs B embarks upon a quest after justice and the truth about several deaths and disappearances. On the way there are poltergeists, séances, and witnesses a-plenty to be interviewed.
My only disappointment is that the ending comes with my least favourite resolution, a tricked confession.
Most enjoyable and recommended. This one would be good as a starting point for newbies or for a return visit by those previously put-off by one of the author's more esoteric efforts.
I find that I enjoy GM's books more when she does not try to be overly ornate in her writing, plotting and allusions. Here the cleverness is all in the plot and characterisation. There is also some very amusing writing.
Starting from a diary, Mrs B embarks upon a quest after justice and the truth about several deaths and disappearances. On the way there are poltergeists, séances, and witnesses a-plenty to be interviewed.
My only disappointment is that the ending comes with my least favourite resolution, a tricked confession.
Most enjoyable and recommended. This one would be good as a starting point for newbies or for a return visit by those previously put-off by one of the author's more esoteric efforts.
October 13, 2019
This should have been fantastic - Mrs Bradley, a haunted house, several seances, a secret diary and 6 year old murder case. However, despite having all the right ingredients I somewhat struggled to get into it.
I think the book was slightly ‘over-written’ I’ve read several Mrs Bradley books now and this is probably the only one I found her verging on tiresome. The plot was a little convoluted and I struggled to get into, and differentiate the characters. Maybe it was the mood I was in.
Despite all that, it was worth a read. I always love how different Mrs B books are from others of the Golden Age!
I think the book was slightly ‘over-written’ I’ve read several Mrs Bradley books now and this is probably the only one I found her verging on tiresome. The plot was a little convoluted and I struggled to get into, and differentiate the characters. Maybe it was the mood I was in.
Despite all that, it was worth a read. I always love how different Mrs B books are from others of the Golden Age!
November 29, 2025
This is how a haunted house/poltergeist novel should be written, if we want to take the drama from the non-supernatural end of the diagram.
'....She indicated to me once that she didn’t really think it was wise to counterfeit psychical phenomena. Therefore, when she came to the haunted house that night to kill me because I had allowed her to know what I had against her, she concluded that the sounds she heard, striking home as they did to a mind over-burdened with guilt, were proof of something that she had half-believed all her life—that there really are such things as ghosts, and that occasionally they take a quite uncomfortable interest in human affairs.”'
'....She indicated to me once that she didn’t really think it was wise to counterfeit psychical phenomena. Therefore, when she came to the haunted house that night to kill me because I had allowed her to know what I had against her, she concluded that the sounds she heard, striking home as they did to a mind over-burdened with guilt, were proof of something that she had half-believed all her life—that there really are such things as ghosts, and that occasionally they take a quite uncomfortable interest in human affairs.”'
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2019
The standout Gladys Mitchell book of a number of recent re-reads. The story sees Mrs Bradley find a diary written by Bella Foxley, who been acquitted of the murder of her cousin Tom and was believed to have commited suicide. What follows is an entertaining romp through the world of haunted houses and the shady dealings of the Foxley family. At the heart of the story is Mrs Bradley's search for two children who vanished from a nearby reform school. A book that is totally engrossing and ends with a terrific twist.
November 20, 2022
Very detailed investigation by elderly Mrs. Bradley of the defenestration of ghost hunter Tom from a haunted house. Somewhere in the 1930s or 1940s, not sure. This death follows the suspicious choking death of Tom's and Bella's Aunt Flora, who left her fortune to Bella. Villagers suspect Bella of murder, but despite a court case and public opinion against her, Bella is not convicted, but drowns herself about a year later. This is when Mrs. Bradley enters the picture, and her efforts change the picture drastically, despite quite a few twists and turns and misconceptions.
April 12, 2025
I heard the name Mrs Bradley on a trivia show recently and decided to give it a try. This was fun to listen to. I am not one of those people who try to suss who the murderer is and am happy to go along with the flow of the book and wait for the great reveal and by the time it's done I am rarely the wiser. It was the same here
What made it interesting was the somewhat "historic" setting, it was fun to hear about a lifestyle that doesn't exist anymore with "dailies" and scullery maids and what not!
What made it interesting was the somewhat "historic" setting, it was fun to hear about a lifestyle that doesn't exist anymore with "dailies" and scullery maids and what not!
June 17, 2022
This is a very well constructed whodunit, especially pleasing to readers who enjoy stories in which the sleuth puts together clues about a past crime by interviewing surviving participants, reading diaries, and cross-checking facts.
The supernatural subtext of the story isn't the main focus, but an important part of the reason behind the crimes, as a supposedly haunted house is the scene of the crimes.
The supernatural subtext of the story isn't the main focus, but an important part of the reason behind the crimes, as a supposedly haunted house is the scene of the crimes.
November 19, 2023
I still don't know how to feel about Mitchell and the whole Mrs. Bradley series - her stories have intriguing and relatively original plots and they work really well in audio format so I usually fly through them while having a reasonably good time, but they have this deeply pervasive streak of unkindness and malice that has nothing to do with how not-PC golden age detective stories appear to contemporary eyes.
October 2, 2017
Very well written, think I shall delve further into the Gladys Mitchell 'Mrs. Bradley' mysteries. I enjoyed the few Mrs. Bradley episodes I've seen so far on tv, very lively character. This book, if any indication of the rest, had a very gritty dark undertone - not found in Christie or Sayers. But still some of the wit.
February 20, 2019
I think this is a much underrated author . She should be as well known as Agatha Christie , in fact I think her books are actually better .
Mrs Bradley is a well known psychologist who specialises in solving strange murders . This story is set in a school for young offenders where the old lady must use her formidable brain powers to solve a ruthless murder .
Mrs Bradley is a well known psychologist who specialises in solving strange murders . This story is set in a school for young offenders where the old lady must use her formidable brain powers to solve a ruthless murder .
April 21, 2020
Loved it!
The Mrs. Bradley mysteries vary in quality, but this is definitely one of the best! Clues that seem ambiguous when offered, suddenly become perfectly clear when the clever woman explains them. If you only read one of the 66 Mrs Bradley mysteries, then this story of a haunted house and family differences should be the one.
The Mrs. Bradley mysteries vary in quality, but this is definitely one of the best! Clues that seem ambiguous when offered, suddenly become perfectly clear when the clever woman explains them. If you only read one of the 66 Mrs Bradley mysteries, then this story of a haunted house and family differences should be the one.
September 27, 2018
It's a murder in retrospect, and she lost me with 20 pages of somebody's old diary. Mrs. Bradley's methods are apparently oblique and chatty.
June 24, 2019
3 1/2 stars
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
October 16, 2020
Mrs Bradley deftly unriddles a series of strange disappearances, deaths and supernatural occurrences after she comes across an old diary. I only wish there was a map and plan provided.
February 5, 2022
I didn't read this I read "when I die" on webtoon, it has 11 chapters out, I may continue it when more are out.
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