What do you think?
Rate this book
Mrs. Bradley #28
Watson's Choice
In this glorious Golden Age crime caper, Mrs Bradley investigates the murder of a young woman following a Sherlock Holmes themed party.
One of Sir Bohun Chantrey's great passions in life are the stories of Sherlock Holmes. To celebrate the great man's anniversary, he throws a party at which the guests are instructed to come as characters from the detective stories. But several of the guests are more interested in Sir Bohun's money, and when he announces that he is to marry a poor governess, things take a turn for the worse, not least when the Hound of the Baskervilles turns up. Fortunately Mrs Bradley, and her secretary Laura, are amongst the guests and ready to investigate the deepening mystery.
One of Sir Bohun Chantrey's great passions in life are the stories of Sherlock Holmes. To celebrate the great man's anniversary, he throws a party at which the guests are instructed to come as characters from the detective stories. But several of the guests are more interested in Sir Bohun's money, and when he announces that he is to marry a poor governess, things take a turn for the worse, not least when the Hound of the Baskervilles turns up. Fortunately Mrs Bradley, and her secretary Laura, are amongst the guests and ready to investigate the deepening mystery.
239 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1955
39 people are currently reading
171 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
February 9, 2025
A rich man organises a party themed around Sherlock Holmes. Guests are invited accordingly, with specific roles in mind. But then things start going wrong. People change the script, so as to say. Strange, and unscheduled incidents occur. A storm secludes the house from all.
Then there's a murder!
Believe me, this is a plot that dame Agatha would have turned into a masterpiece. Alas, that was NOT the case here.
It was inordinately wordy, full of snarky irrational observations, unpleasant characters, and a very anti-climatic conclusion after all pace and suspense had got lost.
In short, this is NOT a cozy or psychological mystery that I would recommend.
Henceforth I would strictly stick to the short stories penned by the author. Thank you very much.
Then there's a murder!
Believe me, this is a plot that dame Agatha would have turned into a masterpiece. Alas, that was NOT the case here.
It was inordinately wordy, full of snarky irrational observations, unpleasant characters, and a very anti-climatic conclusion after all pace and suspense had got lost.
In short, this is NOT a cozy or psychological mystery that I would recommend.
Henceforth I would strictly stick to the short stories penned by the author. Thank you very much.
March 26, 2020
Witty and cleverly written! A unique twist on the classic who dunnit genre.
A jolly romp of a read.
A jolly romp of a read.
November 9, 2023
Sir Bohun Chantrey, a huge admirer of Sherlock Holmes, is throwing a huge weekend party in honour of the Great Anniversary. All guests are to dress as characters from Holmes’ cases. Sir Bohun has assigned a number of the characters to certain guests.
Bohun already has six members of his household attending, so he can only invite nine others. His selection is a couple who are divorcing, a matador, a cousin and the niece, a psychic investigator and her secretary, and actor to play Holmes and a Detective Inspector.
Not all invitees were fans of Holmes; some were more interested in his wealth. His announcement of his engagement to Miss Campbell really spiked their interest!
At first it looks to be a great evening with a formal dinner, dancing to a live band and a mystery solving game. But then… the fog got a bit too thick, and band got lost and was late, the guests decided to swap characters, and when the game was started the guests went their own ways instead of following Bohun’s instructions.
The guests were given pencil and paper and set out to explore the house to find elements from Holmes' adventures. The item and the story it was in were to be noted. An item appeared that was not from the ten chosen stories and no one knew why or who it was from.
The event that really got things going was when one of the attendees was found murdered the following morning. The hunt was on. Mrs. Bradley’s and Laura’s sleuthing uncovered some interesting skeletons in the peoples’ closets. There are red herrings galore to add to the puzzle. It is not the typical country house murder.
This is a new author to me and I plan to read more of her work. A very enjoyable read!
Bohun already has six members of his household attending, so he can only invite nine others. His selection is a couple who are divorcing, a matador, a cousin and the niece, a psychic investigator and her secretary, and actor to play Holmes and a Detective Inspector.
Not all invitees were fans of Holmes; some were more interested in his wealth. His announcement of his engagement to Miss Campbell really spiked their interest!
At first it looks to be a great evening with a formal dinner, dancing to a live band and a mystery solving game. But then… the fog got a bit too thick, and band got lost and was late, the guests decided to swap characters, and when the game was started the guests went their own ways instead of following Bohun’s instructions.
The guests were given pencil and paper and set out to explore the house to find elements from Holmes' adventures. The item and the story it was in were to be noted. An item appeared that was not from the ten chosen stories and no one knew why or who it was from.
The event that really got things going was when one of the attendees was found murdered the following morning. The hunt was on. Mrs. Bradley’s and Laura’s sleuthing uncovered some interesting skeletons in the peoples’ closets. There are red herrings galore to add to the puzzle. It is not the typical country house murder.
This is a new author to me and I plan to read more of her work. A very enjoyable read!
August 15, 2021
Brilliantly fresh and entertaining to begin with.
Then confusing and mildly infuriating.
Then repetitive and downright irritating.
Before being quite fun again at the end.
Definitely reading more.
Then confusing and mildly infuriating.
Then repetitive and downright irritating.
Before being quite fun again at the end.
Definitely reading more.
November 14, 2021
I enjoyed this clever Sherlock Holmes homage. The first section of the book centers around a Holmes themed dinner party. This part of the book is dense with references to the many Sherlock Holmes stories. I am pretty familiar with the stories, but still found myself looking up a number of references to place which story or character they were talking about. I personally enjoyed this treasure hunt, but I think if someone were less interested in knowing exactly what all the references were that it would read fine to just skim past them.
The rest of the book is less packed with references, but still has some lovely parallels to The Hound of the Baskervilles. Including the fact that Laura (Mrs. Bradley's Watson) does a lot of investigating on her own, which I enjoyed.
Mrs. Bradley and Laura are great detectives and this is a fun mystery, especially if you are a Sherlock Holmes fan.
The rest of the book is less packed with references, but still has some lovely parallels to The Hound of the Baskervilles. Including the fact that Laura (Mrs. Bradley's Watson) does a lot of investigating on her own, which I enjoyed.
Mrs. Bradley and Laura are great detectives and this is a fun mystery, especially if you are a Sherlock Holmes fan.
February 6, 2019
A good read! Love the edgier tone of Mitchell’s work compared to some of her contemporaries. A mystery that starts at a Sherlock Holmes themed party - why more could you want!
July 23, 2018
I was attracted to this book by having watched the Mrs Bradley TV series. I expected the book to be a lightweight, eccentric puzzle, rather than great literature; but I had hoped for better than I got. The characters were almost all unbelievable; the plot was unconvincing; and the writing style stilted and irritating. I realise that it is a period piece and that people wrote and talked differently back in the fifties but this felt much m,ore dated than, say, Agatha Christie writing in a similar era. I was expecting to enjoy this book, but when I finished it, my main emotion was relief that at least it was mercifully short.
December 22, 2014
This was the best Gladys Mitchell book I've read so far, which means it dragged on forever and didn't have anything objectionable in it. No suspense at all. It also made me feel stupid for not having memorized the Sherlock Homes books to a greater extent than I have.
I would not have read it at all, except I ran out of any other new books to read.
I would not have read it at all, except I ran out of any other new books to read.
July 29, 2013
It took me two tries to get into it. The first time, I struggled to sustain attention. The second time round -- it was exactly what I wanted. Vintage crime, but with Mitchell's own twist on the classic stereotypes. A very easy read!
February 5, 2017
Everything was obvious once it had been explained--so obvious that I was rather grumpy about it. I don't think my feelings about this book was helped by the fact that Mrs Bradley had obviously worked it out ages before the reader was allowed to know the solution. It felt really low stakes.
October 1, 2021
Amateur detective Mrs. Bradley and her secretary, Laura, are in for the adventure of their lives as they attend a celebration of the stories of Sherlock Holmes at the home of Sir Bohun Chantrey.
There are plenty of quirky characters in attendance: the feuding Mr. Toby and Mrs. Brenda Dance, who are supposedly getting divorced; the tutor Grimson and the governess Linda Campbell for the two children Chantrey has under his wing; Chantrey's illegitimate son, Manoel Lupez, who is also a bull fighter; his niece and her mother; and a detective from Scotland Yard who happens to be dating the lovely secretary Laura.
And what starts as a costume party with games to test the attendees on their knowledge of Holmes, becomes a rather strange affair as the host proposes to the least expected female in the bunch, the poor governess. It's hard to understand why; they have little in common and neither loves the other.
But never be said that Holmes is the only one who can take obscure clues and build a case. Mrs. Bradly can as well and does it better than the charming Det. Inspector Robert Gavin or the local copper Superintendent Collins.
This short tale is charming and witty, light on drama but plenty of red herrings. I'm not sure I would be enamored with Mrs. Bradley if I were to read all 66 books in the series, but since this is the first foray into the stories, she is quite an equal to Holmes as an armchair detective. Gladys Mitchell was quite prolific, beginning the series in 1929 when she was only 28 years old, and continuing yearly until her death in 1983. She also wrote under the pseudonyms of Stephen Hockaby and Malcolm Torrie.
Reading this offering has prompted me to check out the television series, which features one of my favorite actresses, Diana Rigg.
There are plenty of quirky characters in attendance: the feuding Mr. Toby and Mrs. Brenda Dance, who are supposedly getting divorced; the tutor Grimson and the governess Linda Campbell for the two children Chantrey has under his wing; Chantrey's illegitimate son, Manoel Lupez, who is also a bull fighter; his niece and her mother; and a detective from Scotland Yard who happens to be dating the lovely secretary Laura.
And what starts as a costume party with games to test the attendees on their knowledge of Holmes, becomes a rather strange affair as the host proposes to the least expected female in the bunch, the poor governess. It's hard to understand why; they have little in common and neither loves the other.
But never be said that Holmes is the only one who can take obscure clues and build a case. Mrs. Bradly can as well and does it better than the charming Det. Inspector Robert Gavin or the local copper Superintendent Collins.
This short tale is charming and witty, light on drama but plenty of red herrings. I'm not sure I would be enamored with Mrs. Bradley if I were to read all 66 books in the series, but since this is the first foray into the stories, she is quite an equal to Holmes as an armchair detective. Gladys Mitchell was quite prolific, beginning the series in 1929 when she was only 28 years old, and continuing yearly until her death in 1983. She also wrote under the pseudonyms of Stephen Hockaby and Malcolm Torrie.
Reading this offering has prompted me to check out the television series, which features one of my favorite actresses, Diana Rigg.
November 3, 2018
GM was born in 1901, taught school, started detective fiction in 1926, was 54 when WC was published. it's a bit of a dud. it opens fabulously, if you've a taste for British whimsy, then devolves into a shapeless mass of incidents without motive or character development. everything seems paper thin: in this she is unlike Christie, who bubbles with repressed rage until her final unknottings of plots give us a glimpse into the pitched psychic battles that produced the mayhem.
there's no mayhem in WC, and in this i think the author discredits her detective, a lady psychologist, who pretends to believe there are happy families. what tosh. i don't know why i kept reading, but things got better when GM no longer had to fill pages with pointless hither and thither. her other books must be better and i'm willing to give her early ones a spin.
there's no mayhem in WC, and in this i think the author discredits her detective, a lady psychologist, who pretends to believe there are happy families. what tosh. i don't know why i kept reading, but things got better when GM no longer had to fill pages with pointless hither and thither. her other books must be better and i'm willing to give her early ones a spin.
September 4, 2023
The plot and setting of this classic British mystery appealed to me: a Sherlock Holmes-themed costume party and treasure hunt at a country house. My expectation that a murder would occur during the weekend party was dashed however; it takes quite a while for a body to be discovered. But the eccentric host and his friends, family, and staff introduced at the party make good suspects. The case is solved by amateur detective Mrs. Beatrice Bradley. A psychoanalyst, Mrs. Bradley is the main character in 66 novels. I didn’t relish the creepy descriptions of the elderly protagonist, who has claw-like hands and leers affectionately and grins fiendishly. Years ago, Diana Rigg portrayed a much more appealing main character on TV. Still, I enjoyed this whodunit and may read more in the series.
September 1, 2023
I’d never registered that the Diana Rigg vehicle, The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries (which I have never watched) were based on books. Turns out, Gladys Mitchell wrote 66 books featuring Mrs Bradley, who is a psychoanalyst. Unfortunately I never warmed to Mrs. Bradley or her assistant, Laura Menzies or Laura’s fiancé, Inspector Robert Gilbert. I found the mystery to be incredibly contrived and it and the characters felt unbelievable. Not helping matters much was the fact that the book opens with a fancy dress party dedicated to Sherlock Holmes stories, with which I am largely unfamiliar.
June 15, 2025
British house party mystery with the unusual twist that no one dies at the house party. Characters either unlikable or not presented well enough to know of they’re likable. No good explanation of “whydunit”. Amateur detective knows whodunit before anyone else (trying to copy Sherlock Holmes playing his cards close to his vest?), but it adds nothing that she knows. No explanation why she solves mysteries. Not clear what the title refers to. Just “meh”—so many better mysteries out there—don’t bother.
August 13, 2018
Not as convincing
a plot as many of the Mrs. Croc stories. The motive of the murderer just did not gel for me. And the fate of the two boys not did not seem very consistent with the normal behavior of Mrs. Croc either. However, the characters were all fun except for Sir Bohun, who was a colossal bore. But then he was intended as such. I do appreciate the writing and the creativity of this author.
a plot as many of the Mrs. Croc stories. The motive of the murderer just did not gel for me. And the fate of the two boys not did not seem very consistent with the normal behavior of Mrs. Croc either. However, the characters were all fun except for Sir Bohun, who was a colossal bore. But then he was intended as such. I do appreciate the writing and the creativity of this author.
February 10, 2020
Old fashioned cozy
The book is great fun. It’s in the vein of Agatha, though not quite as good, and utterly enjoyable. Light and gore-free, this books wastes no time in character development or deep dives into psychoanalysis. There’s just an old country house, a murder, and a clever lady gathering clues. Hurrah!
The book is great fun. It’s in the vein of Agatha, though not quite as good, and utterly enjoyable. Light and gore-free, this books wastes no time in character development or deep dives into psychoanalysis. There’s just an old country house, a murder, and a clever lady gathering clues. Hurrah!
June 17, 2022
I've enjoyed Mitchell's earlier Mrs. Bradley books, but was very disappointed in this. It's a rambling, not-very-sensible mystery and oddly written in some parts. The Holmes-themed party occurs early on and is not really that important. And I never did figure out all that rigamarole about the Hound. Not recommended for general mystery lovers or those who enjoy a Mrs. Bradley story.
February 6, 2020
Not having read the first 27 Mrs. Bradley mysteries I failed to understand the nuances of the main characters and found it difficult keeping the plot and all the other characters straight.
Preferred the PBS Diana Riggs version of Mrs. Bradley to the literary one.
Preferred the PBS Diana Riggs version of Mrs. Bradley to the literary one.
did-not-finish
May 4, 2023I gave up on this after about 100 pages. It moved slowly and no crime had been committed at that point. There were some fun references to Sherlock Holmes stories but neither that nor the characters were holding my interest.
July 2, 2024
3.75 stars - there was something about this that interested me, though I couldn't quite put my finger on what. Got through it in less than 24 hours. Sherlock tie-ins were well done, though there are moments when it is a product of when it was written (1955).
March 16, 2018
Good read
A bit dated but fun for anyone knowing the Canon. Mrs. Bradley doesn't play an extensive role and Laura seems a bit overly in trying to be
A bit dated but fun for anyone knowing the Canon. Mrs. Bradley doesn't play an extensive role and Laura seems a bit overly in trying to be
March 28, 2022
Another good Mrs. Bradley novel, I recommend them as I haven't read a naff one yet.
July 18, 2025
Would have meant more if I knew more Sherlock Holmes.
March 6, 2017
As always with Gladys Mitchell an enjoyable read.
December 10, 2012
A bad Gladys Mitchell novel is like the Loch Ness monster: It just doesn't exist. While this novel isn't as fabulous as some others -- say, The Saltmarsh Murders, Death at the Opera, and When Last I Died -- it's still better than 90 percent of what I read by modern mystery writers, and I'm still glad I read it.
Mitchell does her usual workman-like job in this slender book in which Mrs. Beatrice Adela LeStrange Bradley attends a house party hosted by an eccentric and childish Sir Bohun (pronounced "Boon") Chantrey on a Sherlock Holmes theme. Among those attending is the pretty governess that Sir Bohun has hired to teach one of his two nephews, a jittery tutor who teaches the other nephew, a smattering of actors and grasping relations, Mrs. Bradley's reliable assistant, Laura Menzies, and Laura's policeman fiancé. Some unusual goings-on at the party foreshadow additional odd occurrences which end with the death of the governess, the lovely but nasty Linda Campbell.
Mrs. Bradley makes short work of solving the murder that has both the local constabulary and Scotland Yard on the wrong trail. A fine, if brief, addition to the Bradley oeuvre.
Mitchell does her usual workman-like job in this slender book in which Mrs. Beatrice Adela LeStrange Bradley attends a house party hosted by an eccentric and childish Sir Bohun (pronounced "Boon") Chantrey on a Sherlock Holmes theme. Among those attending is the pretty governess that Sir Bohun has hired to teach one of his two nephews, a jittery tutor who teaches the other nephew, a smattering of actors and grasping relations, Mrs. Bradley's reliable assistant, Laura Menzies, and Laura's policeman fiancé. Some unusual goings-on at the party foreshadow additional odd occurrences which end with the death of the governess, the lovely but nasty Linda Campbell.
Mrs. Bradley makes short work of solving the murder that has both the local constabulary and Scotland Yard on the wrong trail. A fine, if brief, addition to the Bradley oeuvre.
October 24, 2011
"Wealthy and eccentric Sir Bohun Chantrey numbered among his enthusiasms an absorbing admiration for Sherlock Holmes. To celebrate that great man's anniversary, he gave a party at which guests were invited to impersonate characters from the Holmes stories. A good time would, no doubt, have been had by all -- if only the struggle for Sir Bohun's money had been less competitive, and if he himself had not, to the dismay and consternation of his relatives, suddenly announced his decision to marry a governess.
"Fortunately, Mrs. Beatrice Lestrange Bradley and her secretary Laura Menzies were among the guests, so that, when events began to go sour, they were on hand to investigate a rapidly intensifying mystery.
There was the unexpected meeting at a nearby inn; the sudden disappearance of the Lady in the Case; the menacing presence of Sir Bohun's toreador son. And, last but not least, there was the arrival, startling and unheralded, of the Hound of the Baskervilles ...
Watson's Choice, first published in 1955, is one of the best loved of Gladys Mitchell's many classic crime novels."
~~front flap
I've always liked this author in the past, and indeed have collected most of her books. This was a reread for me, and I was astonished to realize I didn't like it as much as I previously had done.
Possibly I'm just getting grumpy in my old age, but I think my taste in mysteries has changed somewhat over the years. I no longer care much for contrived plots, and endings that were impossible to figure out during the course of the book.
"Fortunately, Mrs. Beatrice Lestrange Bradley and her secretary Laura Menzies were among the guests, so that, when events began to go sour, they were on hand to investigate a rapidly intensifying mystery.
There was the unexpected meeting at a nearby inn; the sudden disappearance of the Lady in the Case; the menacing presence of Sir Bohun's toreador son. And, last but not least, there was the arrival, startling and unheralded, of the Hound of the Baskervilles ...
Watson's Choice, first published in 1955, is one of the best loved of Gladys Mitchell's many classic crime novels."
~~front flap
I've always liked this author in the past, and indeed have collected most of her books. This was a reread for me, and I was astonished to realize I didn't like it as much as I previously had done.
Possibly I'm just getting grumpy in my old age, but I think my taste in mysteries has changed somewhat over the years. I no longer care much for contrived plots, and endings that were impossible to figure out during the course of the book.
August 29, 2015
While the plot and people are interesting, the way the book is written can be a bit confusing at times. Within one chapter the author has a character talk about another and then suddenly they are talking with one another and then you suddenly jump to another location and are doing something else. This jumping made it a bit difficult to know at times where you were and who was where. So reading it took longer than the 180 pages usually did for me, and I had to re-orient myself when I started the book again.
What is this mystery about? An older man with money is throwing a "Sherlock Holmes" theme party and has invited various people - some who like him, some who don't. In the end the party comes off some what well... and a bit afterwards he announces that he is to be married to a young woman who pretty much comes off as a "gold-digger." From here I won't go to far into the storyline but will tell you - someone is murdered.
I have not read any other books by Mitchell so I cannot address if this book is her usual style or if the detective lady is a re-occurring character.
What is this mystery about? An older man with money is throwing a "Sherlock Holmes" theme party and has invited various people - some who like him, some who don't. In the end the party comes off some what well... and a bit afterwards he announces that he is to be married to a young woman who pretty much comes off as a "gold-digger." From here I won't go to far into the storyline but will tell you - someone is murdered.
I have not read any other books by Mitchell so I cannot address if this book is her usual style or if the detective lady is a re-occurring character.
Read
July 6, 2016Awful book, which is why I did not give it a single star. The title makes no sense when you are finished the book. Despite the title and the cover, the book has next to nothing to do with Sherlock Holmes and/or Watson. Can't readers sue publishers of books like this? I know they can't but they SHOULD.
Everyone speaks alike and takes things oh-so-stiff-upper-lip. The only likable character is the dog. I'm never reading Gladys Mitchell again. Well -- not intentionally. Odds are I'll forget this resolve and wind up halfway through another Gladys Mitchell before I remember I'm not supposed to be reading her stuff.
Everyone speaks alike and takes things oh-so-stiff-upper-lip. The only likable character is the dog. I'm never reading Gladys Mitchell again. Well -- not intentionally. Odds are I'll forget this resolve and wind up halfway through another Gladys Mitchell before I remember I'm not supposed to be reading her stuff.
March 5, 2013
A Golden-Age whodunnit, mixing Mrs Bradley's keen psychological senses with Sherlockian lore. A windbag landowner holds a Holmes-themed party, at which the Hound of the Baskervilles makes an unscheduled appearance. Later, a body is found dead near where the Hound had been kept.
Red herrings fly in abundance, whilst Mrs Bradley manipulates affairs from the sidelines. She and her secretary are well-drawn, with the suspects in the case mostly ciphers, there to stoke along the plot. It isn't a puzzle in the John Dickson Carr sense, but is a fine diversion and has just enough twists in the shortish page-count to maintain the interest.
Red herrings fly in abundance, whilst Mrs Bradley manipulates affairs from the sidelines. She and her secretary are well-drawn, with the suspects in the case mostly ciphers, there to stoke along the plot. It isn't a puzzle in the John Dickson Carr sense, but is a fine diversion and has just enough twists in the shortish page-count to maintain the interest.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews