What do you think?
Rate this book
Burford Family #1
The Affair of the Blood-Stained Egg Cosy
Welcome to Alderley, a magnificent mansion in the heart of the West Country where a grand house party is taking place. The preparations have been made, the guests have been invited, and the staff are on hand. What could possibly go wrong? Let the entertainment begin.
The theft of the diamond necklace and the antique pistols might all be explained, but the body in the lake - that really was a puzzle. 'Don't expect me to solve anything,' Inspector Wilkens announced modestly when he arrived to sort out the unpleasantness. And at a gathering that included English aristocracy, foreign agents in disguise, a ravishing baroness, a daring jewel thief, a Texas millionaire and, of course, the imperturbable butler, it was going to take some intricate sleuthing to uncover who killed whom and why.
The theft of the diamond necklace and the antique pistols might all be explained, but the body in the lake - that really was a puzzle. 'Don't expect me to solve anything,' Inspector Wilkens announced modestly when he arrived to sort out the unpleasantness. And at a gathering that included English aristocracy, foreign agents in disguise, a ravishing baroness, a daring jewel thief, a Texas millionaire and, of course, the imperturbable butler, it was going to take some intricate sleuthing to uncover who killed whom and why.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
50 people are currently reading
2111 people want to read
About the author
James Anderson
28 books67 followersJames Anderson was educated at Reading University where he gained a History degree and although born in Swindon, Wiltshire, he lived for most of his life near Cardiff.
He worked as a salesman before becoming a copywriter and then a freelance journalist, contributing to many newspapers, house journals and specialist magazines. He later turned to writing novels, the first of which was 'Assassin' (1969).
As well as his general thrillers, he wrote three books featuring Inspector Wilkins beginning with 'The Affair of the Blood-Stained Egg Cosy' in 1975. The series continued with 'the Affair of the Mutilated Mink Coat' (1981) and ended with 'The Affair of the Thirty-Nine Cuff Links' (2003).
He also wrote three novels based on the television series 'Murder, She Wrote', which were 'the Murder of Sherlock Holmes (1985), Hooray for Homicide' (1985) and 'Lovers and Other Killers' (1986). In total he wrote 14 novels and one play.
He died in 2007.
Gerry Wolstenholme
September 2010
He worked as a salesman before becoming a copywriter and then a freelance journalist, contributing to many newspapers, house journals and specialist magazines. He later turned to writing novels, the first of which was 'Assassin' (1969).
As well as his general thrillers, he wrote three books featuring Inspector Wilkins beginning with 'The Affair of the Blood-Stained Egg Cosy' in 1975. The series continued with 'the Affair of the Mutilated Mink Coat' (1981) and ended with 'The Affair of the Thirty-Nine Cuff Links' (2003).
He also wrote three novels based on the television series 'Murder, She Wrote', which were 'the Murder of Sherlock Holmes (1985), Hooray for Homicide' (1985) and 'Lovers and Other Killers' (1986). In total he wrote 14 novels and one play.
He died in 2007.
Gerry Wolstenholme
September 2010
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews
August 9, 2018
A novel that is a truly enjoyable weekend read. Written in the mid-1970s, it recreates the cosy ambience of a pre-war mystery murder story, with the details of the period, language, insight into the social life and a lot of wit. I massively enjoyed reading all parts of the adventures of the Burfords! Good old school!
January 18, 2011
Oh, boy! This is a good one. Written in 1975 and reprinted by the Poisoned Pen Press, James Anderson's The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy, set in the 1930s, has it all, starting with a classical-era detective who warns everyone at the very start that he's no good at this job and has been promoted above his abilities and that he yearns to be back on the uniformed force. But this modest, self-deprecating sleuth ("I'm not sanguine. Not sanguine at all" - think Peter Falk's Columbo) manages to figure out the most complicated country house murder/espionage case I've ever encountered.
No country house murder is quite right without a map and the book offers one of the second (first if you're English) floor of the house with its many bedrooms, linen closet, baths, and cupboards, along with a picture gallery and a large gun room to hold the earl's firearms collection. You knew there would be an earl. What's a mystery without a little nobility, not to mention a Bertie Wooster sort of fella called Algernon Fotheringay, a gorgeous French countess who drops in unexpectedly, two foreign diplomats who are alarmingly bad at diplomacy, the earl's wife and their jazz baby daughter, her impecunious friend, her uncle (whom the friend has been hopelessly in love with since childhood), a stuffy foreign office type, a dashing sports-car-driving journalist, and a wealthy American couple and their secretary. And of course the butler.
The map is particularly useful because during the night of the murder all the characters except two leave his or her room and visit the bedroom of one or more other characters or the gun room or the downstairs music room. There is a woman's scream, someone is hit on the head, someone goes missing, two characters get into a scuffle, someone is locked in a cupboard, and nobody turns on the lights. Delightful French-farce cum detective story.
I've just scratched the surface here. We have a famous jewel thief who steals the American woman's diamond necklace, two valuable guns are taken, mysterious phone conversations are overheard, the stable clock chimes every 15 minutes, making it easier to keep track of exactly where everyone was at what time. And then there's the problem of the dirt-caked, bloodstained egg cosy. How did it come to be hanging from a branch of lavender in the garden? Who jumped out the window?
This is also a locked room - or locked castle - mystery. The earl has installed a state-of-the-1930s-art burgler alarm which allows the police detective to pinpoint the moment when the murder victim left the house. Or does it? And where is the French countess. This could hardly be more complicated, more difficult to figure out, and more entertaining if Agatha Christie herself had written it with help from John Buchan and Marjorie Allingham. (Did I mention the secret passageway?)
2011 No 10
Coming soon, Stacy Schiff's biography of Cleopatra.
No country house murder is quite right without a map and the book offers one of the second (first if you're English) floor of the house with its many bedrooms, linen closet, baths, and cupboards, along with a picture gallery and a large gun room to hold the earl's firearms collection. You knew there would be an earl. What's a mystery without a little nobility, not to mention a Bertie Wooster sort of fella called Algernon Fotheringay, a gorgeous French countess who drops in unexpectedly, two foreign diplomats who are alarmingly bad at diplomacy, the earl's wife and their jazz baby daughter, her impecunious friend, her uncle (whom the friend has been hopelessly in love with since childhood), a stuffy foreign office type, a dashing sports-car-driving journalist, and a wealthy American couple and their secretary. And of course the butler.
The map is particularly useful because during the night of the murder all the characters except two leave his or her room and visit the bedroom of one or more other characters or the gun room or the downstairs music room. There is a woman's scream, someone is hit on the head, someone goes missing, two characters get into a scuffle, someone is locked in a cupboard, and nobody turns on the lights. Delightful French-farce cum detective story.
I've just scratched the surface here. We have a famous jewel thief who steals the American woman's diamond necklace, two valuable guns are taken, mysterious phone conversations are overheard, the stable clock chimes every 15 minutes, making it easier to keep track of exactly where everyone was at what time. And then there's the problem of the dirt-caked, bloodstained egg cosy. How did it come to be hanging from a branch of lavender in the garden? Who jumped out the window?
This is also a locked room - or locked castle - mystery. The earl has installed a state-of-the-1930s-art burgler alarm which allows the police detective to pinpoint the moment when the murder victim left the house. Or does it? And where is the French countess. This could hardly be more complicated, more difficult to figure out, and more entertaining if Agatha Christie herself had written it with help from John Buchan and Marjorie Allingham. (Did I mention the secret passageway?)
2011 No 10
Coming soon, Stacy Schiff's biography of Cleopatra.
March 16, 2015
In a re-release of this 1975 gem, author James Anderson has penned a lovely — and loving — send-up of that old chestnut, the British house-party cozy mystery. Gathering for a weekend party at the West Country mansion of Alderley, owned by the stereotypically bluff Earl of Burford, are his diplomat brother, two Duchy diplomats there to conclude negotiations with Britain, a Texan oil tycoon and his wife, a travelogue writer, an insufferable bore, a shadowy French baroness, and a plucky gal-pal of the earl’s daughter. What could go wrong?
What doesn’t go wrong? A diamond necklace and a brace of semi-automatic pistols that once belonged to Czar Nicholas II both go missing, and a body turns up in a lake on the grounds — plus diabolical espionage and treason. While so many plot points might prove confusing in less deft hands, Anderson handles the high-jinks with aplomb. I couldn’t put the novel down, as cliché as that sounds! The novel’s resolution proves perfect, too.
Lastly, I absolutely adored the lugubrious Detective Inspector Wilkins, who resembles Hercule Poirot a bit in looks — but certainly not style. There he resembles a British version of the seemingly buffoonish TV detective Colombo; however, like his counterpart, and despite his self-deprecation, Wilkins doesn’t miss a thing. How pleased I was to find out that Anderson penned sequels and that I will soon be encountering Wilkins again!
What doesn’t go wrong? A diamond necklace and a brace of semi-automatic pistols that once belonged to Czar Nicholas II both go missing, and a body turns up in a lake on the grounds — plus diabolical espionage and treason. While so many plot points might prove confusing in less deft hands, Anderson handles the high-jinks with aplomb. I couldn’t put the novel down, as cliché as that sounds! The novel’s resolution proves perfect, too.
Lastly, I absolutely adored the lugubrious Detective Inspector Wilkins, who resembles Hercule Poirot a bit in looks — but certainly not style. There he resembles a British version of the seemingly buffoonish TV detective Colombo; however, like his counterpart, and despite his self-deprecation, Wilkins doesn’t miss a thing. How pleased I was to find out that Anderson penned sequels and that I will soon be encountering Wilkins again!
September 4, 2022
The period: The brink of World War II.
The setting: An old British country house.
The dramatis personnae:
An earl with a gun collection.
A visiting Texas millionaire and his wife, whose diamond has been marked for theft by a famous jewel thief, who is fond of leaving his calling card.
The earl's younger brother, a junior minister in the cabinet, coming down for carrying out delicate political negotiations with the envoy of a foreign power; a Duchy which is in immediate danger of being annexed by Hitler.
A mysterious French adventuress.
The earl's young daughter and her penurious friend.
A young travel writer who is obviously not who he claims to be.
A boring young man, straight out of a Wodehouse novel.
An inscrutable butler, also out of Wodehouse.
What happens:
What else? Robbery and murder.
***
James Anderson wrote this "cosy" mystery in 1975, but very much in the style of an Agatha Christie mystery of the thirties. (In fact, the presence of Dame Agatha is evident throughout, especially when the sleuth, Inspector Wilkins - a diminutive man with a drooping moustache - says that he looks rather like Hercule Poirot, even though he is not half as clever.) What the author has done here is to put all the familiar tropes of the British country house murder mystery into one novel, piling impossible coincidence upon impossible coincidence, until we have an unbelievably rich concoction - like a curry into which all sort of masalas have been poured with a liberal hand. It speaks a lot about Anderson's finesse that this does not make the novel unreadable. In fact, it makes it enchanting.
Suspension of disbelief is essential in these sort of tales, and we do it at the beginning itself, when in a series of short chapters we find the main characters all converging onto the country home of Alderly. In fact, like a Hitchcock movie, the story is so fast-paced that we don't have time to stop and ruminate - so by the time we start wondering about the plausibility of these happenings, we are well and truly into the story. And it is a roller-coaster ride.
Inspector Wilkins, though he looks like Poirot, is the exact opposite of the Belgian as far as character is concerned. Permanently self-deprecating, he has absolutely no illusions that he will be able to solve the case. But by the end of the book, he proves himself well-stocked with the little grey cells himself.
One of Dame Agatha's stories starts with an author staring at a story title, "The Mystery of the Second Cucumber", wondering how to create a story about it. The egg cosy here is something like that cucumber - a catchy heading which hooks the reader. But in the end, it does blend into the story!
The setting: An old British country house.
The dramatis personnae:
An earl with a gun collection.
A visiting Texas millionaire and his wife, whose diamond has been marked for theft by a famous jewel thief, who is fond of leaving his calling card.
The earl's younger brother, a junior minister in the cabinet, coming down for carrying out delicate political negotiations with the envoy of a foreign power; a Duchy which is in immediate danger of being annexed by Hitler.
A mysterious French adventuress.
The earl's young daughter and her penurious friend.
A young travel writer who is obviously not who he claims to be.
A boring young man, straight out of a Wodehouse novel.
An inscrutable butler, also out of Wodehouse.
What happens:
What else? Robbery and murder.
***
James Anderson wrote this "cosy" mystery in 1975, but very much in the style of an Agatha Christie mystery of the thirties. (In fact, the presence of Dame Agatha is evident throughout, especially when the sleuth, Inspector Wilkins - a diminutive man with a drooping moustache - says that he looks rather like Hercule Poirot, even though he is not half as clever.) What the author has done here is to put all the familiar tropes of the British country house murder mystery into one novel, piling impossible coincidence upon impossible coincidence, until we have an unbelievably rich concoction - like a curry into which all sort of masalas have been poured with a liberal hand. It speaks a lot about Anderson's finesse that this does not make the novel unreadable. In fact, it makes it enchanting.
Suspension of disbelief is essential in these sort of tales, and we do it at the beginning itself, when in a series of short chapters we find the main characters all converging onto the country home of Alderly. In fact, like a Hitchcock movie, the story is so fast-paced that we don't have time to stop and ruminate - so by the time we start wondering about the plausibility of these happenings, we are well and truly into the story. And it is a roller-coaster ride.
Inspector Wilkins, though he looks like Poirot, is the exact opposite of the Belgian as far as character is concerned. Permanently self-deprecating, he has absolutely no illusions that he will be able to solve the case. But by the end of the book, he proves himself well-stocked with the little grey cells himself.
One of Dame Agatha's stories starts with an author staring at a story title, "The Mystery of the Second Cucumber", wondering how to create a story about it. The egg cosy here is something like that cucumber - a catchy heading which hooks the reader. But in the end, it does blend into the story!
October 8, 2011
I'll tell you up front I'm not going to give a plot summary, there are enough of those out there. This book doesn't take itself too seriously but has a complex murder mystery and believable likeable characters. There are three loosely related books in this trilogy. They all take place in a British Earl's country mansion: Adlderly, between the world wars and within a few months of each other. I read the third one first but the order doesn't really matter. The house, family and detective are the same in each but it is really the visitors who are different in each book that provide the entertainment and the mystery. Witty dialogue, misdirection and misunderstanding are the order of the day. I stumbled upon the third book in this series by accident. I don't understand why they are not more well known. And, of course, I did not guess "who dunnit", but then I [practically] never do! I was going to write that my favorite character was Lady Geraldine, the daughter of the Earl, but then the Earl himself, Lord Burford is quite entertaining and his wife, Lady Burford is a formidable character. And of course the detective, Inspector Wilkins, is sharp as a tack while appearing slightly bumbling and confused, and the butler, Merryweather, has some extremely funny tongue in cheek retorts up his sleeve. Very enjoyable!
March 15, 2018
This was a fun, little murder mystery set in the 1930s. However, my enjoyment was limited by a sense of the book not knowing whether it wanted to be a comedy or not.
While it made several sly nods towards more famous detective stories, it just wasn't funny enough to actually be a comedy. There is humour here but it's so gentle that it's constantly at risk of disappearing in a feeble wisp of early morning Springtime mist.
The book's other issue is the pacing. The murder doesn't even happen until about the 40% mark, by which time even MY patience was starting to wear thin. The action/investigation is rushed through in next to no time and then the book takes forever to end.
I can't say I didn't enjoy it at all but I'm not sure I'll bother with the other books in the series.
While it made several sly nods towards more famous detective stories, it just wasn't funny enough to actually be a comedy. There is humour here but it's so gentle that it's constantly at risk of disappearing in a feeble wisp of early morning Springtime mist.
The book's other issue is the pacing. The murder doesn't even happen until about the 40% mark, by which time even MY patience was starting to wear thin. The action/investigation is rushed through in next to no time and then the book takes forever to end.
I can't say I didn't enjoy it at all but I'm not sure I'll bother with the other books in the series.
![Profile Image for Terence M [on a brief semi-hiatus].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1712357414i%2F6658001._UY200_CR4%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
March 25, 2021
Comment - 25 March 2021:
In 2016 I wasn't writing many reviews, but I was giving each book a rating after I had finished with it.
Not for a moment am I trying to disparage those who read and enjoy "Cosy Mysteries", but ... after I read this book in 2016, I realised pretty quickly that "Cosies" are not for me!
More power to those who write them, and to those who enjoy them.😊!
October 7, 2021
Having a rather battered copy of this gentle, affectionate homage to 1930's crime books, I was happy to obtain this (and the further 2 books in the trilogy)for my kindle. The story is convoluted, involving a house party (of course), and including guests such as American millionaires, foreign envoys and a baroness who turns up unexpectedly, amongst others. There is a jewel thief on the prowl and murder, again of course, on the agenda. Virtually nobody is who you expect and, during the final drawing room scene, you feel even the author must have had a hard time keeping the storyline straight! All in all, the book is great fun and will, perhaps, leave you wanting to try some of the wonderful, original, Golden Age authors now being re-released on kindle.
December 22, 2009
I really enjoyed this wonderful crime novel. It was very reminiscent of of a Christie novel and oozing with charm and and elegance. The characters were a delight, the plot intriguing and the denouement a surprise. I shall be reading the other books in this series, just a shame there are only 2 more.
July 28, 2020
A country house mystery set in the late 1930s at Lord and Lady Burford's country pad. Guests arrive, some unexpected, some from overseas and everything is set for an enjoyable weekend. But things go wrong, antique pistols go missing, murder is committed and suddenly everyone is a suspect. Inspector Wilkins, a reluctant inspector, arrives to sort things out but needs the help of one of the guests, who turns out to be not what he purports to be, as do some of the other guests. Wilkins eventually unravels the events, arrests the wrong-doers and then (presumably) gets ready for the next melodrama at Burford Manor ... bring it on!
August 11, 2011
Completely mad but completely and utterly brilliant! James Anderson gently pokes fun at the country house murder mystery genre. I say gently because there is no malice here (Anderson's love of the genre clearly shines through) and it reads just as well as any Agatha Christie novel. The plot was quite complex but I would have been disappointed otherwise and it kept you guessing till the end - now that was a surprise! And I love a book that gives you a plan of the house and a cast of characters at the beginning - nice touch! Lots of red herrings, a secret passageway, strange goings on in the middle of the night, the bumbling police detective, not to mention a bit of romance thrown in as well - all great fun. It's a pity that Anderson only wrote three in this series but he probably couldn't have stretched the point much further.
March 13, 2011
I had this book for Christmas and have been looking forward to a bit of country house murder-mystery escapism. I wasn't disappointed - this novel really has all the ingredients of a goold old fashioned style who-dunnit. Aristocrats, people who are not whom they are supposed to be, diplomats. politicians, an American millionaire, a beautiful baroness. Two robberies and two murders, and most of the household creeping around a large country house, in the dark during a thunder storm. A clever intricate plot - with likeable characters - which fairly flies along at a good cracking pace. I will soon be getting hold of the next 2 books in this series which seem available from Amazon.
August 31, 2015
A fun and cosy murder mystery that reminds me of a cross between Poirot and Columbo set in an English country manor house.
There are several intricate mysteries that weave together to a satisfying conclusion.
There are several intricate mysteries that weave together to a satisfying conclusion.
March 6, 2011
I love country house cozies and this send up of the Golden Age is wonderful!
November 8, 2021
Rather complicated but jolly mystery in the Golden Age style, involving espionage, jewel thieves, and murder. During a weekend at a country house, important diplomatic negotiations are taking place alongside a sociable house party. Before long, the arrival of a mysterious visitor sets off an almost farcical series of events that culminates in murder.
This was good fun, with an incredibly convoluted plot and a host of characters. I really liked the gloomy but perceptive Inspector Wilkins, and found that the story began to move along once he appeared - the initial scene setting was a bit slow. There were a few surprises and some amusing moments - overall quite an enjoyable read.
This was good fun, with an incredibly convoluted plot and a host of characters. I really liked the gloomy but perceptive Inspector Wilkins, and found that the story began to move along once he appeared - the initial scene setting was a bit slow. There were a few surprises and some amusing moments - overall quite an enjoyable read.
October 10, 2021
2-2.5 stars, which is “meh” to “ok” on my personal scale. I get that this was supposed to been an affectionate homage to the Golden Age house party murder-with-international-thriller genre popular in the 1920s-30s. Accordingly, as a mystery fan, I found some parts fun and interesting, but three things ruined my enjoyment, made me knock off a star.
First, having read Agatha Christie’s “The Secret of Chimneys” earlier this year, I felt like this plot had been just about copied from that book, right down to the superfluous jewel theft/master thief hidden among the guests plot line. Second, I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator had some of the most bizarre American, and I guess what was meant to be some sort of Eastern European, accents I’ve ever heard - very annoying. Third, the big reveal by the co-detectives in front of all the country house party went on ridiculously long - over 30 minutes with the audiobook! I increased the speed to get through it, and once I knew all the culprits I skipped to the last five minutes or so. Unnecessarily repetitive.
Inspector Wilkins was entertaining as the solid, clever yet humble local inspector. I can’t really compliment the author on the plotting, as Agatha Christie did it first, and better. I enjoyed “Chimneys”, but it definitely was not my favorite Christie I read this year with the reading the Detectives group. That book, as with this one, was a bit too all over the place, trying to be too many genres at once. This mystery had been on my TBR list for awhile, and was chosen by the group for our November group read. I’m glad I read it, but I wouldn’t reread it, or bother reading further if it was a series.
First, having read Agatha Christie’s “The Secret of Chimneys” earlier this year, I felt like this plot had been just about copied from that book, right down to the superfluous jewel theft/master thief hidden among the guests plot line. Second, I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator had some of the most bizarre American, and I guess what was meant to be some sort of Eastern European, accents I’ve ever heard - very annoying. Third, the big reveal by the co-detectives in front of all the country house party went on ridiculously long - over 30 minutes with the audiobook! I increased the speed to get through it, and once I knew all the culprits I skipped to the last five minutes or so. Unnecessarily repetitive.
Inspector Wilkins was entertaining as the solid, clever yet humble local inspector. I can’t really compliment the author on the plotting, as Agatha Christie did it first, and better. I enjoyed “Chimneys”, but it definitely was not my favorite Christie I read this year with the reading the Detectives group. That book, as with this one, was a bit too all over the place, trying to be too many genres at once. This mystery had been on my TBR list for awhile, and was chosen by the group for our November group read. I’m glad I read it, but I wouldn’t reread it, or bother reading further if it was a series.
April 27, 2010
This is a very fun English country house murder mystery. What I especially liked was how it puts forth a serious face, discussing Hitler, the war, and upper level political intrigue, but then it breaks out into an old fashioned comedy of manners. This contrast between light and heavy hovers in the background throughout. The mystery is complex with clues and motives all over the place, but there really is no way to solve it on your own. That does not lessen the satisfaction of having everything tied up neatly at the end.
December 28, 2013
A nice little cosy, the 1930s English country house murder as French farce.
For a further review: http://susannag.booklikes.com/post/74... .
For a further review: http://susannag.booklikes.com/post/74... .
October 25, 2008
Although this book was written in the 70's it has the feel of the era in which it was set, a little before the Second World War. A good old fashioned country house murder mystery, with the emphasis on the mystery, and lots of twists and turns along the way.
August 8, 2020
A delight.
June 10, 2015
"I am not sanguine. I am not sanguine, at all." So says Inspector Wilkins of his abilities to solve the puzzling crimes. You can't help but hear the voice of Columbo, as he's much cleverer than his suspects think. What a fun send-up of the Golden Age country manor mysteries of the '30s, though it was written in 1975. I couldn't help but smile at the end of this book. Every loose end is tied up (no matter how outrageously). Includes spies, jewel thieves, gun collections, hidden identities, and of course, the gathering of all the suspects in the drawing room at the end, where the title is explained. What a delightful book! Very happy there are two more novels in this series, though I sure wish Anderson had written more.
March 6, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2020
Enjoyed my repeat listen (first listen through in 2015). I like the little twirl at the end concerning a certain young woman, with spies being needed. Comfort listening.
November 21, 2023
This mystery novel opens with a young woman named Jane working in a department store, desperately trying to keep her patience with a difficult and demanding customer. Well, Jane has had it and to utter dismay and surprise she says what she’s actually thinking, and then just keeps on saying it and storms out! It’s her latest of several failed job attempts. We also get a snippet of several conversations about espionage and plans to undermine very delicate, top secret negotiations happening at a country house weekend party… well of course Jane winds up getting invited to said party. On the way we meet a cast of about a dozen characters- 13 to be precise, an unlucky number for the hostess to have at dinner. She desperately scrambles to invite some solitary ladies from the neighborhood to round out the numbers. It works for the first evening and then on the second day an unexpected arrival solves the superstitious dinner guest problem but complicates matters in other ways when the distraught baroness recognizes one of the other guests, a long lost fiancé! To fill the ensemble cast there’s a Texas millionaire, his wife, his secretary, the wife’s half a million dollar diamond necklace, and the Texans prized pistol. There’s the hosts Lord and Lady Burford, the Lord has an impressive and extensive gun collection of his own replete with historical artillery of all shapes and sizes! Then there’s a few foreign dignitaries in town to talk business confidentially, the Burfords daughter Lady Geraldine (Gerry) and her friend Jane, and a Bertie Wooster type in the guise of Algernon (Algy) Fotheringay with all of the bumbling and none of the humor or charm. There’s also Giles Devereaux, writing a book highlighting a cross section of notable English estates who has a chance encounter with Lady Burford and she insists on his coming down for the weekend to join the party and profile their home Alderley as one of the featured houses. And of course there’s the ever reliable and efficient butler Merryweather. Whew! It’s quite the cast of characters. The book conveniently uncles a map of the house plan, including the prerequisite secret passageways! It would have been helpful to have a cast list to reference as well, as I found myself searching back for introductory passages to remind myself who was who.
We don’t meet Inspector Wilkins until halfway through the novel, when things are well underway and the body in the lake is discovered. The Inspector is memorable for his woeful humility and outlook on life and his work in particular. His favorite phrase is “I’m not sanguine about it, not sanguine at all.” He’s described as looking a bit like Hercule Poirot, but with the personality of Eeyore! For all his begrudging and his self deprecation he has a sharp intellect and keen observation. He’s a bit like Columbo, lulling his suspects into a false sense of security and then pouncing on the subtlest inconsistency.
To complicate the two deaths there’s also a matching pair of guns (at least!), an international jewel thief that leaves his calling card, blackmail, long lost love, and espionage as potential motives and/or overlapping mysteries. It’s all very smart and rather mad cap a la PG Wodehouse in the best possible way. Trying to reconstruct the timeline of events between 2am 3am the night of the murder the grand central hallway and staircase of the house is more like Grand Central Station - with almost every guest of the house up and about at some point, in the dark, bumping into other guests in the dark, though no one knows who or why! They are literally all in the dark, for various reasons, some more innocent than others.
I spotted a few of the red herrings early on, but not nearly all of them, and I can honestly say there was SO much plot happening I just embraced that ANYONE could have done it and there were no less than six separate puzzles to solve (at least two hidden identities, at least two thefts, and definitely at least two murders!). I was stunned and awed by the big reveal of one of the murderers at the end initially, and then a chapter later everything was right as rain and a beyond fitting conclusion given to the colorful cast of characters.
This is book one in a collection of three that the author wrote in the mid 1970s, though the settings of the novels all take place in the Golden Era of Detective fiction between the world wars, and apparently they all take place at Alderley with the Burfords as hosts. Cannot wait to find the other books in the series and only wish there more than three, as these are deftly plotted with interesting suspects, a light touch of romance in the air, and a lovely dash of Blandings style humor! (And yes, they EVEN solve the mystery of the bloodstained egg cosy, which you are never sure is a real clue or a gag/prop along the way.)
We don’t meet Inspector Wilkins until halfway through the novel, when things are well underway and the body in the lake is discovered. The Inspector is memorable for his woeful humility and outlook on life and his work in particular. His favorite phrase is “I’m not sanguine about it, not sanguine at all.” He’s described as looking a bit like Hercule Poirot, but with the personality of Eeyore! For all his begrudging and his self deprecation he has a sharp intellect and keen observation. He’s a bit like Columbo, lulling his suspects into a false sense of security and then pouncing on the subtlest inconsistency.
To complicate the two deaths there’s also a matching pair of guns (at least!), an international jewel thief that leaves his calling card, blackmail, long lost love, and espionage as potential motives and/or overlapping mysteries. It’s all very smart and rather mad cap a la PG Wodehouse in the best possible way. Trying to reconstruct the timeline of events between 2am 3am the night of the murder the grand central hallway and staircase of the house is more like Grand Central Station - with almost every guest of the house up and about at some point, in the dark, bumping into other guests in the dark, though no one knows who or why! They are literally all in the dark, for various reasons, some more innocent than others.
I spotted a few of the red herrings early on, but not nearly all of them, and I can honestly say there was SO much plot happening I just embraced that ANYONE could have done it and there were no less than six separate puzzles to solve (at least two hidden identities, at least two thefts, and definitely at least two murders!). I was stunned and awed by the big reveal of one of the murderers at the end initially, and then a chapter later everything was right as rain and a beyond fitting conclusion given to the colorful cast of characters.
This is book one in a collection of three that the author wrote in the mid 1970s, though the settings of the novels all take place in the Golden Era of Detective fiction between the world wars, and apparently they all take place at Alderley with the Burfords as hosts. Cannot wait to find the other books in the series and only wish there more than three, as these are deftly plotted with interesting suspects, a light touch of romance in the air, and a lovely dash of Blandings style humor! (And yes, they EVEN solve the mystery of the bloodstained egg cosy, which you are never sure is a real clue or a gag/prop along the way.)
January 5, 2022
This was very much trying for the Agatha Christie style mystery, with partial success. The familiar setting, the whole palette of characters (almost stereotypical, leaning into farce), the naughty activities obscuring the actually criminal ones. Unfortunately it was a little too over the top for me. Literally every single character was up to "no good", including the butler! And sorry, he said it himself - the detective resembled Hercule Poirot in appearance only - the charm was utterly missing. Rather doubt I'll read any more of these.
gave-up
December 28, 2021I have enjoyed several audiobooks narrated by Cornelius Garrett, so I did not even listen to the sample before ordering this book. After listening about twenty minutes, I returned the book. Garrett's performance was off-putting, and the final insult was his cartoonish effort to sound like a Texas oilman.
July 28, 2020
A proper English manor murder mystery! And it left you guessing until the very end!!!
March 3, 2023
Loads of twists & turns, great listen!
November 3, 2021
This book, having first been published in 1975, tried so hard to be in the vein of a Golden Age book. However, for me, it just didn't make it. It took half the book to eventually come up with a crime, and an awful lot of characters to get there. The house where it was set had the obligatory secret passage and numerous rooms, complete with a fool-proof alarm system. Which was no bad thing, as important political talks were to be held there, also a millionaire and his wife were to be there, together with an assortment of others. We were then told how one night, during the early hours of the morning actually, whilst a thunder storm was raging, the guests were roaming about the house, making it busier than Piccadilly Circus. Then, obviously the crimes were committed.
For me, it then became a bit of a farce. It seemed to me the author hadn't made up his mind as to whether this was to be a detective story, or a comedy. The way a corpse ended up where it was found, was so far-fetched, it was hilarious! The ending was also somewhat unbelievable.
It seems that there are two more books about this particular family. I may go on to read the next when I need something very light-hearted to read.
For me, it then became a bit of a farce. It seemed to me the author hadn't made up his mind as to whether this was to be a detective story, or a comedy. The way a corpse ended up where it was found, was so far-fetched, it was hilarious! The ending was also somewhat unbelievable.
It seems that there are two more books about this particular family. I may go on to read the next when I need something very light-hearted to read.
March 12, 2023
Ridiculous and convoluted. And funny.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews