Murder at the Chase

Langham and Dupré Mystery #2

by Eric Brown

July, 1955. Donald Langham has interrupted his romantic break in rural Suffolk with the delectable Maria Dupre to assist a fellow writer. Alastair Endicott has requested Langham s help in discovering what s happened to his father, Edward, who seems to have disappeared without trace from inside his locked study. Before he vanished, the elder Endicott had been researching a book on the notorious Satanist Vivian Stafford. Could the proposed biography have something to do with his disappearance? Does local resident Stafford really possess supernatural powers, as some believe? As Langham and Dupre question those around them, it becomes clear that there have been strange goings-on in the sleepy village of Humble Barton. But is the village really haunted or does someone merely want it to look that way? With a further shocking discovery, the case takes a disturbing new twist."

Genres: Mystery, Historical Mystery, Fiction, Crime, British Literature, Detective, Cozy

224 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2014

About the author

Eric Brown was a British science fiction author and Guardian critic.

Reviews

[Adrienne]

3.5 A Donald Langham mystery. He and his lady-friend - that he hopes to propose too - head to Humble Barton. His goal was to assist a fellow author. But when the arrive he, Endicott, has disappeared. Then there is murder and then another murder.
Very well plotted, did not guess the ending and lots of interesting byways.
Unputdownable.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series featuring mystery writer Donald Langham and the lovely Maria Dupre, who works with his agent Charles Elder. Following on from “Murder by the Book,” Donald and Maria are most definitely an item and, in fact, Donald is trying to gather the courage to propose. He intends to do so during a trip to the countryside, but their holiday idyll is disturbed by an intriguing phone call.

Alasdair Endicott is a young author and son of Donald’s friend and fellow writer, Edward Endicott. Having travelled to visit his father in the village of Humble Barton, Alasdair finds his study locked, but the room – and house – empty. His father, a previous Hollywood screenwriter, was writing a book about Satanist Vivian Stafford. Stafford had apparently organised a séance, which many people in the village had also attended, but Donald’s sensible and down to earth demeanour immediately make him intrigued. Were Vivian Stafford still alive, he would be about 130 years old and people do not simply vanish from locked rooms in real life…

This series is set in the 1950’s and the author does a great job of recreating the era. Both Donald and Maria are excellent characters and the interplay between them is entertaining. I enjoyed the English village setting, complete with ageing Hollywood actresses, blackmail, secrets and unrequited love. The mystery itself is interesting and the themes of the supernatural are perfectly balanced by the sceptical Donald. I hope there will be more books in this series and look forward to following the adventures of Langham and Dupre.

[Damaskcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Langham and Dupre series set in the mid nineteen fifties in England. Donald Langham is trying to pluck up the courage to propose to Maria, his girlfriend and he arranges to take her away for a few days to a country hotel in Suffolk so that he can find an ideal spot to propose. Just before they go Langham receives a request for help from an acquaintance and fellow author, Alistair Endicott. Alistair is visiting his father a few miles from Donald and Maria's hotel and they agree to help him find his father who has disappeared.

Edward Endicott is also an author and he seems to have disappeared from his country house without telling anyone where he was going which is unlike him. Alistair would like their help to locate his father as he fears he may have been murdered. The village seems to be in the grip of s self confessed Satanist, Vivian Stafford, who claims to be over one hundred years old. Donald is sceptical and when Stafford is found murdered it seems there may be a simple mundane reason for Edward's disappearance.

I liked the characters in this well written mystery and I thought the atmosphere of an English village in the nineteen fifties was well evoked. There are plenty of eccentric characters populating the village and Donald and Maria's idyllic few days away are far from undisturbed. This is an enjoyable read for fans of the cosy mystery genre and there is no graphic violence or bad language. It is the second book in a series but there is enough background information for the book to be read as a standalone novel. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.

[CK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever and fun. Kept me guessing until the very end

[Andrew Humphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder at the Chase is the Eric Brown’s sequel to Murder by the Book, which introduced the popular characters Donald Langham and Maria Dupre.
As much as I enjoyed the first novel, I think that this is even better; it is immensely assured with Brown confidently transporting us from mid-fifties London to long spells in the sun-soaked, bucolic Suffolk countryside and introducing a varied cast of characters, some of which I hope we will see again in subsequent Langham and Dupre books. Brown has a knack for summoning fully fleshed and engaging characters in the minimum of words.
The story itself rattles along, encompassing, possibly, the supernatural and an extraordinarily aged Satanist. The plot is satisfying in itself and enables us to see different facets of the main characters personalities but it is the developing relationships between the chief protagonists that caused me devour this in two lengthy sittings. The prose is addictive and accomplished.
Brown clearly cares greatly about his creations and, consequently, we do too. Highly recommended.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This wasn't an enjoyable read. The book began okay and then once the "missing" person was found it seemed to drag on. Also mixed into the story was that the detective writer was trying to find the 'right time' to propose to his girlfriend. I was bothered that the artist had hired an actor to play a satanist all because the artist wanted to prove a character's opinions about the occult as ridiculous. This actor then went around the village blackmailing three people. A couple of men for being homosexual when he, himself was a homosexual and a former Hollywood actress because she'd acted in a few pornographic films. It made no sense to me why a homosexual person would bother exhorting money from other homosexuals. So I felt disheartened to see people in a story with nothing better to do than to wreak havoc on other people. The actor had wanted to stop working for the artist and contacted him, so in that sense he seemed to have some soul. However, maybe he'd just realized that he could make a good living just blackmailing people.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery is my genre. British mysteries are usually quite good. This mystery had lots of red herrings and lots of potential and kept one guessing about the culprit...a good read just not a great read. The characters weren't compelling for me nor was the story itself. Too much "stuff" that didn't ring true or possible.

[Ron Kerrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely written but ultimately uninspired mystery. I found the two lovebirds at the center of the story a bit tiresome and don't plan to spend any more time with them reading other books in the series. Set in the 1950's I was disappointed to see some hints of homophobia, although it would have been true to the times.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fun interesting read, I like the characters and the places where these murders take place, with quirky characters.

[Natalie Zasada · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me a while to get into this the writing style, but once that and the story took off, I was engaged.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the first in the series, but i will check out #3 in hope for better!

[Italo Italophiles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drunk people wander about a country village sort of looking for a missing writer and stumble eventually on a dead body. Lots of alcohol and tea later, they have uncovered lies, secrets and more dead bodies. In the end, they terribly regret solving the mystery of the first dead body.

The protagonist is quite wimpy, but everyone calls him a reserved Englishman, so what do I know. Any movement ahead in his romance with the hot French woman comes only because she makes the moves.

The writing is okay, the editing fine, but I think this just isn't the series for me. If you like 1955 England, and roundabout plots with roundabout people, you might like this more than I do.

[Vivian]

3.5 star read

Donald Langham, mystery-thriller writer, and Maria Dupré, literary agent, are recuperating from the emotional trauma and physical wounds from their last encounter with a blackmailer (Murder by the Book). They are also in an established romantic relationship and looking forward to spending some time together in the country away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Unfortunately, their weekend in the country quickly becomes a hunt for a missing person, an investigation into a purported centenarian occultist, and more. All the while Donald is looking for the perfect opportunity to propose to Maria as Maria obsesses over whether or not he's actually interested in a permanent relationship. Will murder and mayhem keep these two off-balance? Can they ascertain the truth about the Satanist and the village's hauntings?

I found Murder at the Chase to be a fast-paced and enjoyable read. I did have a few issues with the male Vivian character as I usually enjoy reading about characters that share my first name, but sharing it with a guy?! (Okay, it wasn't that big a deal but it was a little strange at first to read about Vivian the guy.) Donald and Maria are in an established relationship, so there isn't as much about the romance as there is intrigue in the storyline. Their weekend in the countryside is interrupted by a request to investigate a missing person with the classic locked-room scenario. As their attention turns toward the investigation of the missing person, they are introduced to a host of characters: an aging ex-Hollywood movie star with a secret past, an eccentric and lascivious artist, a lovable and young bumbling country vicar, the shy son of the missing person with a secret, the purported centenarian Satanist, and a crafty private investigator. This missing person case becomes a murder investigation when the Satanist's body is found with his head bashed in. The only problem I had with this book was the expectation of a locked room murder because there isn't an actual murder victim in a locked room. Murder at the Chase does provide murder, mystery, mayhem, and a hint of the macabre with the occult storyline. If you enjoy old-fashioned whodunits, then you'll definitely want to read Murder at the Chase. (No, I won't tell you if Donald pops the question . . . you'll have to read the book to find out for yourself!)

[Judy Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery novelist Donald Langham and his girlfriend Maria Dupre were off on their way to an idyllic weekend in the countryside anyway so making a stop at Endicott's Chase in the small Suffolk village of Humble Barton north of Bury St. Edmunds was not much of a hardship. Alasdair Endicott phoned Langham to say that he arrived at the Chase only to find that his father, Edward, appears to have disappeared and asks for help in locating him. Since Endicott's Chase is close to their final destination, Maria and Donald set off to try to help solve the mystery. When they arrive they find themselves involved with a Satanist from the Victorian era who would have to be at least 120 years old to be alive in July of 1955. No matter how ridiculous it may sound to Donald, the Endicotts and their friends and neighbors believe the spirits conjured up by Vivian Stafford are real and he is having a profound affect on people he comes in contact with.

Sometimes I think an author has a harder time with descriptions of time periods such as this one, 1955, than having a novel set in Roman, Victorian, or medieval times because those time periods can be so easily distinguished with living conditions for the characters. Eric Brown was very much up to the challenge in this novel and I'm glad to say it actually did "feel" as if the time was right. Both Donald Langham and Maria Dupre are credible characters and their differences in personality work well when they are used to play off each other in recapping evidence or speculating on circumstances of the crimes which take place. I enjoyed reading this novel and becoming acquainted with this investigative duo. While the story talks about spiritualism and ghosts, the main focus of the novel is character development and solving the crimes which take place in this rural area.

I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley.

[John Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, I do wish Mr Brown had concentrated his writing on this sort of book. No idea what the other stuff is like (horror, sci-fi, young adult) but this is my cup of Ealrl Grey, and I don't have many left to read.


So this sees our two 'good friends' called away for a weekend because old friend Edward Endicott had, apparently, disappeared from his locked study.


The scene is set with.a manor house in a village  in Suffolk. As with other novels in the series we also have only a minimum of characters and those with such different peronalities that they were readily committed to mind's eye. There was the vicar, the artist and not forgetting the hollywood film star of yesteryear and Endicotts son.


Add to this mixture a village visitor with striking resemblence to someone who lived there over 100 years ago and was known as a satanist and dabbler in dark arts. He seems to split the village between those who believe in his longevity and those realists who don't. We also have a few methods for ending life that would even put Midsomer Murders to shame.


I almost cracked the believable plot but apart from the main question of who did it, a more romantic one runs through the book. Would the staid english gentleman ever pluck up courage and find the right tme to pop the question to his french sweetheart.


My sort of book and must be getting close to a 5 now.


23 August 2025

[Michael Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book two continues our character driven tale of the writer/detective, his girl friend and events in England about 10 years after WWII ended. We have a crime and lots of suspects. We visit, talk and question the lives of those involved and through their lives we learn a bit here and there. Some suspects are red herrings but well developed and outlined until the last bit of something happens. A few lucky guesses and some work by all and the end solution comes out. The author is known for his science fiction books but has moved in mysteries with two well tuned tales. His characters have depth and the plots make sense.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thriller writer Donald Langham is trying to propose to his agent, Marie Dupre, but he's interrupted by the disappearance of another writer, whose son claims he vanished from a locked room. Langham easily explodes this theory, but then finds the body of a man who claimed to be 120 years old. His charisma was such that many people in the quaint English village believed him, but not Langham. Before he untangles the murder, another man is dead. Was it accident, suicide, or murder?

[John Sargent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast read. Good characters and surprise ending.

[Ellie Oberth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I'd give it 6 stars if that were an option!!

[Caroline Ingvaldsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second Langham & Dupre mystery is a pleasant homage to the locked room mysteries of the Golden Age.