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Mrs. Bradley #17
My Father Sleeps
Touring Scotland’s western Highlands is meant to be a romantic holiday for Ian and Catherine Menzies. But the winds shift when the limping, haunted figure of Hector Loudoun appears. The man begs for an audience and then regales them with a marvelous tale: after Hector refused another man’s offer to purchase his property, he was cursed by a terrible fall and tormented by a ghostly voice calling out for justice. The story seems unfounded, until Hector’s housekeeper suddenly goes missing...and the body of a stranger—stabbed in the back—is discovered by Ian’s sister and her traveling companion Mrs. Beatrice Lestrange Bradley. The psychoanalyst detective Mrs. Bradley is no stranger to murder. She sets out to interview Hector, but instead unearths a whole new set of mysteries...and motives.
In this peculiar tale of clan lore and buried secrets, the indomitable Mrs. Bradley unravels a multifaceted mystery—piece by satisfying piece.
In this peculiar tale of clan lore and buried secrets, the indomitable Mrs. Bradley unravels a multifaceted mystery—piece by satisfying piece.
- GenresMysteryMystery Thriller
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1944
13 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Gladys Mitchell
96 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 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 30, 2017
Une histoire de meurtre et mystère au style de Agatha Christie, avec une dame psychologue/médecin comme détective. Ce que j'ai trouvé plus pénible c'est la description des Highlands de l'Écosse sur lequel se passe l'action, trop de description et difícil à imaginer pour quelqu'un qui n'y est jamais allé. Une histoire de vengeance, de clan, avidité, secret de famille.
January 20, 2023
Oh, God! 'Tis in Scotland we are agane.
After reading Mitchell's "Hangman's Curfew" (incredibly long on discussions of old Scottish ballads and legends) I swore I'd never again read a book set in Caledonia. But this one takes place on the deserted coast of northern Scotland and it's really pretty good. There's the usual Scots nonsense about clans and ancient feuds, but I pushed past it. Like Mitchell, I have Scottish ancestors, but mine sailed to America and I can't say how grateful I am to them.
There are two young married couples in this book. Mitchell was a spinster herself, but wrote well and touchingly about married love. Her Mrs Bradley enjoys young people and surrounds herself with them - both single and married. They're protective of the old lady, but frequently surprised to find that she can out-walk, out-maneuver, and out-shoot people half her age. Her knowledge of psychology gives her an edge, but it's her mental toughness and fearlessness that make her formidable.
Young Amazon Laura Menzies is now her secretary/bodyguard/sparring partner. Laura's older brother William shows up on one cabin cruiser with his new wife. Unknown to his family in Scotland, she's something of a mystery woman. Her fond husband knows almost nothing about her, but is as unfatuated as any woman-hater who finally succumbs to love.
On the other boat are Mrs Bradley, her nephew Jonathan, his beautiful wife Deborah, Mrs Bradley's teen-aged nephew Brian, and Laura. They're all on vacation in this wild, desolate part of Scotland and William particularly wants his sister and new wife to meet. This book was published in 1944, but set in pre-war days. Some readers wanted to forget the brutal war for a few hours and many mystery writers obliged.
The action starts when William and Catherine meet a demented Scotsman, who claims to be haunted by the ghost of his biological father. His story is convoluted, but they have no choice but to spend the night at his isolated house. And they, too, hear that whispering, complaining ghost, who claims he was unfairly hanged.
Then Mrs Bradley goes to investigate the man, but his story is changing and so is his appearance. Did someone switch Scotsmen on them and (if so) why? There are tales of long-ago (but never forgotten!) clan wars and stories of betrayals and false accusations. The number of Scotsmen who have been hanged (all unfairly, of course) is truly amazing and makes me even more grateful that my ancestors got out of there alive. Maybe my clan (the McGhees) avoided fights, but could run fast.
Mitchell was a long-time teacher and her children and teens are spectacularly daring and resourceful. Young Brian seems oddly disintested in the violence and spook hunting and I wondered. Eventually he strikes out on his own and has a snorter of an adventure, aided and abetted by a young Scotsman in his own age bracket. When Mitchell writes of children it's always a treat. She knew them inside and out.
After many interviews with locals and old servants and such, Mrs Bradley solves the puzzle and figures out what all the excitement was about. By that time, I'd lost the plot, but gotten fond of the characters. It's not the very best of Mitchell's mysteries, but it has charm and the two young married couples are endearing.
Maybe the author was thinking of all the young men who would never return from war to be husbands and fathers. It was a tragic time in human history, but governments wisely set aside materials for books to be printed and even distributed them free to the military. In the midst of horrors, the comfort of a good story is needed more than ever. The writers who provided them were war heroes, too.
After reading Mitchell's "Hangman's Curfew" (incredibly long on discussions of old Scottish ballads and legends) I swore I'd never again read a book set in Caledonia. But this one takes place on the deserted coast of northern Scotland and it's really pretty good. There's the usual Scots nonsense about clans and ancient feuds, but I pushed past it. Like Mitchell, I have Scottish ancestors, but mine sailed to America and I can't say how grateful I am to them.
There are two young married couples in this book. Mitchell was a spinster herself, but wrote well and touchingly about married love. Her Mrs Bradley enjoys young people and surrounds herself with them - both single and married. They're protective of the old lady, but frequently surprised to find that she can out-walk, out-maneuver, and out-shoot people half her age. Her knowledge of psychology gives her an edge, but it's her mental toughness and fearlessness that make her formidable.
Young Amazon Laura Menzies is now her secretary/bodyguard/sparring partner. Laura's older brother William shows up on one cabin cruiser with his new wife. Unknown to his family in Scotland, she's something of a mystery woman. Her fond husband knows almost nothing about her, but is as unfatuated as any woman-hater who finally succumbs to love.
On the other boat are Mrs Bradley, her nephew Jonathan, his beautiful wife Deborah, Mrs Bradley's teen-aged nephew Brian, and Laura. They're all on vacation in this wild, desolate part of Scotland and William particularly wants his sister and new wife to meet. This book was published in 1944, but set in pre-war days. Some readers wanted to forget the brutal war for a few hours and many mystery writers obliged.
The action starts when William and Catherine meet a demented Scotsman, who claims to be haunted by the ghost of his biological father. His story is convoluted, but they have no choice but to spend the night at his isolated house. And they, too, hear that whispering, complaining ghost, who claims he was unfairly hanged.
Then Mrs Bradley goes to investigate the man, but his story is changing and so is his appearance. Did someone switch Scotsmen on them and (if so) why? There are tales of long-ago (but never forgotten!) clan wars and stories of betrayals and false accusations. The number of Scotsmen who have been hanged (all unfairly, of course) is truly amazing and makes me even more grateful that my ancestors got out of there alive. Maybe my clan (the McGhees) avoided fights, but could run fast.
Mitchell was a long-time teacher and her children and teens are spectacularly daring and resourceful. Young Brian seems oddly disintested in the violence and spook hunting and I wondered. Eventually he strikes out on his own and has a snorter of an adventure, aided and abetted by a young Scotsman in his own age bracket. When Mitchell writes of children it's always a treat. She knew them inside and out.
After many interviews with locals and old servants and such, Mrs Bradley solves the puzzle and figures out what all the excitement was about. By that time, I'd lost the plot, but gotten fond of the characters. It's not the very best of Mitchell's mysteries, but it has charm and the two young married couples are endearing.
Maybe the author was thinking of all the young men who would never return from war to be husbands and fathers. It was a tragic time in human history, but governments wisely set aside materials for books to be printed and even distributed them free to the military. In the midst of horrors, the comfort of a good story is needed more than ever. The writers who provided them were war heroes, too.
April 17, 2022
A promising mystery. Begun with Laura Menzies brother, Ian. Devolves to a lesson in Scottish geography as everyone hikes or sails hither and yon. Gladys Mitchell has a thing for hiking, sailing, and Scotland. The mystery is merely an excuse for the others. A poor entry in the series.
April 23, 2017
Challenging reading not helped by my recent distractions, My Father Sleeps is part folklore, part ghost story, and part travel gazetteer to the Highlands of western Scotland and the Isle of Skye. Mitchell's evocations of the Hibernian landscape here are really the reason to read this tale, although the mystery is interesting too. Laura Menzies is back, although strangely subdued for most of the book, and we meet her brother Ian and his new wife Catherine, as well as getting a return visit from Jonathan Bradley and his wife, Deborah Cloud (first encountered in Laurels Are Poison). Also along for the ride is young Brian Lestrange, a resilient and self-possessed 13 year-old hiker. There's a LOT of Gaelic in this, so be prepared to look words up, and enough geography that a map will be essential to get the full thrust of the tale (my trusty old Michelin road map of Scotland served perfectly here). Carrying through the nautical themes of some of the books in this sequence (Laurels, The Worsted Viper, and Sunset over Soho), there is a lot of time spent in various watercraft, sailing around Ballachulish and circumnavigating the Isle of Skye. How much this emphasis reflects Mitchell's fascinations at the time, only a decent biography (which we don't yet have) would ever tell. But the engaged reader will be rewarded with a lovingly-crafted tale. Lazy readers, on the other hand, will get as little as they give, as is right and proper.
Full review to follow.
Full review to follow.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews