Goodbye, Nanny Gray

Superintendent Bone #1

by Jill Staynes, Margaret Storey

Miss Phoebe Gray was the model of a proper English nanny until she inherits a fortune. Then she is the model of a proper dead English nanny, and Superintendent Bone must discover if she was murdered for money—or something else.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, British Literature, Mystery Thriller, Procedural, Cozy, Cozy Mystery

218 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

AKA Susannah Stacey and Elizabeth Eyre.

Jill Staynes writes her own novels as well as writing under the name of Elizabeth Eyre and Susannah Stacey with Margaret Storey. They were pupils at the same school where they invented bizarre characters and exchanged serial episodes about them. Their first book together. at the age of fifteen, was called 'Bungho, or why we went to Aleppo'. It was not offered for publication. They have both written stories for children, and together created the highly praised Superintendent Bone modern detective novels as well as this series of Italian Renaissance whodunnits.

Reviews

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nanny Phoebe Gray of Mouse Cottage in Saxhurst was much beloved by her former charges. She was a model nanny--furling with a firm hand and an understanding of the ways of children. So beloved was she that Gareth Herne, lord of the local manor house, left her the family fortune when he died unexpectedly. If the estate hadn't been entailed, he might have left her that too. His brother Valentine--now Sir Valentine--is none too pleased to find himself saddled with a great grand house and no means of keeping it up.

But Nanny Gray doesn't live long enough to enjoy the sudden windfall, her body is found in the nearby woods and what is first thought to be an unfortunate accident (she had fallen earlier in the week and hit her head) is soon proved to be murder. Did Sir Valentine murder her in a fit of rage over the unfair will? He's known for his sudden rages. Or maybe it was her niece Carey who stands to inherit under Phoebe Gray's will. Or perhaps it's Carey's husband--another man with a nasty temper who may have wanted to hasten his wife's inheritance. Then there's the woman who had used Nanny Gray's services so often, but who seemed both afraid of and most solicitous of the older lady.

But then a certain stipulation of Gareth's will comes into play. You see, Phoebe Gray would only inherit if she survived Gareth by 30 days and a witness claims to have seen Nanny dead a few days before that deadline. So the motives become even trickier. Superintendent Robert Bone will have to sift through the suspects while narrowing down the time of death and searching for a few vital clues--a missing floral paperweight, an ancient motorbike that's never ridden but which has fresh gravel stuck in the tires, a deadly drill, and a certain vehicle that is big enough to carry a drum set...or a dead body.

This the first in the Superintendent Bone mysteries and it has a few of the debut jitters, but overall it is a fine mystery. Plenty of suspects and red herrings with the question of the time/day of death making things interesting. I did spot the killer, but I didn't get the extra twist until it was too late. Bone is a good lead detective and his relationship with his officers is good. This is an early example of the detective being given a complicated home life--Bone is a widower who still mourns his wife. A wife who was lost in an accident that took his son as well and left his daughter Charlotte with physical and emotional difficulties. Fortunately, the home life troubles don't overshadow the mystery--unlike some more modern detective novels. I think this strikes a good balance.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this series before - a while ago. And I love the main character, he's a sweetheart. This is a lovely story, which I highly recommend for all those who enjoy a good detective story.

[Jazz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally like to read a series from the beginning, so having collected a few others featuring Superintendent Bone over the years, I sought out the first. I have the sense the series is meant to be read in order, as characters in the small Kentish village are well-developed and there's a strong feeling most will reappear in the later titles.

Overall I enjoyed this quite a bit as a whodunnit. I never try too hard to outthink the author, so I didn't figure out the mystery of Nanny Gray's murder. Superintendent Bone, having lost his wife in a tragic accident, lives with his deaf daughter whom he clearly adores. If you like Midsomer Murders, I think you'll enjoy this series. I look forward to the other titles.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read several others in this series and enjoyed them. It wasn't until I was halfway through and happened to glance at the cover that I realized this was the first installment. It is not written like a first installment, in that the characters are not introduced in long expositions; instead, the focus of the book is on the investigation of the murder. In some series that might not work, but here it does. I like the recurring characters, especially Bone and his daughter, and I enjoyed the minor characters as well. One aspect that I did notice was that some of the minor characters were a little more lightly drawn or not fully-fleshed out -- maybe the word I want is two-dimensional -- than others, which I don't recall noticing in later books in the series and which only stood out because of how solid the other minor characters were.

The mystery itself was well-done, with good clues and red herrings and exposition along the way. I was able to come up with some of the answers, but did not guess whodunit even when he tried to do it again. It made for a nice afternoon distraction.

[Babette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had not heard of Susannah Stacey (actually a writing team) until I was looking at Agatha Award nominees for 1988. I was pleasantly surprised by this book, expecting much less based on the title. (Never judge a book by either its cover or its title.)
Superintendent Bone is an astute, sensitive, very human man. He is also very good at his job. Sergeant Locker provides a nice compliment. The rest of the cast of characters are interesting and not pat stereotypes. I already jotted down the title of the next book in the series.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty good cozy mystery

[Miki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still a favorite series even though I've read it several times.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: Miss Gray was a proper nanny who had inherited a fortune. Bone asks why she was murdered.

[Robin Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this little mystery because of the cover...how could sweet little old lady have so many enemies... made me smile.

[Ardyth]

There's a character who's claiming to be clairvoyant and the lead detective thinks maybe it's real and while that's fun enough in horror or fantasy I just cannot with it in a village mystery.

Aside from that, it's a two-star book at best. The global music star living in the old manor house with his son, a recurring they're-surname-is-too-difficult about the rich Arabs who moved in a few years ago, the middle aged neighbor lady with loads of cats, the precocious yet innocent 12yo girl, yada yada yada.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good mystery. The characters are developed well and it is nice to see the relationship between Superintendent Bone and his daughter.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really enjoying this series, such interesting characters. I especially liked meeting Bones' daughter Cha. The mystery really held my interest.

[Cristine Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting mystery. It took me forever to read. This is the first book in the series. They do get better with each book that follows.

[RavenT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1989, this cozy English mystery is short by modern standards at 188 pages, but the authors (a duo of long-time friends who penned this series) managed to give both plot, characterization, and a bit of social commentary all in less than 200 pages. I gave this mystery four stars for the deft plotting and overall entertainment that Superintendent Bone provided. I have the next two books in this series, acquired from a Little Free Library in Seattle, and I'll start the next one soon. The series is out of print and not available in eBook format, so I had to resort to thrift stores online to find the others.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

2013;

2025: Maybe I just re-discovered this series. But after so long, it's like reading a new one.