If you love the old ‘whodunits’ from the Golden Age of British crime-writing, you will enjoy this. Set in the 1920s, it’s the first of a series of traditional murder mysteries featuring the amiable Detective Inspector Miles Felix of Scotland Yard and his shrewd but prickly assistant, Sergeant ‘Teddy’ Rattigan. It’s the spring of 1926. Following a macabre discovery, the Inspector investigates a fading aristocratic family where everyone seems to have a secret, even the servants. About this The Inspector Felix Mysteries, set in the 1920s, broadly evoke the British ‘whodunit’ of the time. There are, however, differences. Many early examples of the genre were primarily puzzles, with the characters in the tale little more than ciphers or chess pieces to be moved around as the plot required. This didn’t appeal to me as a writer, and I have opted for a treatment more common a few years later, with greater psychological and behavioural realism. The clues and red-herrings are still there to challenge you, but I like to think that should you fail to guess the murderer, you may at least have enjoyed the journey. At risk of further annoying the purist, the ten books vary greatly from tragedy to farce to what is essentially a thriller (sorry, but it just turned out that way). Felix and his team are the only constants here. As was normal at the time, you will not find in those old tales the more graphic descriptions of violence and gore. Such things were placed firmly ‘offstage,’ and I have done the same. Matters carnal were, of course, similarly treated, but I have occasionally, for the sake of a better story, cracked open the bedroom door just a little. All the mysteries are stand-alone tales. However, if the reader wishes to follow the personal fortunes of Inspector Felix and his colleagues they are best read in order.
Fairly solid procedural with interesting characters. However, I found the conclusion so complex, and frankly out-of-left-field, that proved almost to be its own novella-within-the-story.
Reading a sequel possible, but given the reviews, uncertain for me.
Secrets and lies must be uncovered by Inspector Felix in the midst of aristocracy gone stale in the 1920's when a body is found in the attic. This is a very enjoyable country manor house mystery and presents a very complex puzzle after so many years have passed since a young bride went missing on her wedding night. The societal changes are also interesting post WWI. I plan to read more by this author. In fact, there seem to be six books featuring Inspector Felix of Scotland Yard.
I liked Inspector Miles Felix, and that is important in any mystery I read. So many mysteries make their detectives arrogant and unlikable nowadays. His sergeant is a good complement to the inspector as well.
The mystery takes places in two parts--1914 and 1926, in which a ghastly death is finally discovered. The world has changed dramatically in the intervening years, but the secrets of 1914 have come back to haunt a ducal famiy. Would hope to read other stories in the series if available.
The mystery began beautifully-the writing, the characters, the story. 3/4 of the way with only a few suspicions developed wham the detective solves it. The remaining book was a flurry of activity much not understood by reader. Having read the detective's summation, I still don't understand how he solved it. Disappointing from a 4/5 to 31/2.
I didn't realise until after I had read it that this is a modern book only published in 2016. It read like a book of the period in which it was set. R A Bentley appears to be a bit of a mystery man or woman and even Google can only really come up with a list of books apparently only available on Kindle.
Felix is an engaging detective: a gentleman copper in the mould of Roderick Alleyn but not quite so aristocratic.
I did enjoy it and found the plot unusual and interesting and the characters well drawn. An "English Country House" murder combined with a "Cold Case" scenario is how I would describe it. The details of the set up in the ducal household with the description of life both above and below stairs seemed very plausible and indeed the authors note at the end said that he had researched this thoroughly.
I will almost certainly read some more of his or her work.
PS I have now read the Amazon Blurb on Ralph Bentley so he is not a mystery man at all. Apologies
I found this an interesting read and quite a compelling storyline. We start in 1914 on the morning of Lady Genevieve’s wedding. So far so innocuous. Suddenly it’s 1926 and Inspector Felix from Scotland Yard has been called in after a mummified body is found in the attic of the said ‘wedding’ mansion. So starts the saga of trying to find out if this was an accidental death, as the family hold on to, or if it was murder as the Inspector fears. Felix is an interesting very human character and it is good to see he has a small crew with him taking fingerprints and photos etc, instead of the usual solitary figure or one with just a sidekick to call on, though he does have that too in his sergeant. I liked the way the ending started off very Poirot-ish but then wasn’t!! I’d be happy to read the next in the series.
“ Death of a Lady” is a mystery of the genre written in the mid twentieth century of dark doings the Great Houses of England and the Lords and Ladies who lived privilege lives within. Sometimes referred to rather depreciatively as “ cozy mysteries”, the novels are usually character driven, have intricate plots and can be fascinating in their historical detail. Their other characteristic is that the murders ( or other crimes) at the center of the plot usually happen off stage, are bloodless ( even when stabbed with an antique broadsword ) and have numerous possible perpetrators— anyone in the house. In the opening chapter of “Death of A Lady” it is 1914 and a wedding is about to be celebrated between young Lady Genevieve Mortimer and Lord Godwinstone. After the wedding celebration, when it is time for the new couple to leave for their trip, Lady Ginny cannot be found anywhere, even after a diligent search by local police family and staff. Stepping ahead twelve years , a car of police detectives arrives at the sprawling, decaying mansion. . Roofers working on a leaking roof and water-damaged beams find a mummified body in a dusty , ancient trunk. A quick forensic exam says the mummy is the missing bride. The policemen on the case, DCI Miles Felix and his aide, Sgt. Rattigan begin a painstaking investigation. The family , servants and former staff are questioned and requestioned as the officers try to determined who killed the bride and hid the body, and why . The reader goes along with the police, hears what they hear, sees what they see and knows what fact they assemble. Most of them. As with Poirot or Lord Whimsey novels, there are things not revealed until the chief detective assembles all suspects in the drawing room for the big dramatic last card . I found the book an easy read and enjoyable . There are many standout characters in the book. DCI Felix has an intriguing background only slightly revealed and one wonders how much more a reader will learn in future books in the series. Lady George, Ginny’s mother, has hidden depths, and more is revealed of the dead young bride as the book goes on. Some of the local villagers have their own quirky moments. The narrative is a bit talky at times and I was surprised by facts exposed at the big reveal. A little cheating for the twist at the end to have impact. That is my minor complaint and I recommend the novel and will look forward to more from the author. As a reader mostly “ dark” crime trillers and noir novels where violence is bloodily depicted and the language is rough, “ The Death of Lady” was quite a pleasant change.
While I found the premise and plot intriguing, the overall writing was lacking. I can’t speak for the print editions but on Kindle, the grammar is so poor it detracts from the enjoyment of the story. Character names are misspelled, apostrophes left off where dialogue should be indicated, words without spacing between them (likethis), it’s nearly every page. Plus there are pages of dialogue with no indicators of who is speaking. On top of all of that, there are far too many characters to keep track of while reading. There are four policemen, which might be normal to life but if you’re going to write about them, make them different enough that they stand apart from each other on the page. Make them necessary. Why are there so many characters? It feels cluttered. Clear out the ones who aren’t essential to the plot, fix the editing/grammar problems, add some dialogue tags here and there and I’d call it a much better book. As it is, I was disappointed.
This book started ok I thought the story was quite good..... to start with. The main character Inspector Felix is based too much on Inspector Alley. You can tell that this book wasn't written in the 40s and 50s but actually is very up to date as it lacks a lot of authenticity in the writing. The biggest problem with this book is when the murderer is finally revealed. Suddenly we're giving all this information of them finding people we didn't even know they were looking for, of relationships the victim was supposed to be having with someone even though it's never even alluded to the whole way through the book. As the reader we were never given a chance to work out who the actual murderer was. Not sure if I continue with this series as the next book is supposed to be much the same as this one but the setting is on the yacht and I'm not sure I want to put myself through that again.
Well I tried to read this book. I made it to chapter 4 before throwing in the towel. According to the bio of the author, he lives in Dorset. I don't actually know if he is British or not but whether he is or is not, he doesn't know the basic things that are necessary to write an historically based novel about the English upper classes in the first quarter of the 20th century! He muddles the titles and forms of address of the ducal family in whose home the murder mystery is set. His word choices reveal an unfamiliarity with ordinary usage. His characters are blanks - they could be anyone or no one at all. The police men are barely sketched, written about but never actually taking any shape at all. All in all, it was a waste of time.!
Overall the plot was interesting but I became bored less than half way through. I sometimes think it would have been better if written as a novella. There was too much repeating of basically the same information in the first half or so which largely dealt with the bothering episode on the wedding night. I almost quit reading it and thought I would just go to the end to see what the outcome was. However, instead I started scanning the pages in an effort to get to the end. I wavered between giving this two stars or three. Although it didn’t really leaving me wanting to read another Inspector Felix mystery I might try one more just to see if they improve.
I enjoyed this book very much and only knocked one star off for reasons of pacing. The first 90% of the book plods pleasingly along with engaging characters, particularly the inspector and his sergeant. I didn't have a clue as to who the murderer was until a surprise (to me) confession happens in a Poirot-like setting. But then a firehose of revelations opens up and the reader is barraged with new facts for which no hint seemed to be provided in the story leading up to that point. In the end, I liked the surprises at the end but wish they had been dispersed a bit prior to the whirlwind ending. I expect that I'll read more in this series.
When a mistake turns into a win. Beginning last August, I tabled my writing and used my new-found leisure time to read Golden Age mysteries. As of five days before posting this review, I had read eighty-eight novels. All but two (Wilkie Collins Woman in White and The Moonstone) were written by Golden Age authors (Christie, Sayers, Hammett, Allingham, Freeman, Dalton etc.) I downloaded present-day author R. A. Bentley's Death of a Lady subsequent to reading a dozen or so positive reviews, but neglected to note that R.A. Bentley is not a Golden Age author. However, Death of a Lady reads as if it was written a century ago. Bottom line, I found it to be an excellent read.
A nice read, decent mystery and compelling, attractive characters
This is a solid entry into British manor mysteries set in the 1920s. Aside from some subject matter that was rarely discussed as directly when writing in the 1920s, and creating more of a team dynamic at Scotland Yard which would was generally not captured by contemporary 1920s authors, the reader would have no clear idea the book was not written in the 1920s rather than in current times. The mystery is solid, and the detectives entertaining and likeable. A pleasure.
I've just finished the third in this series. I'm not sure I can take anymore of Felix and Rattigan. The mysteries are so twisty and there are always clues held, unshared until the end so that the reader can't solve it. The writer's style is total chaos aided by a constant uses of alliteration with names, ie. Lucia & Lucas, Marcus & Marcia, Alice & Alex. I like the police characters, they are quite a team, but it's exhausting to get through one of these books and I just read three. Recommended with caution.
A GOOD READ FOR SUNDAY AFTERNOONS AND STORMY NIGHTS
If you are a English country home mystery fan. This book is a fun read, being well but sparsely written with ample questionable clues. I am old guy who has read mysteries since he first learned to read at his Great-grandmother's side in1950, which of course may account for the interest in this genre. Nonetheless, there is so much gruesome ugliness and unkindness in our lives today in news and novels, I just cannot reinforce that during my down and pleasure personal moments.
Could not put this book down. Captures the 1920's life in England. Clues were planted though out who killed a Lady on her wedding day and why would this happen? The Lady is found 12 years after her death in the trunk located in the attic. Then follows Inspector Felix investigating what happened and why. Pace of the book was perfect, the end of one chapter drew me into the next chapter and then the next. In the final chapter, explanation was given which I had failed to solve. But, no matter, on to the next book.
I had a hard time giving this book 3 stars and am surprised at the 4+ star rating.
So many characters were introduced in such a short span, that I found it difficult to keep track of who was who. Even at the end I was still a bit confused. There was very little character development of the main character and essentially none for the other characters.
The "who done it" is wrapped up in the last chapter, with little insight or connection to much of the story.
I was interested enough to finish the book, might give the author another chance, but am stymied by other's rating this so highly.
A modern book written in the style of a golden age mystery. I liked the main characters of the Inspector and his Sargeant. The procedure of investigating the death was well written. There were a lot of characters to keep straight especially the servants and the extra police officers that were named. What made me drop my rating from 4 stars down to 3 was the end wrap up. There was no way that the reader could work out all the extra information that came out at the end. I had drawn a very logical conclusion from the clues given and I was WAY off base!
I had never heard of this author prior to finding this novel. I was in two minds about reading it, I'm so p!eased I took a chance on it. I enjoyed it immensely. I don't think there was any part I didn't like. The author had me guessing and second guessing as to the victim and the murderer. He also have a brilliant insight into the 'upstairs, downstairs' way of life. I would recommend this book to murder mystery lovers old and young. I will definitely be reading more.
I ordered this book by mistake. The Bookclub I belong to had elected to read Murder of a Lady, a truly impossible 'closed room' oeuvre , which I did read with little enthusiasm. Having duly read that, I turned to Death of a Lady with low expectations. I was delighted to find, by contrast, a gripping read which kept me guessing to the end. Good characterisation, believable twists in the plot and with wit and intellect threaded throughout.
I was intrigued when I read the sample and had to buy the ebook. The characters were quite believable, well drawn, likable or unlikable as the case may be, and I cared about them. The main characters were intelligent, especially the women. The historical aspect of the early 20th century was an added a charm.
I might have considered 5 stars, but, while well written, I found it a bit unsophisticated. Also, I didn’t care for the ending.
This mystery occurs in 1926 England. DI Felix, a Scotland Yard policeman, is a modern policeman. He photographs the crime scene, takes fingerprints, and looks for forensic clues. Brains and careful investigation are used This is a very interesting , complicated. mystery with too many suspects. Excellent plot!
I liked the book a lot. Inspector Fritz takes a while to get comfortable with. Of course, the victim had died twelve years ago. I got a bit confused with the bumbling first inspector. It was to keep up with all the characters. Sometimes they were His Lordship or the Major. Other times their first names were used. But I decided that was part of the charm of the book. I had no idea who the guilty party was or what motive it might be. Good job! I purchased the next one.
Great historical settings, very surprise ending, totally unexpected ending, outstanding description of the house and the difficulty of moving about it, a person would need to be in good physical shape to live and/or work in such a large rambling house. It seems that such a place would be more like living in a hotel than a house.
I was a bit disappointed in this one. I found it to be slow and confusing at times. There were too many characters to track and way too much inspector interviewing which just seemed to drag on. This book really was in need of more action. The underlying story of it all was good, just too much to go through to get there!
R. A. Bentley has written an excellent story. There’s a plethora of characters, but he has skillfully enabled the reader to keep track of who’s who and to whom. Wonderful period detail, character development, and plotting. Mr. Bentley fires on all cylinders. I will definitely read the rest of the series.
Not sure I liked the style of this book. There was a lot of unnecessary ambling about looking for clues and addressing the characters which didn’t add up to much. All was revealed in the final pages but I found it difficult to keep up. The two policemen were quite fun and had good banter though.
What a superb story, I am looking forward to the rest of the Inspector Felix series. Excellent characters, correct English, albeit with some lovely dialect, and a real mystery to solve. It is good to discover a new author who writes in an engaging style that encourages page turning! Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys Christie, Sayers and James.