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The Murder of My Aunt
In this darkly comic, quite immoral masterwork, Edward is an effete, poor young man who has something in store for his only relative, his wealthy aunt. First published in 1934, this classic mystery is considered a masterpiece of the inverted detective story, in which it is known "whodunit." The question is "how will they catch 'em?" Highly unpredictable, it contains one of the most surprising denouements in all of detective fiction.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1934
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966 people want to read
About the author
Richard Hull
13 books18 followersRichard Henry Sampson FCA (6 September 1896 – 1973), known by the pseudonym Richard Hull, was a British writer who became successful as a crime novelist with his first book in 1934.
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_...
Note: At least two other authors with the same name: Richard Hull-illustrator & Richard Hull-non-fiction
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_...
Note: At least two other authors with the same name: Richard Hull-illustrator & Richard Hull-non-fiction
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 248 reviews
November 28, 2018
I wore a smirk-smothering-a-snicker almost the whole time I read this book. Rather an odd experience, considering this is a Golden Age murder mystery of sorts. Is murder smirk-worthy? But trust me. This debut novel is brimming with naughty, sarcastic humour that amused my inner shrew.
I call it a 'mystery of sorts' because just reading the paragraph on the back cover tells you that Edward has decided to murder his aunt. And if you miss the back paragraph, well, just the title gives it away. (Isn't it a fabulous title? Yes, yes it is.)
Edward and his aunt Mildred live together in an unpronounceable Welsh town. He hates the name of the town, the town itself, all the people in the town, and, especially, his aunt. Edward, if you hadn't already guessed, is a miserable, whiny bitch who smokes scented cigarettes and has a pekinese lapdog named So-so. He's the narrator of this story and he paints quite the picture of his privileged life.
Edward and his aunt are old sparring partners, playing a nasty game of one-upmanship from morning til night. Oil and water are more compatible than these two. He despises her mannish ways about as much as she disapproves of how effeminate he is and the 'dirty' French novels he likes to read. He loathes nature, she is an avid hiker and gardener. Insults are traded, barely disguised with "dears" and chilly politeness. Their petty war seems as though it will never end. Mildred is a worthy opponent, whose position of power puts her at a distinct advantage. Though he lives a life of leisure, he is dependant on her financially. Shackled to her strict ways, he resents his lack of freedom. One day, he decides he's had enough...
I love Golden Age mysteries, and am really surprised that I'd never heard of Richard Hull until now. Published in 1934, this marked the end of his career as an accountant, and the beginning of a successful literary incarnation. I just loved the way Hull reveals characters with a sly eye and playful undercurrents. I had so much fun reading this. It kept me on my toes. I'm pleased to report that it held its own right til the very. last. line. Can't ask much more from a mystery, can you?
(This would make a fantastic film. I only wish Philip Seymour Hoffman were around to play the poncey Edward.)
I call it a 'mystery of sorts' because just reading the paragraph on the back cover tells you that Edward has decided to murder his aunt. And if you miss the back paragraph, well, just the title gives it away. (Isn't it a fabulous title? Yes, yes it is.)
Edward and his aunt Mildred live together in an unpronounceable Welsh town. He hates the name of the town, the town itself, all the people in the town, and, especially, his aunt. Edward, if you hadn't already guessed, is a miserable, whiny bitch who smokes scented cigarettes and has a pekinese lapdog named So-so. He's the narrator of this story and he paints quite the picture of his privileged life.
Edward and his aunt are old sparring partners, playing a nasty game of one-upmanship from morning til night. Oil and water are more compatible than these two. He despises her mannish ways about as much as she disapproves of how effeminate he is and the 'dirty' French novels he likes to read. He loathes nature, she is an avid hiker and gardener. Insults are traded, barely disguised with "dears" and chilly politeness. Their petty war seems as though it will never end. Mildred is a worthy opponent, whose position of power puts her at a distinct advantage. Though he lives a life of leisure, he is dependant on her financially. Shackled to her strict ways, he resents his lack of freedom. One day, he decides he's had enough...
I love Golden Age mysteries, and am really surprised that I'd never heard of Richard Hull until now. Published in 1934, this marked the end of his career as an accountant, and the beginning of a successful literary incarnation. I just loved the way Hull reveals characters with a sly eye and playful undercurrents. I had so much fun reading this. It kept me on my toes. I'm pleased to report that it held its own right til the very. last. line. Can't ask much more from a mystery, can you?
(This would make a fantastic film. I only wish Philip Seymour Hoffman were around to play the poncey Edward.)
October 5, 2018
The Murder of My Aunt, first published in 1934, is Richard Hull’s debut novel and another Poisoned Pen Press find. Hull, that rare breed – an accountant turned author – has a wit and darkness that many other Golden Age mystery novels lack. This is my second Hull novel read in 2018 and, while his style isn’t one that aligns perfectly with my preferences, it may be yours if you like a little snarkiness and originality with your British, first-person unreliable, unlikable narrators.
In The Murder of My Aunt, the narrator is Edward Powell, and Edward is a miserably unhappy, conniving, lazy, dilletante and snob with a lapdog he adores. He lives with the aunt of the title in the Welsh countryside. She has tired of Edward’s joblessness, elitism, lack of appreciation for their community – and she’s not a fan of his lapdog, either. Hull’s writing style hasn’t aged a bit, but I found the middle of the novel to drag a tad and, admittedly, I tired of everyone – Edward, his aunt, the neighbors, the servants and the dog, and I’m a dog fan. On the other hand, the ending was a delightful, unexpected surprise and the entire novel is generally good fun. I’m confident that I’m just not the ideal reader for this novel, but it will delight the majority of Golden Age fans.
Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Edelweiss+ for furnishing an e-copy.
In The Murder of My Aunt, the narrator is Edward Powell, and Edward is a miserably unhappy, conniving, lazy, dilletante and snob with a lapdog he adores. He lives with the aunt of the title in the Welsh countryside. She has tired of Edward’s joblessness, elitism, lack of appreciation for their community – and she’s not a fan of his lapdog, either. Hull’s writing style hasn’t aged a bit, but I found the middle of the novel to drag a tad and, admittedly, I tired of everyone – Edward, his aunt, the neighbors, the servants and the dog, and I’m a dog fan. On the other hand, the ending was a delightful, unexpected surprise and the entire novel is generally good fun. I’m confident that I’m just not the ideal reader for this novel, but it will delight the majority of Golden Age fans.
Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Edelweiss+ for furnishing an e-copy.
September 6, 2018
*I would like to thank Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for providing me with ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
This classic book did keep me interested from the very first page. When I requested the book, I more or less knew what to expect as the author's name was not unfamiliar to me although I had never read anything by him. Now, this novel,written in the early 1930s, reads very well in the 21st century. Edward Powell, living and dependent financially for some family reasons on his aunt, makes a decision to get rid of her as this is the only way to have money and leave Wales of which he is tired. Both Edward and Aunt Mildred do their best to make life miserable for each other and they wage a silent war but at the end there is only one winner. I found this book truly enjoyable.
This classic book did keep me interested from the very first page. When I requested the book, I more or less knew what to expect as the author's name was not unfamiliar to me although I had never read anything by him. Now, this novel,written in the early 1930s, reads very well in the 21st century. Edward Powell, living and dependent financially for some family reasons on his aunt, makes a decision to get rid of her as this is the only way to have money and leave Wales of which he is tired. Both Edward and Aunt Mildred do their best to make life miserable for each other and they wage a silent war but at the end there is only one winner. I found this book truly enjoyable.
September 30, 2018
EXCERPT: Like all people who get their own way always, when she found herself thwarted, her rage was terrific. Curiously enough, she started on my last remark; my reference to So-so apparently stung her - conscience trouble I suppose. She thundered over this. How dared I remind her of the death of that lap-dog? (Lap-dog indeed! My poor So-so!) She would have thought I would have tried to have forgotten that by now. But then I was always rather like that dog myself, "a poor-spirited yapping little cur always prepared to bite the hand that feeds you", "a mean, greedy fat little slug thinking only of your own comfort and how much you can eat - ever since you were born".
"Well, you brought me up," I managed to interject.
"Yes, but you don't often seem to remember the fact." Good heavens, as if I could ever forget it! I should like to give her my version of my childhood. But my aunt's voice went booming on, her nose, always red and uncared for, was by now shining like a beacon with her excitement, while her complexion had gone past the turkeycock stage and assumed the cold white of ungovernable fury. Indeed, she clearly was out of control. She went back to my schooldays. She cast in my teeth my early departure from that grim establishment, about which she was obviously cheerfully, and without question, ready to believe the worst; she abused my friends, my books, my tastes, my clothes, my morals (oh yes, we had all the Mary business over again with some new chapters founded on an alleged incident of the last few days); she slated me like a fishwife for being a lazy slacker, a ne'er-do-well, an idler, "a sponger on my bounty who hasn't even the decency to admit that he is sponging"; she descended to personalities even. I was fat, I was pimply, my hair was too long, my face was too puffy, and my clothes were those "of a namby-pamby little pansy boy. If that alone had been said, I should have sought revenge.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: Edward Powell lives with his Aunt Mildred in the Welsh town of Llwll.
His aunt thinks Llwll an idyllic place to live, but Edward loathes the countryside – and thinks the company even worse. In fact, Edward has decided to murder his aunt.
A darkly humorous depiction of fraught family ties, The Murder of My Aunt was first published in 1934.
MY THOUGHTS: I didn't much enjoy the first three-quarters of this book. I didn't much like Edward, nor his Aunt Mildred. It was, up until this point, a long-winded and monotonous narrative by a disgruntled nephew who should be standing on his own two feet rather than relying on his aunt to provide for him. I dozed off while reading. I got up and went off to do other things. I debated not finishing.
So why the 😄😄😄.5? Because the ending is worth reading the book for. It brought a sparkle to my eyes, and a smile to my face.
It is interesting to see how our language has changed over the years since 1934. Not only in how we speak, but how we use the words, how the meanings have evolved in less than one hundred years. But it is also interesting that some things don't change, like the 'idlers' and 'slackers' who seem to believe that the world owes them a living.
Overall, I am glad that I read this book. While it didn't set my world on fire, it amused me.
THE AUTHOR: Richard Henry Sampson FCA (6 September 1896 – 1973), known by the pseudonym Richard Hull, was a British writer who became successful as a crime novelist with his first book in 1934.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Murder of My Aunt by Richard Hull for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
"Well, you brought me up," I managed to interject.
"Yes, but you don't often seem to remember the fact." Good heavens, as if I could ever forget it! I should like to give her my version of my childhood. But my aunt's voice went booming on, her nose, always red and uncared for, was by now shining like a beacon with her excitement, while her complexion had gone past the turkeycock stage and assumed the cold white of ungovernable fury. Indeed, she clearly was out of control. She went back to my schooldays. She cast in my teeth my early departure from that grim establishment, about which she was obviously cheerfully, and without question, ready to believe the worst; she abused my friends, my books, my tastes, my clothes, my morals (oh yes, we had all the Mary business over again with some new chapters founded on an alleged incident of the last few days); she slated me like a fishwife for being a lazy slacker, a ne'er-do-well, an idler, "a sponger on my bounty who hasn't even the decency to admit that he is sponging"; she descended to personalities even. I was fat, I was pimply, my hair was too long, my face was too puffy, and my clothes were those "of a namby-pamby little pansy boy. If that alone had been said, I should have sought revenge.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: Edward Powell lives with his Aunt Mildred in the Welsh town of Llwll.
His aunt thinks Llwll an idyllic place to live, but Edward loathes the countryside – and thinks the company even worse. In fact, Edward has decided to murder his aunt.
A darkly humorous depiction of fraught family ties, The Murder of My Aunt was first published in 1934.
MY THOUGHTS: I didn't much enjoy the first three-quarters of this book. I didn't much like Edward, nor his Aunt Mildred. It was, up until this point, a long-winded and monotonous narrative by a disgruntled nephew who should be standing on his own two feet rather than relying on his aunt to provide for him. I dozed off while reading. I got up and went off to do other things. I debated not finishing.
So why the 😄😄😄.5? Because the ending is worth reading the book for. It brought a sparkle to my eyes, and a smile to my face.
It is interesting to see how our language has changed over the years since 1934. Not only in how we speak, but how we use the words, how the meanings have evolved in less than one hundred years. But it is also interesting that some things don't change, like the 'idlers' and 'slackers' who seem to believe that the world owes them a living.
Overall, I am glad that I read this book. While it didn't set my world on fire, it amused me.
THE AUTHOR: Richard Henry Sampson FCA (6 September 1896 – 1973), known by the pseudonym Richard Hull, was a British writer who became successful as a crime novelist with his first book in 1934.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Murder of My Aunt by Richard Hull for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
March 22, 2021
This was a great story! Edward and his Aunt Mildred Powell are two of the most disagreeable and quarrelsome relatives I've ever read trapped together. It almost becomes too much but there's ample opportunity to laugh along the way in this macabre tale of pettiness.
Edward narrates most of this but he's not the only unreliable narrator (Aunt Mildred) so while I could see points for both to have just annoyance, they both took this to levels that of course ensured this would end badly. Quite often I wished Edward would just leave or Mildred would just send him off but this was a battle royale of wills and control that just wasn't an option. It goes on just long enough not to be tiresome but you need a high tolerance for the absurd. The house staff and various town residents play minor parts in this War of the Powells but none shine in comparison. There's a great twist at the end that worked terrifically and I would definitely read another by Hull.
A great addition to the British Library Crime Classics reissues.
Favourite quote:
"My aunt has been in a strange mood, and I never have known a woman who is so capable of conveying a sense of disquiet without saying anything."
Recommended.
Edward narrates most of this but he's not the only unreliable narrator (Aunt Mildred) so while I could see points for both to have just annoyance, they both took this to levels that of course ensured this would end badly. Quite often I wished Edward would just leave or Mildred would just send him off but this was a battle royale of wills and control that just wasn't an option. It goes on just long enough not to be tiresome but you need a high tolerance for the absurd. The house staff and various town residents play minor parts in this War of the Powells but none shine in comparison. There's a great twist at the end that worked terrifically and I would definitely read another by Hull.
A great addition to the British Library Crime Classics reissues.
Favourite quote:
"My aunt has been in a strange mood, and I never have known a woman who is so capable of conveying a sense of disquiet without saying anything."
Recommended.
June 21, 2023
I am always seeing this short little book, written in the early 1930s, popping up on lists. I am unfamiliar with the author although it appears that he wrote other books.....but this is the one that is always mentioned.
I felt that I was stepping into a environment which was somewhat Wodehousian (without a Jeeves). The main character, Edward (also the narrator) is a lazy, pompous ass who doesn't like anything or anyone as he feels he is above it all. He lives with his aunt, against his will, as she controls the family money and he must depend on her small allowance to him since he doesn't work or intend to. They can't stand each other and some of the interactions are humorous.
Edward, who is not half as smart as he thinks he is, starts planning a solution to his "problem" which is indicated by the title. He underestimates his aunt and the solution is delightful.
It is a fun little read and a good bedtime book.
I felt that I was stepping into a environment which was somewhat Wodehousian (without a Jeeves). The main character, Edward (also the narrator) is a lazy, pompous ass who doesn't like anything or anyone as he feels he is above it all. He lives with his aunt, against his will, as she controls the family money and he must depend on her small allowance to him since he doesn't work or intend to. They can't stand each other and some of the interactions are humorous.
Edward, who is not half as smart as he thinks he is, starts planning a solution to his "problem" which is indicated by the title. He underestimates his aunt and the solution is delightful.
It is a fun little read and a good bedtime book.
October 12, 2025
Llevo una temporada que, entre pitos y flautas, empezar un nuevo trabajo y mudarme a una nueva ciudad, que no tengo ni tiempo ni ánimo para leer. Es asombroso cómo era capaz de leer más y mejor cuando estaba estudiando oposiciones que ahora que estoy preparando clases y haciendo exámenes: el cerebro humano es fascinante. Quiero llegar a un lugar con este inacabable prólogo de quejas y lamentos; tenedme paciencia. Historias como El asesinato de mi tía pertenecen a ese género diseñado para desconectar el cerebro y entretener al lector que ahora los cursis de Instagram llaman cozy crime, un género de larga trayectoria y muy inglés, en el que el asesinato es más molesto por interrumpir la hora del té que horrible por acabar con un muerto.
El asesinato de mi tía inicia fuerte, con ese característico y flemático humor inglés:
Esta primera frase asienta el tono y adelanta la premisa de la historia, que no puede ser más sencilla, a saber, un sobrino harto de su tía déspota hará lo imposible para librarse de ella y heredar el dinero suficiente para vivir su vida. La narración se nos presenta en primera persona, en forma de diario; o lo que es lo mismo, toda la historia está contada por el narrador menos fiable posible, un sobrino desairado y potencial homicida. A lo largo de la novela el protagonista irá contándonos lo horrible que es su existencia y lo cruel que es su tía, a la que nos presenta como una solterona autoritaria, caprichosa, controladora y rústica de la que, forzosamente, se tiene que librar, pues se han agotado ya todas las vías para el entendimiento. Entre sus quejas intercalará la trama de la novela, los rocambolescos planes de asesinato, planes que el protagonista considera perfectos y sin fisuras que el lector, que no es tonto, va intuyendo que solo son infalibles en la mente del protagonista. En efecto, el narrador no es nada fiable, y es ahí cuando el lector se pregunta si, realmente, esa anciana solterona es la villana de la historia y si el protagonista es ese pobre angelito.
No desvelaré nada más. La novela es muy entretenida, con un buen ritmo que solo se resiente al llegar a las últimas tentativas de asesinato, que se muestran excesivamente apresuradas e improvisadas. El mayor problema de la novela es su abrupto final, que deja con hambre.
El asesinato de mi tía inicia fuerte, con ese característico y flemático humor inglés:
Mi tía vive en las afueras de la pequeña (y sin duda alguna, espantosa) ciudad de Llwll. Éste es, precisamente, el inconveniente, en ambos sentidos.
Esta primera frase asienta el tono y adelanta la premisa de la historia, que no puede ser más sencilla, a saber, un sobrino harto de su tía déspota hará lo imposible para librarse de ella y heredar el dinero suficiente para vivir su vida. La narración se nos presenta en primera persona, en forma de diario; o lo que es lo mismo, toda la historia está contada por el narrador menos fiable posible, un sobrino desairado y potencial homicida. A lo largo de la novela el protagonista irá contándonos lo horrible que es su existencia y lo cruel que es su tía, a la que nos presenta como una solterona autoritaria, caprichosa, controladora y rústica de la que, forzosamente, se tiene que librar, pues se han agotado ya todas las vías para el entendimiento. Entre sus quejas intercalará la trama de la novela, los rocambolescos planes de asesinato, planes que el protagonista considera perfectos y sin fisuras que el lector, que no es tonto, va intuyendo que solo son infalibles en la mente del protagonista. En efecto, el narrador no es nada fiable, y es ahí cuando el lector se pregunta si, realmente, esa anciana solterona es la villana de la historia y si el protagonista es ese pobre angelito.
No desvelaré nada más. La novela es muy entretenida, con un buen ritmo que solo se resiente al llegar a las últimas tentativas de asesinato, que se muestran excesivamente apresuradas e improvisadas. El mayor problema de la novela es su abrupto final, que deja con hambre.
July 11, 2022
Άλλη μια υπέροχη προσθήκη στην καταπληκτική σειρά Μαύρη Γάτα των εκδόσεων Αλεξάνδρεια. Πρόκειται για ένα άκρως απολαυστικό, ψυχαγωγικό και καλογραμμένο μυθιστόρημα με μαύρη αίσθηση του χιούμορ και αρκετό κυνισμό, με τον συγγραφέα να κάνει διάφορα κόλπα στην αφήγηση και από ένα σημείο και μετά να ανατρέπει ορισμένα πράγματα στην πλοκή, με τρόπο αναπάντεχο και ιδιαίτερα σκαμπρόζικο. Σίγουρα το βιβλίο είναι αρκετά διαφορετικό από τα συνηθισμένα μυθιστορήματα μυστηρίου της λεγόμενης Χρυσής Εποχής, τόσο στη δομή και την πλοκή του όσο και στους χαρακτήρες του (οι δυο πρωταγωνιστές είναι αναμφίβολα ιδιόρρυθμοι και αντιπαθείς) και το όλο σαρκαστικό ύφος της γραφής με το υπέροχο μαύρο χιούμορ. Πιστεύω ότι οι λάτρεις των κλασικών μυθιστορημάτων μυστηρίου θα απολαύσουν αυτό το βιβλίο και θα εκτιμήσουν σε μεγάλο βαθμό ορισμένες καινοτομίες (για την εποχή του, τουλάχιστον) στην πλοκή και την αφήγηση, αλλά επίσης πιστεύω ότι θα ικανοποιηθούν και από το αρκετά ανατρεπτικό φινάλε. Δεν το συζητάω, πολύ ωραίο βιβλίο και ιδανικό ανάγνωσμα για το καλοκαίρι.
June 19, 2018
All in the family... 5 stars
Edward Powell is an unhappy young man. He lives with his annoying Aunt Mildred who, as his guardian and trustee of his inheritance, holds the purse-strings, rather too tightly in Edward’s opinion. To make matters worse, he’s forced to live in the family home in a small village in Wales, surrounded by landscape and hills and sheep and all that awful stuff, when he should be mingling with artists and bright young things in one of the fashionable hotspots of the world. Really it’s too much to bear. So he decides there’s only one thing to be done...
It’s not often a book has me laughing out loud before I even get through the first page, but this one did! The book is narrated for the most part by Edward, taken from the journal he keeps as events unfold. It begins with his disgust at living in a place which he insists is impossible to pronounce, Llyll, - it takes him three (hilarious) paragraphs to explain how one is supposed to say it. He then describes his surroundings, not in the idyllic terms we’ve come to expect of descriptions of picturesque countryside...
The title gives a broad hint, so it’s not a spoiler to say that the book is about Edward’s plan to murder his aunt. Now I’m a bit like Hercule Poirot in that I don’t approve of murder, but in Edward’s defence I have to admit that Aunt Mildred really asks for it – she finds fault with everything Edward does (with some justification), nags him constantly and is not averse to shaming him in public. All of which makes the thing far more entertaining than if she’d been a sweet old soul. This is a battle of two people who are opposites in every way except for their desire to come out on top.
Edward’s voice is what makes the book so special. The writing is fantastic, so that Hull manages to let the reader see both the truth and Edward’s unreliable interpretation of it simultaneously. One couldn’t possibly like Edward, and in real life one would pretty quickly want to hit him over the head with a brick, but his journal is a joy to read. It’s a brilliant portrait of a man obsessed with his own comforts, utterly selfish, and not nearly as clever as he thinks he is. He’s also delightfully effeminate, a total contrast to rugged old Aunt Mildred who’s a hardy daughter of the soil.
Written in 1934, it’s hard for modern audiences to know whether Hull intended Edward to be read as gay or just effeminate, but he would certainly be seen as stereotypically gay now, with his finicky desire to have all his clothes flamboyantly colour-matched, his eye for interior decoration, his little Pekinese dog, and so on. But if it’s deliberate, it’s done in a way that seemed to me affectionate, even though we’re supposed to laugh at him. Seeing him as gay also adds an element of humour to the fact that Aunt Mildred (who I’m quite sure has never even heard of homosexuality!) is constantly accusing him of trying to seduce the maid. I wondered if I was reading too much “gayness” into the character, so was rather pleased to read in Martin Edwards’ introduction (which of course I read as an afterword) that ‘Anthony Slide, in Lost Gay Novels: A Reference Guide to Fifty Works from the First Half of the Twentieth Century (2013) has argued that the book is “the best, and by far the most entertaining, of the early English mystery novels with a gay angle.”’ From my limited experience, I can’t argue with that!
But that’s only one aspect of Edward’s character and not the most important one. It’s his self-obsession and grouchy, distorted view of the world that makes him so enjoyable. I don’t want to say any more about the plot because the suspense element comes from not knowing whether Edward’s plans will succeed. I found it compulsively readable and while it isn’t laugh-out-loud all the way, it’s consistently funny, in a wicked, subversive way, full of lightly black humour. Loved it! One of the gems of the BL’s Crime Classics collection for me.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, British Library.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Edward Powell is an unhappy young man. He lives with his annoying Aunt Mildred who, as his guardian and trustee of his inheritance, holds the purse-strings, rather too tightly in Edward’s opinion. To make matters worse, he’s forced to live in the family home in a small village in Wales, surrounded by landscape and hills and sheep and all that awful stuff, when he should be mingling with artists and bright young things in one of the fashionable hotspots of the world. Really it’s too much to bear. So he decides there’s only one thing to be done...
It’s not often a book has me laughing out loud before I even get through the first page, but this one did! The book is narrated for the most part by Edward, taken from the journal he keeps as events unfold. It begins with his disgust at living in a place which he insists is impossible to pronounce, Llyll, - it takes him three (hilarious) paragraphs to explain how one is supposed to say it. He then describes his surroundings, not in the idyllic terms we’ve come to expect of descriptions of picturesque countryside...
I see I spoke of “sodden woods”. That was the right adjective. Never, never does it stop raining here, except in the winter when it snows. They say that is why we grow such wonderful trees here which provided the oaks from which Rodney’s and Nelson’s fleets were built. Well, no one makes ships out of wood nowadays, so that that is no longer useful, and it seems to me that one tree is much like another. I’d rather see less rain, less trees and more men and women. “Oh, Solitude, where are the charms?” Exactly so.
The title gives a broad hint, so it’s not a spoiler to say that the book is about Edward’s plan to murder his aunt. Now I’m a bit like Hercule Poirot in that I don’t approve of murder, but in Edward’s defence I have to admit that Aunt Mildred really asks for it – she finds fault with everything Edward does (with some justification), nags him constantly and is not averse to shaming him in public. All of which makes the thing far more entertaining than if she’d been a sweet old soul. This is a battle of two people who are opposites in every way except for their desire to come out on top.
Edward’s voice is what makes the book so special. The writing is fantastic, so that Hull manages to let the reader see both the truth and Edward’s unreliable interpretation of it simultaneously. One couldn’t possibly like Edward, and in real life one would pretty quickly want to hit him over the head with a brick, but his journal is a joy to read. It’s a brilliant portrait of a man obsessed with his own comforts, utterly selfish, and not nearly as clever as he thinks he is. He’s also delightfully effeminate, a total contrast to rugged old Aunt Mildred who’s a hardy daughter of the soil.
Written in 1934, it’s hard for modern audiences to know whether Hull intended Edward to be read as gay or just effeminate, but he would certainly be seen as stereotypically gay now, with his finicky desire to have all his clothes flamboyantly colour-matched, his eye for interior decoration, his little Pekinese dog, and so on. But if it’s deliberate, it’s done in a way that seemed to me affectionate, even though we’re supposed to laugh at him. Seeing him as gay also adds an element of humour to the fact that Aunt Mildred (who I’m quite sure has never even heard of homosexuality!) is constantly accusing him of trying to seduce the maid. I wondered if I was reading too much “gayness” into the character, so was rather pleased to read in Martin Edwards’ introduction (which of course I read as an afterword) that ‘Anthony Slide, in Lost Gay Novels: A Reference Guide to Fifty Works from the First Half of the Twentieth Century (2013) has argued that the book is “the best, and by far the most entertaining, of the early English mystery novels with a gay angle.”’ From my limited experience, I can’t argue with that!
But that’s only one aspect of Edward’s character and not the most important one. It’s his self-obsession and grouchy, distorted view of the world that makes him so enjoyable. I don’t want to say any more about the plot because the suspense element comes from not knowing whether Edward’s plans will succeed. I found it compulsively readable and while it isn’t laugh-out-loud all the way, it’s consistently funny, in a wicked, subversive way, full of lightly black humour. Loved it! One of the gems of the BL’s Crime Classics collection for me.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, British Library.
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April 12, 2024
This is Hull's first mystery novel which you can tell by maybe his overboard possibilities of the plot. It is not at all your typical mystery.
Edward is conceited, self entitled and distrusting person who is not happy with his life in Llwll. He really is annoyed by his Aunt Mildred who is just domineering. He vocalizes this in his entries in the diary. Edward shows no desire for independence well until he decides getting rid of his Aunt might give him a means of carrying on his life with his novels and dog SoSo, once the farm is sold. The relationship between them is believable when one grows up with an Aunt that you do not like or respect.
How will Edward succeed? He studies that method with Pros and Cons. Does she know? She is prepared! Does he know? The battle of wits continue on.
I found Edward to be annoying like a child in a full rant! He tries to justify his intentions with building of a case against his Aunt. The ending a surprise.
Has dark humor which I found fitting for this mystery.
Edward is conceited, self entitled and distrusting person who is not happy with his life in Llwll. He really is annoyed by his Aunt Mildred who is just domineering. He vocalizes this in his entries in the diary. Edward shows no desire for independence well until he decides getting rid of his Aunt might give him a means of carrying on his life with his novels and dog SoSo, once the farm is sold. The relationship between them is believable when one grows up with an Aunt that you do not like or respect.
How will Edward succeed? He studies that method with Pros and Cons. Does she know? She is prepared! Does he know? The battle of wits continue on.
I found Edward to be annoying like a child in a full rant! He tries to justify his intentions with building of a case against his Aunt. The ending a surprise.
Has dark humor which I found fitting for this mystery.
September 21, 2022
Me ha divertido esta historia.
Un solterón vago y con ganas de ser dueño absoluto de su vida (y del dinero que su tía le administra) tratando medio libro de asesinar a la susodicha y...me he reído a carcajadas.
Pero la sorpresa ha sido la segunda parte y ese final, me ha encantado aunque me ha resultado un tanto abrupto.
Un solterón vago y con ganas de ser dueño absoluto de su vida (y del dinero que su tía le administra) tratando medio libro de asesinar a la susodicha y...me he reído a carcajadas.
Pero la sorpresa ha sido la segunda parte y ese final, me ha encantado aunque me ha resultado un tanto abrupto.
September 18, 2018
The Murder of My Aunt might make a very good movie. It is in many ways a battle of wits and wills between Edward and his Aunt Mildred. It all begins when the mailman could not bring up his package of books he had ordered because the label was damaged. The aunt, feeling bad for the frequent heavy bundles the mailman is forced to lug up, insists that Edward must walk down to the village to get them. Edward resolves to drive, but she forbids it. She goes to the ridiculous effort of emptying her own car’s gas tank onto the ground to ensure he walks. Edward equally absurdly captures just enough of the leaking petrol to get his car down part of the way to the village when he can buy some petrol and pick up the packages. All in all, it was far more work than if he had just walked down, but he insisted on at least appearing to drive. Aunt Mildred made the point of revealing she and the villages were not fooled and laughed while watching him struggle.
Now on the surface, this is a sensible older woman getting her own back on a ridiculous, bad-tempered, nephew who is living off her generosity. Well, not so much. It turns out long ago she inherited the obligation to provide for him along with all the family money, cutting him out even though he was only a child. We also learn that she spent her lifetime trying to break him of what she called willfulness and his effeminate manner that so offended her. She never let him win and wonders why he does not try? It seems in many ways, his entire life was a failed gay conversion program.
I can see how The Murder of My Aunt appeals to some people. There’s something fun at seeing someone who is a snob and think themselves so superior acting a fool. Edward is an unlikable jerk who thinks he is smarter than anyone else. However, I think his Aunt Mildred created him. She raised him since the death of his parents. In all that time, did she hug him or comfort him? I don’t know but I don’t think so. She was determined that never once in his life would he succeed in asserting his own agency. That he still had any will of his own, however twisted is a testament to a strength and sense of self that could have made a marvelous person if he had been raised by an aunt who wanted to love him, not break him.
This is a reprint of an old British crime classic from 1934. Sometimes the mores of old classics are difficult. People were openly homophobic and mocking and condemning a man for being effeminate was perfectly acceptable. To modern eyes, it reads poorly. Much is made of his French books that his aunt calls pornography and so on. Those values are stale and unwelcome.
I received an e-galley of The Murder of My Aunt from the publisher through NetGalley.
The Murder of My Aunt at Poisoned Pen Press
Richard Hull at Wikipedia
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
Now on the surface, this is a sensible older woman getting her own back on a ridiculous, bad-tempered, nephew who is living off her generosity. Well, not so much. It turns out long ago she inherited the obligation to provide for him along with all the family money, cutting him out even though he was only a child. We also learn that she spent her lifetime trying to break him of what she called willfulness and his effeminate manner that so offended her. She never let him win and wonders why he does not try? It seems in many ways, his entire life was a failed gay conversion program.
I can see how The Murder of My Aunt appeals to some people. There’s something fun at seeing someone who is a snob and think themselves so superior acting a fool. Edward is an unlikable jerk who thinks he is smarter than anyone else. However, I think his Aunt Mildred created him. She raised him since the death of his parents. In all that time, did she hug him or comfort him? I don’t know but I don’t think so. She was determined that never once in his life would he succeed in asserting his own agency. That he still had any will of his own, however twisted is a testament to a strength and sense of self that could have made a marvelous person if he had been raised by an aunt who wanted to love him, not break him.
This is a reprint of an old British crime classic from 1934. Sometimes the mores of old classics are difficult. People were openly homophobic and mocking and condemning a man for being effeminate was perfectly acceptable. To modern eyes, it reads poorly. Much is made of his French books that his aunt calls pornography and so on. Those values are stale and unwelcome.
I received an e-galley of The Murder of My Aunt from the publisher through NetGalley.
The Murder of My Aunt at Poisoned Pen Press
Richard Hull at Wikipedia
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
February 3, 2019
This is one of the best of the classic crime fiction novels from the Golden Age that I’ve read. On the face of it has a straightforward plot as Edward Powell, the narrator for most of the book, plots to murder his Aunt Mildred. They live in a house called Brynmawr on the outskirts of the Welsh town of Llwll. Mildred is his guardian, his parents having died in mysterious circumstances when Edward was very young. He detests living in Lwll and he also detests his aunt. It’s a contest of wills as Mildred finds Edward a great trial, she sees all his faults – he is selfish, self-centred, vain and lazy and foppishly effeminate – and she constantly nags him to change his ways, or she will ‘have to take action’. Edward, though decides that he will take action, thinking his life would be so much better without Mildred and he sets out to find a way to arrange her death so that no suspicion will fall on him. He makes copious notes of various methods and the steps he plans to take and that’s more difficult than he expected as his attempts keep failing.
But it’s the writing that lifts this book from the ordinary to an original and funny murder mystery and, whilst not laugh-out-loud funny, I thought it was brilliant. It’s witty and ironic from the start as Edward pontificates on the pronunciation of the word ‘Lwll’. Neither Edward nor Mildred come across as caricatures, but as real people, both of them with their own faults. Edward is just so insufferably awful that I felt on Mildred’s side in their battle of wits, even though she shows him up in front of the whole village – and after all she had brought him up.
Once I started to read The Murder of My Aunt I was captivated and I had to read it quickly, anxious to find out if Edward did manage to kill his aunt. It makes very entertaining reading and I loved the ending, which took me by surprise and I thought was so clever – definitely a 5* read for me!
Now I’m looking forward to reading more of Richard Hull’s books and have Excellent Intentions lined up to read soon.
My thanks to the publishers, Poisoned Pen Press, for my review copy via NetGalley.
But it’s the writing that lifts this book from the ordinary to an original and funny murder mystery and, whilst not laugh-out-loud funny, I thought it was brilliant. It’s witty and ironic from the start as Edward pontificates on the pronunciation of the word ‘Lwll’. Neither Edward nor Mildred come across as caricatures, but as real people, both of them with their own faults. Edward is just so insufferably awful that I felt on Mildred’s side in their battle of wits, even though she shows him up in front of the whole village – and after all she had brought him up.
Once I started to read The Murder of My Aunt I was captivated and I had to read it quickly, anxious to find out if Edward did manage to kill his aunt. It makes very entertaining reading and I loved the ending, which took me by surprise and I thought was so clever – definitely a 5* read for me!
Now I’m looking forward to reading more of Richard Hull’s books and have Excellent Intentions lined up to read soon.
My thanks to the publishers, Poisoned Pen Press, for my review copy via NetGalley.
August 7, 2018
Thanks to the Poisoned Pen Press for lending me a digital ARC via Netgalley.
One of the first Golden Age mysteries I ever read was the Francis Iles 1931 classic “inverted mystery,” Malice Aforethought, about a doctor who decides that he will do away with his shrewish wife and marry a younger woman he fancies. It’s called an inverted mystery because, unlike your usual mystery, we know who the murderer is from the start, and the story is more of a whydunnit, howdunnit, and what happened along the way.
A few years after Iles’s book, in 1934, Richard Hull gave readers his own version of the inverted mystery. The current book is a republication that is part of the British Library Crime Classics collection.
First-person narrator Edward Powell is miserable living in rural Wales with his critical and righteous aunt. She controls the pursestrings, though, so getting rid of her is his only hope of escaping to a comfortable life in civilization, reading racy French novels, gorging on fine foods, and socializing with other effete young men.
Edward’s murderous plans are elaborately detailed—and idiotic. You can’t help but be entertained by the contrast between his visions and the reality that plays out. Amusing as Edward is, it gets to be a little bit much after 100 pages or so. Luckily, right about then Hull wraps it up with an unforgettably clever denouement.
One of the first Golden Age mysteries I ever read was the Francis Iles 1931 classic “inverted mystery,” Malice Aforethought, about a doctor who decides that he will do away with his shrewish wife and marry a younger woman he fancies. It’s called an inverted mystery because, unlike your usual mystery, we know who the murderer is from the start, and the story is more of a whydunnit, howdunnit, and what happened along the way.
A few years after Iles’s book, in 1934, Richard Hull gave readers his own version of the inverted mystery. The current book is a republication that is part of the British Library Crime Classics collection.
First-person narrator Edward Powell is miserable living in rural Wales with his critical and righteous aunt. She controls the pursestrings, though, so getting rid of her is his only hope of escaping to a comfortable life in civilization, reading racy French novels, gorging on fine foods, and socializing with other effete young men.
Edward’s murderous plans are elaborately detailed—and idiotic. You can’t help but be entertained by the contrast between his visions and the reality that plays out. Amusing as Edward is, it gets to be a little bit much after 100 pages or so. Luckily, right about then Hull wraps it up with an unforgettably clever denouement.
December 11, 2018
Meet Edward Powell, a tubby, effete, dandified self-styled aesthete. He bitterly resents being trapped in the provincial backwater of Llwll, Wales, in a outmoded house called Brynnmawr with his aunt. Aunt Mildred Powell, who has raised Edward from babyhood when his parents died in a car accident, keeps Edward on a tight budget and delights in thwarting Edward at every turn and even in the most trivial matters. Edward, who won’t get his inheritance until he’s older, dreams of being able to move to London and setting himself up as a writer and an über-stylish man about town.
One day, after an insult too many, Edward decides that he will murder his aunt. (Hardly a spoiler, considering the title.) He begins to keep a hidden diary of his plans, although Edward bumbles about a bit in trying to find a method that will appear an accident. Will Edward achieve Aunt Mildred’s demise? And will he get away with it?
Author Richard Hull has sadly been all but forgotten. His debut novel proves truly funny as the un-self-aware Edward casts about for a way to murder Aunt Mildred while not attracting the notice of the authorities. I am so grateful to British Library for reissuing this gem.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, British Library and Poison Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.
One day, after an insult too many, Edward decides that he will murder his aunt. (Hardly a spoiler, considering the title.) He begins to keep a hidden diary of his plans, although Edward bumbles about a bit in trying to find a method that will appear an accident. Will Edward achieve Aunt Mildred’s demise? And will he get away with it?
Author Richard Hull has sadly been all but forgotten. His debut novel proves truly funny as the un-self-aware Edward casts about for a way to murder Aunt Mildred while not attracting the notice of the authorities. I am so grateful to British Library for reissuing this gem.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, British Library and Poison Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.
August 14, 2018
I love the British Library Crime Classics, but it is probably a false expectation on my part that I will enjoy all of them equally. This one, e.g., simply was not hitting the spot which is mainly due to the humor. When you have a funny tale like this about a young man, who is dependent on his aunt and plots to kill her because she annoys you and it is told in this "lanky" way, then it either makes you laugh or it will end up getting on your nerves. Edward annoyed me so much by the end of the book, I was ready to murder him!
June 12, 2018
This was fab! A dark and witty romp :-)
August 4, 2018
Edward is effete, spoilt, rather stupid young man. He is totally dependent on his aunt who is the opposite of him. A strong, capable woman she sees through him totally, but a promise is a promise and one she intends to keep to her long dead sister to provide a home for her son.
That he intends to murder her by one means or another is the story and when one fails, he tries another. That he journals all these attempts shows his mental capabilities and the fact is that Aunt Mildred is aware of everyone of them and even of his plans before the execution of them.
A British Crime Classic with a superb ending. I found his antics rather annoying to read about but you did need to read the whole lot to get to the ending!
That he intends to murder her by one means or another is the story and when one fails, he tries another. That he journals all these attempts shows his mental capabilities and the fact is that Aunt Mildred is aware of everyone of them and even of his plans before the execution of them.
A British Crime Classic with a superb ending. I found his antics rather annoying to read about but you did need to read the whole lot to get to the ending!
March 10, 2019
A classic murder mystery that made me laugh and roll my eyes a lot even though this is the 'serious' account of Edward Powell who plots to murder his Aunt.
Edward is despicable but doesn't think that he is - written from his point of view we can see that his view of life is completely skewed and he is not a reliable narrator.
It's lots of fun and the ending is very good and made me bump the rating up (it was a a bit tedious in the middle but it is worth hanging in for the conclusion).
Edward is despicable but doesn't think that he is - written from his point of view we can see that his view of life is completely skewed and he is not a reliable narrator.
It's lots of fun and the ending is very good and made me bump the rating up (it was a a bit tedious in the middle but it is worth hanging in for the conclusion).
April 9, 2020
Written in 1934, this is a darkly funny novel about a man who is determined to murder his aunt. Edward lives with his Aunt Mildred in rural Wales. They do not get on, but it is a condition of his inheritance that he lives with her. Finally Edward decides that the only way out of an increasingly intolerable situation is to murder his aunt and be left to enjoy his inheritance.
Edward narrates the book and it doesn’t take long for the reader to be firmly Team Mildred. Therefore there is delight to be had in every setback and an increasing tension as he finetunes his plans. There is a pleasing twist in the tail of this very entertaining story.
Edward narrates the book and it doesn’t take long for the reader to be firmly Team Mildred. Therefore there is delight to be had in every setback and an increasing tension as he finetunes his plans. There is a pleasing twist in the tail of this very entertaining story.
April 1, 2020
I love reading mysteries from the Golden Age of Mystery writing and it was fun to find one that was quite different from the usual. The story is told through diary entries made by a young man who has decided he must do away with his aunt. The first 50 or so pages are absolutely hilarious! It was so funny reading about the disagreement they had over what amounted to essentially nothing. I also loved the last quarter of the book. I did feel the story drug a bit in the middle, but overall, it was a fun read.
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November 16, 2022a lotta fun. work-shy edward's like a proto-ignatius reilly... an ignatius who not only makes his bed but does it with hospital corners. gets a lot drier after switching narrators but maybe that was inevitable. somebody reissue my own murderer pls. (note: poison pen ed. has blank pages from pp 184-192 but as near as i can tell no content is actually missing.)
January 12, 2021
An interesting, fairly short novel written and set in 1934. The sense of time and place - Welsh countryside, perfectly described. The dialogue, very realistic and sounding quite contemporary. The two main characters, completely unappealing; as for the plot, laden with twists and turns I didn't see coming. The story itself, a surprising tale of murder - maybe.
Edward Powell wants to murder his aunt. He's a 'wastrel,' an 'idler' who lives off inherited money with the stipulation that his aunt dole it out, so he's sort of stuck in place. He lives in a beautiful location, nice house, plenty of food, and time to do what he likes best - nothing. He admits as much, but wants the freedom to do with his inheritance what he wants - nothing. He has few redeeming qualities as we watch him plot, and plot again and again how to murder his aunt - and get away with it. As for the aunt, she's not much better...
Written from Edward's POV we see a disagreeable, nagging, 'crabby' old woman who's always criticizing Edward for something. There's humor here, and moments of suspense, but as the tale is told from Edward's narcissistic and self-centered POV, we see (mostly) his side of things. It's interesting to view his thought processes - which he writes down in a diary and hides in his room.
Can a murder mystery be called 'charming?' If so, this one is, and a classic, the novel for which Richard Hull is best known. Quite a change of pace from the more modern mysteries I've been reading and a real treat.
One more thought: Edward's description of himself, or as revealed by his aunt, is a prime example of a total egotist and narcissist, and which I often drew comparisons with to another narcissist much in the news lately. Yes, the writer nailed this particular personality type 'bang' on the head. What would Mr. Hull have said if he could have looked into the future? Probably, I told ya so.
Four stars.
Edward Powell wants to murder his aunt. He's a 'wastrel,' an 'idler' who lives off inherited money with the stipulation that his aunt dole it out, so he's sort of stuck in place. He lives in a beautiful location, nice house, plenty of food, and time to do what he likes best - nothing. He admits as much, but wants the freedom to do with his inheritance what he wants - nothing. He has few redeeming qualities as we watch him plot, and plot again and again how to murder his aunt - and get away with it. As for the aunt, she's not much better...
Written from Edward's POV we see a disagreeable, nagging, 'crabby' old woman who's always criticizing Edward for something. There's humor here, and moments of suspense, but as the tale is told from Edward's narcissistic and self-centered POV, we see (mostly) his side of things. It's interesting to view his thought processes - which he writes down in a diary and hides in his room.
Can a murder mystery be called 'charming?' If so, this one is, and a classic, the novel for which Richard Hull is best known. Quite a change of pace from the more modern mysteries I've been reading and a real treat.
One more thought: Edward's description of himself, or as revealed by his aunt, is a prime example of a total egotist and narcissist, and which I often drew comparisons with to another narcissist much in the news lately. Yes, the writer nailed this particular personality type 'bang' on the head. What would Mr. Hull have said if he could have looked into the future? Probably, I told ya so.
Four stars.
May 27, 2021
Un clásico escrito con un tono desenfadado y distendido, que equilibra muy bien el estudio de personajes y de la época con una trama peculiar que tiene bastante peso. No hay muchos giros (aunque los que hay son fantásticos) y la trama es bastante lineal, pero lo importante es cómo se narra y cómo se desarrollan los acontecimientos. Una obra entretenida, con un lenguaje sencillo pero cuidado, que hace una sátira brutal de la intelectualidad de principios del siglo XX y que cuenta con grandes dosis de humor.
Reseña completa:
https://paseandoentrepaginas.blogspot...
Reseña completa:
https://paseandoentrepaginas.blogspot...
September 4, 2018
This book is hilarious. Maybe not laugh-out-loud for the most part, but constantly amusing, page after page. This is the story of two thoroughly unredeemably nasty people, honestly, you cannot choose between them for sheer unlikability. The two main characters are Mildred Powell, a horrid woman, and her wretched nephew Edward. They live together in a big house in rural Wales in 1934 (when the book was published) and spend their days purposely getting on each other’s nerves. It is the reader’s great good fortune to watch them.
As is obvious from the title, the main thrust of the story is Edward’s quest to kill his aunt. Normally, this would be a matter of some concern, but in this case one cannot help but think that Mildred deserves it. Of course, Edward is so disagreeable that the reader doesn’t want him to succeed, either. I don’t like spoilers in general, but I especially do not want to spoil your enjoyment of the twists and turns, so I will say no more on that subject.
I am very grateful to the British Library Crime Classics editors, and to Martin Edwards for writing his excellent forwards to these resurrected literary gems; I have been reading a lot of these books lately and enjoying them very much. This one is exceptional; you will laugh, giggle and chuckle at the goings-on. It is just a lot of fun, and highly recommended.
As is obvious from the title, the main thrust of the story is Edward’s quest to kill his aunt. Normally, this would be a matter of some concern, but in this case one cannot help but think that Mildred deserves it. Of course, Edward is so disagreeable that the reader doesn’t want him to succeed, either. I don’t like spoilers in general, but I especially do not want to spoil your enjoyment of the twists and turns, so I will say no more on that subject.
I am very grateful to the British Library Crime Classics editors, and to Martin Edwards for writing his excellent forwards to these resurrected literary gems; I have been reading a lot of these books lately and enjoying them very much. This one is exceptional; you will laugh, giggle and chuckle at the goings-on. It is just a lot of fun, and highly recommended.
November 26, 2018
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
The narrator of most of this book is, by design, pretty repugnant — and honestly, I find the other characters so too, even when we get a little glimpse of the other side of the story. The satisfaction here is in seeing their plans come to grief, and waiting for everyone to get their comeuppance. There’s something satisfying in Hull’s skill about putting together these characters, but at the same time it feels like it would’ve worked better as a short story. Enough time to get the gist, without enough to start getting truly frustrated by the general horribleness (and stupidity, too).
It’s an entertaining enough read, but I was glad when it was over, too!
The narrator of most of this book is, by design, pretty repugnant — and honestly, I find the other characters so too, even when we get a little glimpse of the other side of the story. The satisfaction here is in seeing their plans come to grief, and waiting for everyone to get their comeuppance. There’s something satisfying in Hull’s skill about putting together these characters, but at the same time it feels like it would’ve worked better as a short story. Enough time to get the gist, without enough to start getting truly frustrated by the general horribleness (and stupidity, too).
It’s an entertaining enough read, but I was glad when it was over, too!
August 6, 2018
In an amusing plot, Edward tries to kill his Aunt Mildred. I didn't really care for Edward who lacked ambition, with the exception of ridding the world of his aunt, or Aunt Mildred, who was too controlling. I really wanted something with more of an investigation. We don't really get any sense of any suspicion that follows through with investigation until the final chapter. The structure is different, but I did not like it. I received this advance review copy through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.
March 12, 2017
This little book was recommended to me years ago by Bruce Taylor, owner of The San Francisco Mystery Bookstore. (Taylor, by the way, is one of the reviewers in "1001 Midnights," an essential reference for mystery readers .) "The Murder of My Aunt" is quirky, funny and very clever ... and it is one of my favorite stories of all times.
August 16, 2023
According to the introduction, this is one of, if not the first Columbo style mystery where we know who did it from the beginning.
Archaic, and would be better if any of the characters weren't abhorrent.
Archaic, and would be better if any of the characters weren't abhorrent.
July 8, 2022
Non-stop fun. This is presented as mostly diary entries from Edward who thinks himself superior to everyone around him, especially his aunt, who unfortunately controls the purse strings. If she won't stop asking him to do intolerable things, such as take a walk outdoors, she simply must be disposed of.
I do feel a wee bit bad about laughing at him, when people not much different from him are going on shooting rampages every week in the news. But this was from a simpler time.
The story takes place in Welsh town Llwll. The notes on how to pronounce that, which are the first few paragraphs of the book, are hilarious. It seems to me that it must rhyme with Cthulhu.
I do feel a wee bit bad about laughing at him, when people not much different from him are going on shooting rampages every week in the news. But this was from a simpler time.
The story takes place in Welsh town Llwll. The notes on how to pronounce that, which are the first few paragraphs of the book, are hilarious. It seems to me that it must rhyme with Cthulhu.
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