What do you think?
Rate this book
And Death Came Too
After three nights of celebration in the humid heat of August, four friends weigh up a very particular request to visit Y Bryn House. Tired and restless, they begrudgingly accept the invitation…
But upon their arrival, their host is no where to be seen. A man plays an odd game of solitaire, a strange woman wafts in and out of the room before fleeing out of the back door. Becoming all the more concerned for their host’s welfare, their worst suspicions are confirmed when a police constable saunters in, has a drink, and announces that Mr Yeldham has been found stabbed next to a lit fireplace.
Who had the motive and means to kill Yeldham? With the odd woman missing, the clock is ticking to solve this case before the four friends are accused of murder.
And Death Came Too is another golden age mystery from the sardonic and sly Richard Hull. Master of the inverted mystery, here he weaves a true-to-style, classic whodunnit.
And Death Came Too was first published in 1939.
But upon their arrival, their host is no where to be seen. A man plays an odd game of solitaire, a strange woman wafts in and out of the room before fleeing out of the back door. Becoming all the more concerned for their host’s welfare, their worst suspicions are confirmed when a police constable saunters in, has a drink, and announces that Mr Yeldham has been found stabbed next to a lit fireplace.
Who had the motive and means to kill Yeldham? With the odd woman missing, the clock is ticking to solve this case before the four friends are accused of murder.
And Death Came Too is another golden age mystery from the sardonic and sly Richard Hull. Master of the inverted mystery, here he weaves a true-to-style, classic whodunnit.
And Death Came Too was first published in 1939.
221 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1939
6 people are currently reading
36 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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 15, 2019
Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.
Well. This was a bummer. I was hoping for a smart and interesting murder mystery. I just didn't like how this was written sadly. We had many characters and Hull doesn't develop them enough for you to care. The book also ended on a weird note before pushing me to another book that he wrote. I have no interest of that one at all.
"And Death Came Too" follows a group of people (Gerald Lansely, Martin Hands, and Patricia Hands (sister to Martin and fiancee to Gerald) who decide to take up an offer made by Arthur Yeldman to visit his hoe called Y Bryn. No that's not a typo. Yes I re-read that many times wondering what the heck.
Off they go and once arriving meet someone named Mr. Salter and a mysterious woman (of course) and then we just have people talking amongst themselves. Eventually we have a murder (thank goodness).Arthur Yeldham is found murdered and no weapon has been found. So of course Hull has a lot of clues here and there left as the investigation heats up for you to try and figure out who done it.
I can't say much about all of the characters. Hull doesn't spend much time with any of them for you to care much. I think it doesn't help that when you start this book, you start mid-conversation among everyone and you have no idea who the heck anyone is and it feels muddled.
I kept hoping for someone to emerge as my Poirot or Marple and no dice unfortunately. We get Detective Sergeant Scoresby who I wasn't feeling at all while I read this. We spent most of our time with the police and it's pretty evident that there are fractures building among the characters. I started to compare this a bit to Marple's Inspector Battle book, "Towards Zero" since there are some very light similarities here and there.
Also, not going to lie, it's pretty obvious who did it in this one. I at least want to be tricked you know?
I compared the writing to Christie and found it lacking overall. Christie is able to breathe life into mostly everyone (not counting some of her later works like The Third Girl) and you feel like smacking yourself upside the head when you get to the ending and Poirot and Marple reveal who did it and why.
The ending was so weird. Seriously. One character is talking, another breaks in (bitterly) and character one yells out that they are being left with nothing, not even their respect and that's it. I kept reading for another chapter. No dice.
Well. This was a bummer. I was hoping for a smart and interesting murder mystery. I just didn't like how this was written sadly. We had many characters and Hull doesn't develop them enough for you to care. The book also ended on a weird note before pushing me to another book that he wrote. I have no interest of that one at all.
"And Death Came Too" follows a group of people (Gerald Lansely, Martin Hands, and Patricia Hands (sister to Martin and fiancee to Gerald) who decide to take up an offer made by Arthur Yeldman to visit his hoe called Y Bryn. No that's not a typo. Yes I re-read that many times wondering what the heck.
Off they go and once arriving meet someone named Mr. Salter and a mysterious woman (of course) and then we just have people talking amongst themselves. Eventually we have a murder (thank goodness).Arthur Yeldham is found murdered and no weapon has been found. So of course Hull has a lot of clues here and there left as the investigation heats up for you to try and figure out who done it.
I can't say much about all of the characters. Hull doesn't spend much time with any of them for you to care much. I think it doesn't help that when you start this book, you start mid-conversation among everyone and you have no idea who the heck anyone is and it feels muddled.
I kept hoping for someone to emerge as my Poirot or Marple and no dice unfortunately. We get Detective Sergeant Scoresby who I wasn't feeling at all while I read this. We spent most of our time with the police and it's pretty evident that there are fractures building among the characters. I started to compare this a bit to Marple's Inspector Battle book, "Towards Zero" since there are some very light similarities here and there.
Also, not going to lie, it's pretty obvious who did it in this one. I at least want to be tricked you know?
I compared the writing to Christie and found it lacking overall. Christie is able to breathe life into mostly everyone (not counting some of her later works like The Third Girl) and you feel like smacking yourself upside the head when you get to the ending and Poirot and Marple reveal who did it and why.
The ending was so weird. Seriously. One character is talking, another breaks in (bitterly) and character one yells out that they are being left with nothing, not even their respect and that's it. I kept reading for another chapter. No dice.
July 19, 2019
Disappointing attempt by Hull to write a classic style mystery. Full review at classicmystery.blog
February 4, 2019
Just about everything in this book is a mystery. For a while, we don’t know who the characters are, what their grievances are, or even what has happened if anything has. There is just a terrible sense of foreboding. Then comes the slow sorting of contradictory clues, alibies, and motives. Finally, a melodramatic accusation catches the murderer in his own cleverness.
I enjoyed this mystery, but it wasn’t the best of Hull’s writing. I had a hard time sorting out all the characters, especially, in the first chapter. It opens with several people discussing an invitation and their various reasons for not wanting to accept. It wasn’t till sometime in the next chapter that I figured out what their relationship to each other was. Then several times throughout the story I had trouble following what was going on, partially because the reader is kept in the dark by everyone, and because there were so many layers of mystery. Of course, as we get to the end of the book most of that stops and we finally have a sense of knowing what has happened and is going to happen.
There were a couple of curse words throughout the book. Other than those it was a very clean book.
I received this as a free ARC through NetGalley and Agora books. No favorable review was required. It was my pleasure to provide my honest review.
I enjoyed this mystery, but it wasn’t the best of Hull’s writing. I had a hard time sorting out all the characters, especially, in the first chapter. It opens with several people discussing an invitation and their various reasons for not wanting to accept. It wasn’t till sometime in the next chapter that I figured out what their relationship to each other was. Then several times throughout the story I had trouble following what was going on, partially because the reader is kept in the dark by everyone, and because there were so many layers of mystery. Of course, as we get to the end of the book most of that stops and we finally have a sense of knowing what has happened and is going to happen.
There were a couple of curse words throughout the book. Other than those it was a very clean book.
I received this as a free ARC through NetGalley and Agora books. No favorable review was required. It was my pleasure to provide my honest review.
February 9, 2019
For my full review click on the link below:https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
May 11, 2019
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
And Death Came Too is a reformatting and re-release of a 1939 mystery by Richard Hull. Publication date 17th Jan 2019 by Agora books, it's 221 pages and available in ebook format. Other editions are available in other formats.
This is a classic golden age interwar British mystery from a somewhat lesser known author. I reviewed another of his mysteries, Excellent Intentions , on my blog earlier. The author was certainly not afraid of testing alternative narrative styles and plot devices. This book starts in the literal middle of a conversation at a dance and the beginning is so jarring that I wondered if my eARC was missing some pages or an introduction. The ending is also very steep and, for me, abrupt. That being said however, it is well written (if a product of its time period). The characters are mostly just sketched in, and the strongest facets of the mystery are the pacing and dramatic tension. Hull was very adept at the 'show, don't tell' school of writing and I spent probably 80% of the book with a very wobbly and uncertain feeling of near-dread.
The intro and denouement were the weakest parts of the mystery. The plotting is intricate and the pacing is methodical (but I never found it plodding, it's not dull, it's deliberate). I did hope that my guess about 'whodunit' wasn't spot on, but I was disappointed. I would submit that it could seem a bit predictable simply because modern readers are viewing it through the lens of history and so many authors have adopted the plot device since the 1930s that it's become a lot more mainstream.
Agora seem to be engaged in the worthwhile goal of reintroducing these out of print golden age authors to a new, and hopefully appreciative, audience. Possibly worth noting for Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this and some other Hull mysteries are included in the KU subscription library.
I enjoyed it, and I appreciate the publisher for making these long out of print classics available again.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
And Death Came Too is a reformatting and re-release of a 1939 mystery by Richard Hull. Publication date 17th Jan 2019 by Agora books, it's 221 pages and available in ebook format. Other editions are available in other formats.
This is a classic golden age interwar British mystery from a somewhat lesser known author. I reviewed another of his mysteries, Excellent Intentions , on my blog earlier. The author was certainly not afraid of testing alternative narrative styles and plot devices. This book starts in the literal middle of a conversation at a dance and the beginning is so jarring that I wondered if my eARC was missing some pages or an introduction. The ending is also very steep and, for me, abrupt. That being said however, it is well written (if a product of its time period). The characters are mostly just sketched in, and the strongest facets of the mystery are the pacing and dramatic tension. Hull was very adept at the 'show, don't tell' school of writing and I spent probably 80% of the book with a very wobbly and uncertain feeling of near-dread.
The intro and denouement were the weakest parts of the mystery. The plotting is intricate and the pacing is methodical (but I never found it plodding, it's not dull, it's deliberate). I did hope that my guess about 'whodunit' wasn't spot on, but I was disappointed. I would submit that it could seem a bit predictable simply because modern readers are viewing it through the lens of history and so many authors have adopted the plot device since the 1930s that it's become a lot more mainstream.
Agora seem to be engaged in the worthwhile goal of reintroducing these out of print golden age authors to a new, and hopefully appreciative, audience. Possibly worth noting for Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this and some other Hull mysteries are included in the KU subscription library.
I enjoyed it, and I appreciate the publisher for making these long out of print classics available again.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
February 7, 2019
This is a very clever murder mystery with lots of complications and clever twists.
Gerald Lansley, his fiance Patricia Hands, her brother Martin Hands, and their friend Barbara are at a dance and Mr. Yeldham had invited them to come to his home, Y Bryn, as they were the only four invited who hadn't gone yet. They finally decide to go. When they get there, the door is open and when they go in they see Salter, and a young woman who doesn't seem to have anything to say. A policeman comes into the room and tells them Mr. Yeldham is dead in the study. Then the unknown woman walks out. This is the first case for Detective Scoresby, who has several suspects.
The unidentified woman is found to be Maud Westbury, who was found from the license on the car someone had seen parked near Y Bryn. Salter was suspect because he took over Yeldham's house at the nearby school Finchingfield and owed Yeldham money for the house; Martin was suspect because his father was killed in the war from a mistake of Yeldham's father; and Maud had walked out. It later turns out the Maud had been married to one of the suspects (it wasn't clear which one), and she tries to blackmail her husband, and is murdered.
Scoresby finally gathers all the players at Y Bryn, and it's still unclear who the murderer is until the very end.
Gerald Lansley, his fiance Patricia Hands, her brother Martin Hands, and their friend Barbara are at a dance and Mr. Yeldham had invited them to come to his home, Y Bryn, as they were the only four invited who hadn't gone yet. They finally decide to go. When they get there, the door is open and when they go in they see Salter, and a young woman who doesn't seem to have anything to say. A policeman comes into the room and tells them Mr. Yeldham is dead in the study. Then the unknown woman walks out. This is the first case for Detective Scoresby, who has several suspects.
The unidentified woman is found to be Maud Westbury, who was found from the license on the car someone had seen parked near Y Bryn. Salter was suspect because he took over Yeldham's house at the nearby school Finchingfield and owed Yeldham money for the house; Martin was suspect because his father was killed in the war from a mistake of Yeldham's father; and Maud had walked out. It later turns out the Maud had been married to one of the suspects (it wasn't clear which one), and she tries to blackmail her husband, and is murdered.
Scoresby finally gathers all the players at Y Bryn, and it's still unclear who the murderer is until the very end.
January 16, 2019
Who killed Arthur Yeldham?... And what was the motive? These are the questions at the root of this novel which, as far as I know, was the closest Richard Hull came to writing a classic puzzle mystery.
The story is spun out in leisurely fashion, with strongly-drawn characters even in minor roles. The regular police are to the fore, with DS Scoresby interviewing relentlessly, and reporting to the Chief Constable. There is even a "grand confrontation scene, ending with the unmasking of the villain" as one character sardonically described it.
This was hugely enjoyable and demonstrates that, while still being slightly subversive, Hull was not always just looking for innovative ways of writing about crime. This is classic stuff, fairly and solidly clued, with a few red herring, some misdirection and a not-too-difficult-to-spot murderer, although the motive was a bit more opaque.
Recommended, although not the best, and not my favourite by this very readable author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Agora Books for the digital review copy.
The story is spun out in leisurely fashion, with strongly-drawn characters even in minor roles. The regular police are to the fore, with DS Scoresby interviewing relentlessly, and reporting to the Chief Constable. There is even a "grand confrontation scene, ending with the unmasking of the villain" as one character sardonically described it.
This was hugely enjoyable and demonstrates that, while still being slightly subversive, Hull was not always just looking for innovative ways of writing about crime. This is classic stuff, fairly and solidly clued, with a few red herring, some misdirection and a not-too-difficult-to-spot murderer, although the motive was a bit more opaque.
Recommended, although not the best, and not my favourite by this very readable author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Agora Books for the digital review copy.
January 19, 2019
"And Death Came Too" is a mystery originally published in 1939. The characters were interesting, but this was mainly a puzzle mystery with a focus on sorting out the clues. There are basically eight suspects to the murder, and each had either a motive or the means. The trick is to discover who had access to both the weapon and the man and a motive worthy of murder. The detective worked slowly, but he carefully collected information and sorted out what it meant. People withheld information or messed with the evidence, making the detective's job more difficult. The reader has more information than the detective, so it's possible to guess whodunit a little before the detective.
There was no sex. There were only a few uses of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this twisty mystery.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
There was no sex. There were only a few uses of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this twisty mystery.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
January 15, 2019
Four young people having spent three evenings in a row socialising are now, late at night, reluctant to pay a call in response to a request by Arthur Yeldham to visit him. But they are persuaded, and later are faced with a death. Detective Sergeant Scoresby slowly investigates.
A slow paced story as you would expect from a book published in 1939 but a still an interesting well-written mystery.
A NetGalley Book
A slow paced story as you would expect from a book published in 1939 but a still an interesting well-written mystery.
A NetGalley Book
March 22, 2020
Why would someone want to kill a former school teacher? That's the question. When four Bright Young Things stop by his house to ask why he didn't show up at their party, they discover a man and a woman both of whom take off before the police show up. I heard about this book on the podcast Classic Mysteries. It was a bit convoluted and I really did not like the ending but it was an okay way to pass some time.
January 25, 2019
I think Richard Hull was a genius and I'm happy that Agora Books is publishing is books again.
This one was great, full of humour and with an unpredictable plot.
I look forward to reading the next book book by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Agora Books and Netgalley for this ARC
This one was great, full of humour and with an unpredictable plot.
I look forward to reading the next book book by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Agora Books and Netgalley for this ARC
July 10, 2019
A great cosy mystery set in the late 1930's.A book in which it is like a puzzle where you need to solve the mystery from the clues you have. 8 suspects all with motive, means and opportunity now its just about whodunnit! I did guess who the murderer was and it felt that might be easy to do but I still enjoyed finding out whether I was right or not!
February 1, 2021
This story makes the reader work a bit harder than the typical murder mystery, the opening was a bit confusing and I didn’t find this to be a particularly fast paced novel but perhaps that is intentional. I liked that I felt a step ahead of the detective but the characters didn’t feel particularly well established and the ending was a bit steep. Probably won’t read other works by the author.
April 21, 2019
I do like the cover of this book. It seems to convey a pretty accurate impression about what we may find inside the book and it definitely indicates the tone of all the people and the investigation (there is a dead body, so there has to be an investigation)
I preface the brief summarizing of the tale with the fact that this is not for people who need a plot to sustain them, now moving on to that summary.The new owner of Y Bryn is dead. There were a few people around a dining table waiting for his arrival late at the night.They are there at his behest.
We have a rich pair of siblings, a fiance, a possible future fiancée, an older schoolmaster,a mystery woman and a very cocky policeman. This is a motley crew, some with stronger ties to the man than others and we are given an insight into their thoughts or at least we are allowed to think so. Then the revelation is made. The skeleton, (reasonably) untrained police staff of the village has to now take up a murder investigation. Things move painstakingly slowly but the description of the process and the subtly hilarious interactions between the lot made me feel very clever when I spotted them.The culprit is apprehended in the most normal of ways, and there is not much of a fight to get them to reveal all. This last part being the reason that you do not read this book for the resolution of the case but the process of getting there. Richard Hull's books remind me of the joy I felt at a time when I still read slowly and read only the few books a local library could provide me with. These being older English books, I am very familiar with this form of narration. Although not meant for everyone in this fast paced literary lifestyle, I highly recommend taking a detour down a simpler more intricately paved lane to visit with the people in the Richard Hull's world.
I preface the brief summarizing of the tale with the fact that this is not for people who need a plot to sustain them, now moving on to that summary.The new owner of Y Bryn is dead. There were a few people around a dining table waiting for his arrival late at the night.They are there at his behest.
We have a rich pair of siblings, a fiance, a possible future fiancée, an older schoolmaster,a mystery woman and a very cocky policeman. This is a motley crew, some with stronger ties to the man than others and we are given an insight into their thoughts or at least we are allowed to think so. Then the revelation is made. The skeleton, (reasonably) untrained police staff of the village has to now take up a murder investigation. Things move painstakingly slowly but the description of the process and the subtly hilarious interactions between the lot made me feel very clever when I spotted them.The culprit is apprehended in the most normal of ways, and there is not much of a fight to get them to reveal all. This last part being the reason that you do not read this book for the resolution of the case but the process of getting there. Richard Hull's books remind me of the joy I felt at a time when I still read slowly and read only the few books a local library could provide me with. These being older English books, I am very familiar with this form of narration. Although not meant for everyone in this fast paced literary lifestyle, I highly recommend taking a detour down a simpler more intricately paved lane to visit with the people in the Richard Hull's world.
December 17, 2019
This is only my second Richard Hull book but I already adore his wry writing style. This one is a classic, old fashioned whodunnit, a slow burner as is fairly typical for a murder mystery written in the 30s. I love all the detail that goes into describing the venue, everyone’s evening attire, drinks and food, and the financial and emotional backgrounds of all the characters. The plot itself did not come as a huge surprise, but with this one it’s very much the journey that is enjoyable.
Perfect for anyone who wants a bit of cosy old-fashioned escapism.
Perfect for anyone who wants a bit of cosy old-fashioned escapism.
February 8, 2019
This is a very clever murder mystery with lots of complications and clever twists.
Gerald Lansley, his fiance Patricia Hands, her brother Martin Hands, and their friend Barbara are at a dance and Mr. Yeldham had invited them to come to his home, Y Bryn, as they were the only four invited who hadn't gone yet. They finally decide to go. When they get there, the door is open and when they go in they see Salter, and a young woman who doesn't seem to have anything to say. A policeman comes into the room and tells them Mr. Yeldham is dead in the study. Then the unknown woman walks out. This is the first case for Detective Scoresby, who has several suspects.
The unidentified woman is found to be Maud Westbury, who was found from the license on the car someone had seen parked near Y Bryn. Salter was suspect because he took over Yeldham's house at the nearby school Finchingfield and owed Yeldham money for the house; Martin was suspect because his father was killed in the war from a mistake of Yeldham's father; and Maud had walked out. It later turns out the Maud had been married to one of the suspects (it wasn't clear which one), and she tries to blackmail her husband, and is murdered.
Scoresby finally gathers all the players at Y Bryn, and it's still unclear who the murderer is until the very end.
Gerald Lansley, his fiance Patricia Hands, her brother Martin Hands, and their friend Barbara are at a dance and Mr. Yeldham had invited them to come to his home, Y Bryn, as they were the only four invited who hadn't gone yet. They finally decide to go. When they get there, the door is open and when they go in they see Salter, and a young woman who doesn't seem to have anything to say. A policeman comes into the room and tells them Mr. Yeldham is dead in the study. Then the unknown woman walks out. This is the first case for Detective Scoresby, who has several suspects.
The unidentified woman is found to be Maud Westbury, who was found from the license on the car someone had seen parked near Y Bryn. Salter was suspect because he took over Yeldham's house at the nearby school Finchingfield and owed Yeldham money for the house; Martin was suspect because his father was killed in the war from a mistake of Yeldham's father; and Maud had walked out. It later turns out the Maud had been married to one of the suspects (it wasn't clear which one), and she tries to blackmail her husband, and is murdered.
Scoresby finally gathers all the players at Y Bryn, and it's still unclear who the murderer is until the very end.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews