Body Found Stabbed (Annotated): An English Village Mystery

by A.G. Macdonell, Sara E. Rosett (Introduction)

Kilby St. Benedict is a typical English village, whose tranquil facade conceals a nest of scandal. The vicar and a militant atheist are engaged in a petty feud. To make matters worse, both are in love with the beautiful daughter of the Armenian millionaire who lives at the manor, a passion shared by the ruthlessly ambitious son of local poet Ludovic Macaulay. So when a body is found stabbed to death near the Monk's Weir, Inspector Fleming has no problems in discovering a slew of potential suspects. Half the village appear to have been roaming the countryside on the night of the death, and a search uncovers not just one, but two possible murder weapons. Soon, Fleming is knee-deep in corruption, blackmail and scandal... and reconstructing the crime seems an impossible task.

Genres: British Literature

213 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1932

About the author

Archibald Gordon Macdonell was a Scottish writer, journalist and broadcaster, whose most famous work is the gently satirical novel England, Their England (1933).

Reviews

[Anissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd had this sitting on my Kindle for a couple of years and I was in the mood for a Golden Age mystery. Other than this tile, I'd never heard of A.G. Macdonell and I am so glad I came across this to read.

In an otherwise nice hamlet, a body is found stabbed in a copse between two manor houses. The victim is a poet, womanizer and also one who likes to harass people generally. He's seemingly been stabbed, robbed of thousands of pounds and oddly, two knives found at the scene of the crime. Stranger still, there may be more than one scene of the crime. Layers and layers of complications for Scotland Yard's Inspector Fleming and his team to sort out. A suspect is soon found but the circumstantial evidence is too copious and too perfect, raising Fleming's suspicion of a framing. I won't give it away here but the solution to what really happened and why is both close to home and elsewhere in the world. Both in the present and in the past. It was a fun read because of that. I was always interested and trying to figure out who did what and why. The characters were, for the most part, well constructed.

Recommended.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: when a body is found near the Monk's Weir in Kilby St. Benedict, Inspector Fleming has no problems in discovering a slew of suspects.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have been four and a half stars if the ending was a bit better.

A beautifully written, fairly traditional English village murder mystery. The author writes with a very slight trace of wit that I have found enjoyable in this and his other books. Inspector Fleming is a nice character and the plot is clever notwithstanding that the ending was a bit unsatisfactory.

Highly recommended, especially for those who like Golden Age mysteries written in excellent English.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complex village mystery with several characters and love interests to keep track of. The solution was cleverly done.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly enjoyable and well-written story of murder. attempted murder, blackmail and high finance, set in an English village.

The characters are vividly drawn and the plot is nicely complex with some back story in the 1912 Armenian massacres and WW1.

The professional police led by Inspector Fleming do a solid job of detecting, but the ending is a little weak. There is a light sprinkling of romance.

Strongly recommended for lovers of good 1930's English detective novels.