Murder's a Swine

Agnes Sidebotham & Andrew Kinghof #2

by Nap Lombard, Martin Edwards (Introduction)

“I should imagine this was murder, too, because it would be very difficult to build yourself into a heap of sandbags and then die…”

In the blackout conditions of a wintry London night, amateur sleuth Agnes Kinghof and a young air-raid warden have stumbled upon a corpse stowed in the walls of their street’s bomb shelter. As the police begin their investigation, the night is interrupted once again when Agnes’s upstairs neighbor Mrs Sibley is terrorized by the sight of a grisly pig’s head at her fourth-floor window. With the discovery of more sinister threats mysteriously signed ‘Pig-sticker’, Agnes and her husband Andrew – unable to resist a good mystery – begin their investigation to deduce the identity of a villain living amongst the tenants of their block of flats.

A witty and light-hearted mystery full of intriguing period detail, this rare gem of Golden Age crime returns to print for the first time since its publication in 1943.

Genres: Mystery, London, Fiction, British Literature, Crime, Classics, Historical Fiction

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1943

About the author

Pen name of husband and wife writing team: Gordon Neil Stewart and Pamela Hansford Johnson (m. 1936; div. 1949)

Reviews

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nap Lombard is the pseudonym of husband and wife writing team, Pamela Hansford Johnson and Gordon Neil Stewart. I must admit that I'd never heard of him, but I recently read and enjoyed 'An Error of Judgement ' by her, so when I heard this was coming out I was keen to get hold of a copy.

Set during the 'phoney war'speriod of WW2, when air-raids were still thought funny. Agnes and Clem find a dead body in an air-raid shelter, so she and her husband Andrew set about trying to solve the mystery. The story is quite preposterous, but I don't read golden age mysteries for their realism, and I found it fun. Agnes and Andrew reminded me of Tommy and Tuppence, and this was more of an adventure than a tightly plotted mystery. The pair wrote one other mystery which I'd like to read as well.

*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.*

[Roman Clodia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unabashedly frothy, escapist and fun, this book has an adorable couple of amateur detectives at its centre, the married Agnes and Andrew. They're like a more sophisticated Tommy and Tuppence from Agatha Christie with a nice line in banter: when Andrew is kissing Agnes' neck and getting all mushy over her, she tells him to stop spitting on her neck!

Set in 1938 during the 'phony war', there are blackouts and fire wardens, Andrew joining and getting leave from the army, British fascist groups and a 'smutty' cinema showing what seem to be soft porn films - and in the midst of all this, a heartless plot to kill off everyone standing between a man and an inheritance.

The plot is a bit haywire and kooky and the 'British Mussolites' don't really fit with anything other than some local colour, but this is just so much fun that I felt very forgiving. And is this the only time that woodlice get to muscle out a criminal confession?

I have to say that the villain is not that well hidden going to the 'smutty' cinema was a clear giveaway but the air of cheeky irreverence won me over completely.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wartime mystery is more interesting in terms of setting and social history than plot or story. However, the central characters of young husband and wife, Angnes and Andrew Kinghof, are likeable enough. It is the early days of the phoney war. Agnes and Andrew live in a block of flats, although Andrew has been called up and pops in and out of the story as he has leave. Nobody is really quite sure of what is about to befall them. There are meetings about possible fires, with no awareness of the coming blitz. War, at that point, seems quite unreal. Although, there are air raid shelters in place and, one day, Agnes and a young warden find a body inside, who turns out to be the estranged brother of one of the residents.

This discovery throws Agnes and Andrew into an investigation of the mystery. Apparently, they had been in other such scrapes before and have a cousin, nicknamed, 'Pig,' who is something quite high up in Scotland Yard. The nickname is relevant as there are pigs galore in this book. Someone is trying to scare and kill their relatives in order to gain an inheritance. It is all rather silly, with traitorous supporters of fascism meeting in the countryside, pig masks on sticks and the sense that, being mixed up with murder, is good fun. Overall, rated 3.5.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected to find this mildly enjoyable but it really is a gem. Our sleuthing couple are smart but flawed, brave but believable and completely charming.

[Susan in NC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this lighthearted, humorous GA mystery, set in the “sitzkrieg” period at the beginning of World War II, (I’d never heard that term), when nothing much was happening yet, and Brits were unaware of what was to come. I got the paperback through my library, and listened to the audiobook through Scribd. I found that helpful, because the narrator was entertaining and conveyed the gallows humor well - also gave some context for some of the jokes.

The Reading the Detectives group aren’t reading this one until July, so I don’t want to give away any spoilers. I was struck by the humor, but also the underlying creepy menace - the villain struck me as almost “modern”, the way he stalked and terrorized his female victims. I don’t read a lot of modern psychological thrillers because I don’t appreciate the violence and cruelty. This killer was cruel, greedy, and lacking in any remorse. Also, modern readers will probably find the casual sexism of the period offensive, and may be jarred by a subplot involving very ineffective Mussolini-sympathizers intent on overthrowing the British government, who may be traitors. Bizarre to read about now!

It was very effectively done, I thought, a tightly plotted revenge-themed murder mystery based on the old standby of a greedy killer wanting what they perceived as a rightful inheritance gone to the wrong relative. But the authors added a cheeky, sexy young couple (Andrew and Agnes Kinghof), a stuffy Scotland Yard official (Andrew’s cousin, Lord Whitestone), a few possible suspects among the other residents of the Kinghofs’ apartment block, a body stuffed in among the rotting sandbags of an air raid shelter, discovered by Agnes and a young air raid warden in the first pages, and we get an interesting, entertaining thriller. The authors did a good job, also, conveying the “wait and see” attitude of the time.

It really was quite an interesting feat to pull off for the husband and wife writing team - there’s obviously a great of love, passion and humor between the married couple who star as our amateur sleuths (Andrew and Agnes), and they have a respectful, friendly relationship with Inspector Eggshell (great name, eh?), and a more combative, complex relationship with Andrew’s cousin, Lord Whitestone, who is “someone important” at Scotland Yard. His childhood nickname ‘Pig’ is still used by the Kinghofs.

According to Martin Edwards’ helpful introduction to the British Library Crime Classics edition I read, there was a first mystery with the Kinghofs and Pig and called “Tidy Death”, published in 1940, but it has yet to be republished. I would like to read it, get more background on the antagonism between Lord W and Andrew, and to spend more time with the Kinghofs!

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dynamic duo…

Air-raid warden Clem Poplett scurries out of the rain to enjoy a quick smoke in the well of a block of flats which has been designated as an air-raid shelter. He discovers it’s already occupied by Agnes Kinghof, a resident of the block, who has locked herself out and is waiting for the caretaker to come home so he can let her in with his spare key. As the two chat, Agnes becomes aware of an unpleasant odour. Investigating, they discover a very dead body hidden beneath the sandbags in the shelter. Agnes, truth to tell, is rather thrilled – there’s nothing she and her husband Andrew enjoy more than a little amateur detecting! That same evening, Mrs Sibley, who lives in one of the upper flats, is woken by a tapping at her window and is shocked into hysterics when she sees a pig’s head apparently staring in at her. This delights Agnes even more…

Set in the period of the “phoney war” when nothing bad had started happening to the people of London, and with a delightful detective duo in Agnes and Andrew, this is a light-hearted, frothy entertainment, written for humour but with a surprisingly decent mystery underneath. It is soon discovered that the dead man and Mrs Sibley are connected, and the probable identity of the murderer is also soon known. But for various reasons it appears that that person may be disguised as someone else – one of the people who lives in the block of flats or someone who has easy access to the building. So Agnes and Andrew decide to assist the unfortunately named Inspector Eggshell with his enquiries, whether he wants them to or not. Andrew’s cousin Lord “Pig” Whitestone is a high-up in Scotland Yard, and he very definitely doesn’t want them involved – especially Agnes, since he believes a woman’s place is in the home, looking attractive. Agnes is a modern woman, though, who thinks nothing of shinning up a ladder in the middle of the night in pursuit of a possible murderer, even if it means her sheer Couleur de Rose silk stockings may be ruined!

I couldn’t make up my mind whether the influences for this duo were Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence Beresford or Nick and Nora Charles of The Thin Man movies. In the intro, Martin Edwards suggests the latter, and I’m happy to go along – there’s the definite cocktail-drinking life’s-a-lark feel about the young couple. Had it been set later in the war this may have jarred, but the authors show that apart from some shortages the war hadn’t started to feel real to the people on the home front this early on. The authors are another married duo – Gordon Neil Stewart and Pamela Hansford Johnson, writing as “Nap Lombard”. It’s very well written with some great comic timing, and quite racy for the period in an entirely innocent and inoffensive way, with lots of mostly humorous hints of sex and stuff going on behind the blackout curtains. In one sense it’s quite sexist, with all the young women trying to be attractive to catch their respective men and all the men being big tough protectors to the little women in their lives. But, like Tuppence Beresford, our intrepid Agnes is the driving force in the partnership so it has a reasonably modern feel too.

It frequently stretches credulity and the ending is quite ridiculous, but honestly it doesn’t matter – the book isn’t aiming for gritty slice-of-life stuff. It’s the kind of thing to pick up when you want a few hours of pure entertainment in the company of some very enjoyable characters. Unfortunately, “Nap Lombard” only wrote two mystery novels – I do hope the BL will publish the other one some day. Great fun! 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, the British Library.

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[Michaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the investigating couple, but the mystery dragged after a while, and the story was often scary.

[Lady Wesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of the audiobook narrated by Chris Dyer.

This is a delightful Golden Age mystery set in London during the Phony War of 1939. The plot may not rise to the level of Sayers or Christie, but this reader did not solve the case. The prose and characterization are excellent, as we get to know a group of people who live in the same block of flats. Is there a killer among them? I shan’t tell, but I do highly recommend this forgotten classic.

Chris Dyer is a good narrator. I was distracted here, though, by a weakness for differentiating between characters' voices. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Well-written, with engaging amateur-detective characters (I love it when somebody pulls off a genuinely happy and likable married couple) investigating a pretty decently-plotted though quite nasty crime (or rather series of crimes).

[Sid Nuncius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder’s A Swine is a light, enjoyable mystery, originally published in 1943. It is well told, has quite engaging protagonists and the early wartime setting is interesting.

The plot...well, it’s pretty silly really. Agnes Kinghof discovers a body in an air-raid shelter and there follow some sinister goings-on involving threats to a neighbour in the form of pig-related apparitions at windows, and so on. Agnes and her husband Andrew are drawn into the investigation, there are some high-jinks and light-hearted badinage and the whole thing is a bit of a romp.

It’s well enough done to carry it off, although some of the husband-and-wife banter isn’t as amusing as it thinks it is and the solution and dénouement are really pretty absurd. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it overall, largely because Agnes is very likeable, some of it is genuinely quite funny and the writing is good. There is the occasional descriptive nugget like this, for example: “The cottages were Tudor, delightful to the tourist, unpleasant for the inhabitant; but the most enthusiastic admirers of rural England do not, as a rule, have to live in it.”

In his interesting introduction, Martin Edwards describes the book as “a cheerful mystery” and says that “To be able to lose oneself in an enjoyable, unserious book is an under-estimated pleasure.” I agree and I can recommend Murder’s A Swine.

[JacquiWine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

First published in 1943, Murder’s a Swine (US title: The Grinning Pig) was the second of two mystery novels co-written by Pamela Hansford Johnson and her husband, Gordon Neil Stewart, under the pen name ‘Nap Lombard’. This very engaging mystery has recently been reissued as part of the British Library Crime Classics series (my thanks to the publishers for kindly providing a review copy). As ever with the BLCCs, there is much to enjoy here, not least the dynamic between Agnes and Andrew Kinghof, the two amateur sleuths who play a crucial role in unmasking the identity of a ruthless killer – a man operating under the rather sinister guise of ‘The Pig-Sticker’. More on him a little later…

The novel opens on a bitterly cold evening in the middle of winter as a young Air Raid Precaution Warden, Clem Poplett, takes refuge from the miserable weather in one of the designated shelters near the Stewarts Court flats. It is here that Poplett and Agnes Kinghof (who also happens to be in the shelter) discover a dead body, partially concealed amongst a pile of sandbags that have started to smell. Agnes and her husband Andrew fancy themselves as amateur sleuths, having aided the police in Lombard’s previous crime novel, Tidy Death. As such, the couple are intrigued by the discovery of the body, all the more so when something rather strange happens at Stewarts Court later the same night…

Mrs Sibley – a somewhat frail, mature lady who lives in the flat directly above the Kinghofs’ – is horrified when a pig’s head appears out of nowhere outside her bedroom window. Once the incident comes to light, Mrs Rowse, the writer who shares the flat with Mrs Sibley, calls on the Kinghofs for assistance, relating the gruesome events that have frightened her friend.

“She says she was lying in bed, with the black-out curtains open—she always opens them before she goes to sleep as she must have fresh air—when she heard a tap on the window. She looked up, and there it was grinning at her—a pig’s head, all shining and blue, with the snout pressed against the pane…” (p. 28)

Before long, a connection is uncovered between the dead man in the shelter and Mrs Sibley, thereby suggesting a potential link between the two events. The deceased – who appears to have been murdered – was Mrs Sibley’s estranged brother, Reg Coppenstall, last seen nearly thirty years ago. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a family inheritance was the cause of a longstanding rift between the siblings when Reg was largely excluded from his aunt’s will in favour of his sister. Now the past has returned to haunt Mrs Sibley, with Reg’s son, a chap named Maclagan Steer, being the main suspect of interest. The trouble is, no one knows what Maclagan looks like, making him a rather tricky individual to unmask.

To read the rest of my review, please visit:

https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2021...

[BJ Hal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read anything by this author before but I really enjoyed it. Enough that I will actually look out for the first book containing Agnes and Andrew. I agree with the editor that there is an influence of The Thin Man in the two main characters with their drinking and jocular nature. The setting, at the beginning of the Second World War during the 'Phony War' stage with the ARP wardens and constant mentions of the black out, was very evocative especially at the end of the book when Andrew was away with the army and Agnes was doing war work whilst living on her own in their flat and the sense of loneliness she was experiencing.
The reason for 4 stars is because I thought it was rather too easy to guess who the criminal was, although there was one clue which I don't see how the criminal could have done it but as I also couldn't see how any of the other suspects could have done it either I ignored it. I would actually have given this a 3.75 if I could but unfortunately my Kindle will only allow whole numbers!

[Laura Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The crime-solving duo's romantic banter lights up the otherwise dark story of a killer terrorizing a block of London flats in the early days of WWII. This reminded me of the b&w screwball-mysteries that were my childhood-favorites.

[Anatl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story takes places mainly on a block of apartments in London with an investigating married couple Agnes and Andrew, that immediately bring to mind Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence or Nick and Nora from The Thin Man. Agnes helps discover a dead body in the air raid shelter and then becomes even more involved when one of her neighbors is literally frightened to death and drops dead out of shock. The main suspect is the deceased's nephew, but no one knows what he looks like, and the only assumption that might be made is that he lives on the same block of buildings.

Set in the period called the “phoney war” during WWII, well before the air raids started, this is by far the most fascinating thing about this book. As the residents of block 3 Stewarts Court convene around the subject of fire hazards and raids, they also need to root out who amongst them is a cold blooded killer. It is supposed to be funny, jolly and whimsical like a screwball comedy, but I found the tone a little too lackadaisical.

Another thing I liked about the book are the many literary references to Auden, Shakespeare, G.B. Shaw. Politics though are much less prominent. Although there is a ring of Mussolini sympathizers exposed vis a vis the murder investigation, they don't give off any sense of threat. Hitler's name is bandied about here and there, but the atmosphere is more domestic, with nylon stockings and running cisterns seem to feature more than any news from Europe. And Andrew who is drafted to the army seems to have enough free time to go sleuthing and cavort around the countryside.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this book. The relationship between the married couple was so good. I loved some of the comments they made about each other which were very humorous, but also taken in a light-hearted way. Agnes, the wife was very good at spinning a yarn, which she did right at the beginning, when her and one of the young ARP's discovered a dead body among the sandbags of the community air-raid shelter. This being set before the war proper had begun, a dead body was not a common occurrence, and so the story lead us to the other characters. These were the husband of the Agnes, and the various occupants of the flats in which Agnes lived. The police investigation brought in Inspector Eggshell (not as delicate as he sounds) and it is discovered that the dead man is a relation of one of the women living in the flats, leaving a considerable amount of money to her. This leads to her being the subject of a frightening sequence of events by the murderer, using, of all things a pig. We are then thrown into a world of pigs heads and masks and even trotters, inheritors, and a group of supporters of fascism and a watcher of pornography.
This really was a pretty bazaar story, but was ably done by using the comical side of events. It would seem that there was a previous book, but that has not been republished, so I am hoping that it is in the near future.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan, as I am, of breezy couples as detectives (think of Nick and Nora, or the Norths), you'll enjoy reading about British Army officer Andrew Kinghof and his wife Agnes, plain-faced but universally admired for her beautiful legs. Since World War II is getting off to a slow start, Andy has plenty of leave, and is available when Agnes and an air raid warden discover a man's body in a shelter. Soon they learn that the death is closely tied to the building where they live. Since Andy's cousin (nicknamed Pig) is something high up in Scotland Yard, they get more inside information than they should, and are always willing to take things too far--especially reckless Agnes.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agnes and Andrew Kinghof are amateur sleuths, so obviously, when a body is found in their street’s bomb shelter they start investigating. And when their neighbour is terrified by a floating pig head the same night, it's not long before a connection between the two events is uncovered. What follows is a murderous rampage and a race against time to find the murderous swine.

There's something about the London blackouts during the war that make for a glorious and dastardly crime setting. The eerie darkness, inescapable sense of impending danger and peril. It must have been terrifying and it gives any mystery I read set in this period a particularly heightened creep factor. Throw in a nefarious individual stalking around in a pig mask, waving a pig head around outside windows and leaving trotters under those windows and the 'gah, shiver' feeling intensifies!

The creepiness is balanced out with wit and entertaining characters. I was particularly fond of lady writer - Mrs Rowse - and her tunnel vision when it came to her latest novel. She frequently expresses her frustrations at what her characters are doing and it really made the book for me.

This was a wonderfully mysterious romp, full of red herrings, great characters and a pair of sleuths I'd love to see more of (Nap Lombard – a husband and wife team, only wrote two novels, so that dream is dashed!) The ending was very satisfying and this is another super edition to the Crime classics family

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the changing tone of this Golden Age mystery - at times witty and charming, at others genuinely creepy and chilling - and the lively bunch of characters. The amateur detectives are Andrew and Agnes Kinghof, a wealthy London couple with a full social life (and a taste for copious amounts of whisky) who take up investigating when Agnes finds a dead body in the air raid shelter.

The plot is quite twisty and takes in a few red herrings along the way, and the final reveal of the culprit was a neat one. I liked the feisty Agnes, the wonderfully named Inspector Eggshell, and the assorted inhabitants of the block of flats - the characters were so eccentric that I didn’t have any problems remembering who was who.

Original and charming, a very enjoyable mystery of the era.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me the interesting feature of this novel was its depiction of life in wartime London, although other writers of contemporary crime fiction, such as ECR Lorac, have done this as well, if not better.

The plot was untaxing to say the least but that is not my main gripe.

I found the tone of this book quite distasteful. It reeked of privilege and of something bordering on contempt for the "lower classes". I disliked it intensely.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Discounted | Badly paced | I enjoyed this to begin with, and the Kinghofs were fun all the way through, but it just went on and on and on and on, and the murderer and his motive bored the pants off me, making a very unsatisfying conclusion. If I was going to stick with a book that should have stopped before the two boring and unnecessary attempted murders, and push through an unedifying subplot about British fascists, I needed a confession that wasn't so sordid and pointless.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Two Envelopes And A Phone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been on vacation this week, and besides trying to pick reads of the most enjoyably escapist type, I did go to the movies and catch up on two superhero flicks. Result: I liked this book more than Spider-Mans and a Batman. But then, Murder’s A Swine is not a sloppy cash cow of past successes dressed up as a multiverse…and its Riddler-like villain easily outshines the latest actual Riddler, who - I don’t know how you felt, but - who seemed to dry up and blow away into nothingness the longer and longer and longer The Batman went on. Ugh. (I did like Batman, and Catwoman, though.)

So, to focus on the book I’m reviewing, this is how it’s done; the whole ‘creepy villain who likes to taunt and tease and torment, before each kill’ thing works wonderfully here…the only flaw here perhaps being how easy it might be for most readers to latch on to the killer’s ID before the reveal. The book is a superior mix of sudden suspense - I love when it’s killer POV time (or near as dammit) - and Mr. & Mrs. North-ish, or Nick & Nora Charles-type humour. See? Humour does not have to be completely snubbed, in some all-consuming, smothering effort to creep an audience out. You can do both. This book does both.

Even though I had an epiphany at some embarrassingly deep page, that brain-fingered the Professor Pyg-themed murderer for me, that doesn’t mean I understood all the nuts and bolts of what had been going on. The laying out of every little detail of torment tied in with the terrible terminations of the helpless innocents gave me my best villain of the week.

I’ll end with special recommendation of this book to Mystery lovers who seek the good ones set during World War 2. Yes, if that’s your sub-genre, or one of them, this novel will give you the London of blackouts and air-raid shelters and women tearfully farewelling their men at the train station…plus the odd side-trip out to the idyllic countryside (not actually that idyllic, in this novel, despite less chance of explosive devastation).

Enjoy! Better than an overrated movie and expensive popcorn!

[Anatl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story takes places mainly on a block of apartments in London with an investigating married couple Agnes and Andrew, that immediately bring to mind Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence or Nick and Nora from The Thin Man. Agnes helps discover a dead body in the air raid shelter and then becomes even more involved when one of her neighbors is literally frightened to death and drops dead out of shock. The main suspect is the deceased's nephew, but no one knows what he looks like, and the only assumption that might be made is that he lives on the same block of buildings.

Set in the period called the “phoney war” during WWII, well before the air raids started, this is by far the most fascinating thing about this book. As the residents of block 3 Stewarts Court convene around the subject of fire hazards and raids, they also need to root out who amongst them is a cold blooded killer. It is supposed to be funny, jolly and whimsical like a screwball comedy, but I found the tone a little too lackadaisical.

Another thing I liked about the book are the many literary references to Auden, Shakespeare, G.B. Shaw. Politics though are much less prominent. Although there is a ring of Mussolini sympathizers exposed vis a vis the murder investigation, they don't give off any sense of threat. Hitler's name is bandied about here and there, but the atmosphere is more domestic, with nylon stockings and running cisterns seem to feature more than any news from Europe. And Andrew who is drafted to the army seems to have enough free time to go sleuthing and cavort around the countryside.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

2021 bk 374. My goodness - a mystery story with such twists to it. First twist - in an era where they mystery novels were gung-ho, this one was in a more subtle manner. It exposes the small and very small-minded groups that being pro-Hitler/Mussolini, went undercover, the sheer luck that kept persons in comfort or wiped out their savings/homes/livelihoods in a matter of seconds, the trials of war time travel and communication. All this an a very well done mystery. I have to admit, I didn't know who 'done it', didn't guess - and my money would have been on another so thoroughly was if bamboozled. I liked the main characters and enjoyed seeing how the wife managed to get around the strictures placed on women and how she got her self out of problems, most of the time. I wish I had read the earlier book first - but it probably would not have caught my eye.

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, this was story really held me and the fact that the two sleuths (man and wife) were totally in love and in sync with one another made it really enjoyable. Kept you guessing and felt like you got dropped into the time period with all the unknown fear and absurdity that it must have had. The title- which is odd- gives you a taste of what's to come.

The Kinghof's are staying in a flat with only a few tenants - when I body is discovered (right off the bat.) Things just keep going along and luckily Andrew Kinghof gets out on leave a few times and is every so helpful! Agnes, his wife does seem to be on hand to get a bit more eye-witnessing done as well. (Won't say more, it would ruin the story.)

Highly recommend. Would love it if the first book by Nap Lombard - A Tidy Death could be reprinted if anyone had a copy about. In terms of a mystery, great fun and gruesome at the same time.

[Bookoholiccafe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder's a Swine by Nap Lombard is a dynamic duo.
It was my first book and I have to admit, I’ve never heard of the authors, but I enjoyed this book a lot and I am going to check their other books.

Set in the period called “Phoney War” during WWII, when on a bitterly cold winter night, Andrew and Agnes discover a body in an air raid shed, they decide to investigate it themselves, and that is when they started investigating and talking to suspicious and secretive neighbors to solve the murder mystery.

This was a brilliantly Witten mysterious thriller, with great characters, and interesting plot

[Mystica · Rating 4 out of 5]

By 1940 the air raid shelters were being used quite a bit and a young air raid warden and Agnes
a amateur sleuth discover a body hidden in one of the sandbags. No one can deduce anything other
than murder and when at the same time many signs and threats appear with the intention of frightening residents with images of pigs heads, and stuff pig related all appear to confuse any detective trying to solve the two cases - present and past.

It is a classic crime of a vintage era and the setting of WWII adds to the aura. Descriptive of
the way of life during WWII plus the social mores of the times, this was an interesting and
an enlightening read (apart from the mystery murder and finding out who the victim was).

[Michael Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) I'm not sure this fits exactly the definition of a cozy mystery, but it feels like one, even though it's set in London and not a small town or village. During WWII, a couple (Agnes and Andrew) investigate the terrorizing of a sweet older lady who lives in their building by someone using a grotesque pig mask. Eventually there are a couple of murders, the discovery of a group of unpatriotic fascists, and some run-ins between our couple and the law. I liked the first half of this quite a bit—it builds a good blackout-era atmosphere and Agnes and Andrew are portrayed winningly like a Nick and Nora team—but the last half feels dragged out and bloated.

[Adam Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second World War whodunnit - starting with a body in an air raid shelter.

Enjoyable read, with lots of humour, a pair of endearing lead characters and a good mystery!

[Maggie]

This is delicious. Agnes and Andy had a whiff of Nick & Nora Charles about them. And how can you resist a book with characters named Pig and Eggshell.