Murder at the Spring Ball

Lord Edgington Investigates #1

by Benedict Brown

A little music, a little dancing, a little murder at the spring ball.
England, 1925. After years shut away from the world, former detective Lord Edgington of Cranley Hall plans a grand ball to celebrate his seventy-fifth birthday.

But when someone starts bumping off members of his scheming family, the old man enlists his teenage grandson to help find the killer, before one of them is next.

The mismatched duo must pick the culprit from a gaggle of preening playboys, scatter-brained spinsters and irate inspectors in this Agatha-Christie-style whodunnit that will have you racing to spot the killer.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Cozy Mystery, Historical, Historical Mystery, Fiction

231 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2021

About the author

Writing has always been my passion. It was my favourite hour a week at primary school, and I started on my first, truly abysmal book as a teenager. So it wasn’t a difficult decision to study literature at university which led to an MA in Creative Writing. I spent a long time writing kids’ books, including funny fairy tales, dystopic adventures and serious issue-based YA, before switching to murder mysteries last year.

I grew up in a crime fiction family and spent a long time dreaming up the idea for my detective Izzy Palmer’s debut novel. A Corpse Called Bob is my first full-length book for adults in what is already becoming a long series.

I’m a Welsh-Irish-Englishman originally from South London but now living with my French/Spanish wife and slightly muddled daughter in Burgos, a beautiful city in the north of Spain. I write overlooking the Castilian countryside, trying not to be distracted by the vultures and red kites that fly past my window each day.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This pretty much ticked off all the boxes of what I look for in a cozy mystery.
It's not the best book I've ever read but it's kind of perfect for what it was. I don't know about you, but there are a lot of times that I just want to read something simple and snappy. I don't want a complicated plot, I just want to sit back and listen to a few interesting characters try to figure out a whodunnit.
And that's exactly what I got here.



The elderly Lord Edgware, formerly a famous Scotland Yard detective, has been shriveling up as a recluse since his beloved wife died.
As the book opens, he's called together his children and grandchildren to announce his plans to throw an elaborate ball as part of his intention to reenter society...and life in general.
Much to everyone's surprise, he picks his (not very talented or special) teenage grandson to help him execute his plans.



Some of his progeny aren't all that nice, but when the murders start happening, you still feel bad for him. The rest of the book is spent with the former detective and his grandson trying to figure out who's killing off Lord Edgware's family while quietly forming a bond.
It's a sweet story with a surprisingly good mystery at the heart of it.
I can definitely see myself continuing with this series.
Recommended for fans of the cozy mystery genre.

[Phrynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Lord Edgington Investigates series.

The setting is Cranley Hall in England in 1925. Lord Edgington, who was formerly a detective, is planning a Ball to celebrate his 75th birthday. We meet his mostly unpleasant family who all seem to be planning how they will spend their inheritance when he dies. When said family members start dying themselves Lord Edgington persuades his teenage grandson, Christopher, to help him find the killer.

I have read a few of this author's Marius Quin Mystery series and I very much enjoy his style of writing. He always produces a few lead characters with whom the reader can identify and really enjoy. Lord Edgington and Christopher are perfect examples of this. The mystery was interesting and the eventual exposure of the murderer was unexpected and even funny!

Four stars for this one and I will be looking out for the next books in this series.

[Susan Atherly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This murder mystery takes place at the manor estate of Lord Edgerton, a retired London DI, on his 75th birthday. In attendance is his extended family, including his 16 year old grandson, whom he enlists in solving the crime.

No new ground is broken here and there are strong nods to Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers. I figured out who did it halfway through. And I did not care. I liked the writing. I liked the characters. I liked the dynamic between the grandfather and grandson.

If you want a cozy British historical mystery you could do worse than this. It's the first in a series that I personally want to continue.

[Leo · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had Cozy mystery elements that I liked but unfortunately it didn't work for me. Found the characters tat bit tedious to listen about and the mystery felt meh.

[Don Drewniak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dating back to August 1, 2021, I have read 102 Golden Age mysteries. All but five written by authors of the time: Christie, Allingham, Hammett, Van Dine, Sayers, Crofts, Carr, Fletcher, Connington... Perhaps I've been spoiled by the genius of these authors and have come to expect too much from modern-day authors who venture into writing mysteries set in the 20s and 30s. Be that as it may, Murder at the Spring Ball required total suspension of disbelief. The characters lacked believability and by the end of the book I didn't care if the whole lot of them were murdered. The plot strained the bounds of believability. Particularly irksome was the author's continuous penchant for listing the names of and describing automobiles owned by the rich ex-Scotland Yard Superintendent who, after ten years of self-isolation, spearheads an investigation into two murders committed at his manor.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is the second book from the "1920s Mystery" series I have read. It was mildly humorous and easy reading during another night of no sleep. Just right for the circumstances, in fact, and I will load another from the selection for next time.
I enjoy the relationship between the grandfather and the young man housed in a large country house in the 1920's. The grandfather decides to fix up the crumbling mansion and open it up for a large party where family members are targeted with poison. The boy and his grandfather work together to solve the crimes.

Kindle Unlimited

[Susan in NC · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok introduction to the series, takes a while to get through introducing all the characters, setting, etc, but does a good job setting the stage for elderly but spry Lord Edgington, formerly Superintendent at Scotland Yard, emerging from his self-imposed seclusion. The book opens at his birthday get-together with his family; he has been in depressed seclusion since his beloved wife died suddenly of a heart attack 10 years previously. He announces he has living still to do, and wants to hold a big Spring Ball on the estate. He wants his 16-year-old grandson Christopher to help him plan it.

The book is told from the school boy’s POV, and he is typically awkward, lacking in confidence, telling the reader at his school one is either bully or bullied, and he and his friends are the latter. He seems a sweet-natured, kind-hearted animal and nature lover, and blooms through time spent with his legendary grandfather. The day of the ball finally arrives and as a champagne toast is made, one of the aunts, already tipsy after several drinks, slugs down her champagne and keels over dead.

A nasty inspector arrives with his minions and clearly has a beef against old Lord Edgington - he blusters around investigating, but Lord E decides he and Christopher must conduct their own investigation. Soon there’s another murder, and things drag on a bit, ‘Chrissy’ (a family nickname he hates), growing in confidence as he spends time as his grandfather’s assistant.

Pretty interesting solution, seemed obvious by the time it wrapped up, but pretty well done. The afterword by the author, explaining the personal reason he wrote the series, was touching; I would read the next with my GR group that is trying different GA detective series this year.

[Lady Wesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of the audiobook narrated by George Blagden

I do love a good old English country house mystery, and this historical mystery, set in 1925, was lots of fun. I enjoyed getting to know the family, almost all of whom were suspects, particularly the Marquess of Edgington and his grandson Christopher. I did not figure out whodunnit, which is fine with me; nor did I entirely accept that whodunnit was believable. Still, I enjoyed it and likely will listen to more.

George Blagdon, who I had not encountered before, did a fine job narrating.

Even though this book was just published in March 2021, there are already five more books in the Lord Edgington Investigates series, along with one novella. The novella is free on the author's website, Benedict Brown's Readers' Club.

[Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this which is a pretty big deal!

Typically, I struggle with mystery/murder mystery books. I love watching those types of shows, but book versions are just hard for me to get invested in or care about. That being said, this was really fun! I’ve never read a murder mystery so quickly and I enjoyed the twist at the end.

I will always love a grandparent and grandchild duo.

[Anja Peerdeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this first novel of a new series, we get to meet Lord Edgington and his grandson Christopher.
They are splendid characters, brimming with intelligence, drive and heart.
I enjoyed this well-written novel very, very much.
It keeps you guessing, almost all the way to the final page.
And there is lots of subtle humour to be found.
Looking forward to the next novel in the series, Mr. Brown!

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in England, 1925. After his beloved wife's death, Christopher Prentiss's grandfather and former Scotland Yard detective, Lord Edgington of Cranley Hall, had secluded himself from the world. He saw no one, not even the grandson who spends weekends at his home, and rarely ever left his rooms. At his seventy-fifth birthday celebration, a rare gathering of his entire family--from his dotty sister-in-law, Clementine, to his children, Christopher's mother, Belinda, and Maitland, to his grandchildren and great-niece--he suddenly announces that all that is in the past, Cranley Hall is to be refurbished and made ready for a grand Spring Ball in the style of past events. Even more astounding--he will need an assistant to help him get everything ready and he has chosen, of all people, Christopher.

The Cranley family (and extended relations) aren't the most loving of clans and immediately everyone is suspicious of Edgington's motives. Is he grooming Christopher to be his heir? What has that sneaky little teenager been up to on his weekends at Cranley Hall? Sucking up to old man, apparently. Christopher is just as astounded as the rest. As he tells them, he hasn't spoken one word to his grandfather since the time of his grandmother's death. And even as he begins to help Edgington with his celebration, he's still not clear why his grandfather chose him.

But Christopher proves an able assistant and everything comes together splendidly. The band is up-to-date, the food isn't too bizarre (given the Cranley Hall cook's penchant for strange pairings--like honey & haddock sandwiches), and everyone is having a good time. It's all going well until until Lord Edgington has the cork popped on a fifty year-old bottle of champagne presented to him (and his wife) on his wedding day. The bubbly is poured out for the family and he prepares to offer a toast. One of his greedy children can't wait for the speech, drinks their champagne, and promptly dies of of poison. If Belinda hadn't provided the warning, most--if not all--of the Edgington's family would have followed the same fate. The retired Scotland Yard Superintendent takes his grandson on as assistant detective and the duo set out to find the culprit before the family numbers are drastically reduced.

This was a fun, light historical mystery. Nicely clued in the Golden Age tradition and I enjoyed the duo of grandfather and grandson working together to solve the crime. They have an interesting relationship and, as there are more books in the series, it will be fund to watch it develop. Christopher is a shy, bookish young man who has been bullied at school and derided in the family. It was nice to watch him begin to blossom in his grandfather's company.

The story is told from Christopher's point of view--which is something to keep in mind as you read. He is observant, but doesn't always see things from the proper perspective. He's also prone to jumping to conclusions and several times he comes across a new clue, spins a whole theory, and declares "Case closed!" only to go through the same process when the next clue comes along. But he does get a bit better at interpretation as the case moves along. Overall, a nice debut to what looks like a good series. ★★★ and 1/2. (rounded up)

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.

[Michaela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Booooring!

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 4.5 🌟 read rounded ⬆️ to 5 🌟.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book filled with humor and a sparkling 1920s mystery. I loved the characters. This series has a slight twist on the very common woman female lead in the many 1920s mystery series out there. Instead it is told through the pov of a 16-year-old young man and his partnership with his his grandfather, a retired police detective. Christopher, often called "Chrissy", might not be a prodigy sleuth, he is a run-of-the-mill boy who isn't an outstanding athlete and prefers some delicious deserts to a salad, but he is very likeable and engaging. His relationship with his grandfather grows over the books and so does he.

I thought it was quite clever and a good introduction to the series.

[John Presler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lord Edgington is a former Police Superintendent and the head of the House of Cranley. In recognition of his 75th birthday, he wants to hold a big party to celebrate. As part of the celebration, Lord Edgington plans to open a special 50-year old bottle of champagne that he received when he first got married. As Lord Edgington prepares to make a toast, his daughter, Belinda, drinks her champagne and collapses. Fortunately, nobody else drank from the Champagne, as it was poisoned and Belinda was dead.

Lord Edgington enlists the aid of his teenage grandson, Christopher, to help investigate and solve the mystery.

Who poisoned the champagne? Why was Belinda killed? Were they trying to kill the whole family? Who stood to gain from the deaths? Will there be more deaths? Can Lord Edgington and Christopher unmask the killer?

Benedict Brown has a wonderful start to a great series. The story is told from the grandson's point of view and he shows his admiration for his grandfather. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing clear to the end. He also shows how the grandson develops as the story goes along. There are very realistic characters and situations throughout the story.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The narrator reads as a fairly idiotic 30 or 40 year old whom, we are told, is inhabiting the body of a 16 year old. Was this intended as young adult literature? Plausible given the overexplaining and teenage protagonist. There were several other characters that were considerably more interesting and that I wish had been the point of view instead. The book did improve close to the end, but took a long slow path there and had a needless wrap up. I still would have judged the book as ok, not great, but not terrible, but the supposed setting was incredibly distracting. What is the point of setting a book in 1925 if it has no importance to the story and there is basically nothing that indicates a specific time period beyond its inclusion in the books title? This wouldn't bother me so much, except for the many anachronistic behaviors, attitudes, and generally everything. We get two mentions of WWI having happened in living memory, but this apparently had no impact on any character in the book, despite having only ended 6 years earlier (given real-life casualty figures the lack of impact the book suggests is just statistically unlikely). A female grandchild is apparently attending college and this is treated as nothing particularly unusual or extraordinary - which in 1920 it definitely still was. The grandfather character has weirdly modern sensibilities, which would have been fine or possibly even interesting if there was some convincing justification given for the many, at the time, radical attitudes he has. He's also apparently a lord with a heritable title, but plans to make his daughter his heir (this is not how inherited titles work even leaving aside the idea that, in 1925, a woman would be allowed to inherit a title when any male heirs were available). Again, actually acknowledging the weirdness of any of the above in the 1920s setting and then explaining it would have made an interesting addition to the story IMO, but this does not happen, so it just felt jarring and like a lack of care went into this. If a past setting is such an apparently important part of a book, just a bare minimum of actually reflecting that era in the book should happen. Otherwise, set it in the current era, the year had no importance to the story and the anachronism was annoying and distracting.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lord Edgington emerges from the solitude of his room where he has been brooding since the death of his wife ten years previously, and decides to hold a Spring ball for family and friends. He recruits his grandson to help him organise the event, but when a family member is poisoned, young Christopher finds himself helping with a murder investigation instead.

This was a pleasant enough mystery, but I felt the characters were stronger than the plot. I liked Chrissy and Lord Edgington and their relationship, and the other family members were distinctive too. The investigation was a bit slow though, and relied too heavily on unresolved discussions between Chrissy and his grandfather, rather than clues emerging through the narrative.

2.5* rounded up for Chrissy and the wonderful golden retriever, now that the characters have been established I would read another from this series to see how it develops.

[Kathy Holm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Murder at the Spring Ball...A 1920s Mystery(Lord Edgington Investigates..)

I am an avid reader...and I see a book through to the end.....first of all the book is full of nothing!
This story could be explained in one page at the most...don't waste your time..unless you enjoy
A story that goes no where!

[Pat · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ve been on a streak of reading English country house mysteries set in the 1920s. This was unreadable - a little eccentricity is welcome, but this was ridiculously over the top. Stopped after 2 chapters.

[Rebs ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start to another Benedict Brown series, although I do prefer the Marius Quin one more.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

As this was the author's first book, I am inclined to give it some leeway. Maybe this is a weak 3 star. It reads very much like a young adult book, probably as the narrator is a youth. Very much a cozy mystery. At times moves along quite quickly and then stalls for a while, with a lot of self- questioning from the grandson.
It starts with an elderly man, Lord Edgington, celebrating his birthday with his huge family gathered around him. He has retired from the police force, and his wife died of a heart attack 10 years previously. He tells his relatives that he means to hold a spring ball in honor of his wife and there they will given a glass of the wine that was put by him and his wife 50 years ago. From his relatives he chooses his 16 year old grandson, and that he will require his help organizing the celebration.(hence the young narrator) All goes well until the toast of wine is served. One of Edgington's daughters who is the worse for drink already, is the first to drink the wine and immediately dies from the poison it contains. This starts the investigation of the family and guests.

[Morgan Giesbrecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of where Lord Edgington & Christopher began….

It’s not quite as polished as the other 2-3 I read from later in the series. Edgington is sharper of tongue in this one and always yelling, haha. But the mystery is compelling and very twisty.

I wouldn’t recommend starting with this one; it’s more palatable after getting a few other ones (namely the Christmas ones!) under your belt, but still an enjoyable read!


Content: more than in the other books from the series I’ve read, including…
•1x of hell & 1 d*mn
•Lord Edgington and Christopher walk in on a man and a woman in bed together in the morning (no details)
•very mild innuendo about a man sleeping in a different bed every night & comments about Christopher not knowing precisely what a man and a woman do alone together romantically

[Rex Branstetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable Read

Enjoyed following the two lead characters on their search through all the evidence and possible plot lines, and I appreciate reading a book that doesn’t have to resort to offensive/scandalous language and acts for attention. The various suspects were interesting characters, but I wasn’t 100% drawn in to all the people or plot. The books I devour most have me thinking about the characters (as if they were real) during parts of the day or night, even when I am not reading the book.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, my gut feeling is that this is not bad at all for a first book. It's certainly well written, but there are some aspects that were not to MY taste.

The story comes from the point of view of the 16 year old Christopher and begins as his extended family have been invited to his grandfather's house to celebrate the old man's 75th birthday. His grandmother died 10 years ago and Lord Edgington has been a recluse ever since. The impression of the family is that he's in failing health and various members have reason to worry about their inheritances.

Turns out he's decided 10 years is long enough to mourn and he's going to throw a huge party -- and chooses Christopher as his 'assistant' in planning it.

Of course, there's a murder and he carries on as his grandfather's assistant in their investigation. Of course, Christopher gets everything wrong -- though making the odd comment that triggers a new line of investigation -- and, just like Watson (but moreso) doesn't ever consider that just maybe his grandfather knows what he's doing.

As to the solution, the clues are all there, but some are fairly obtuse. AND some conclusions rely on information that is not given to the reader. Or, if it was, I missed it -- which is certainly possible.

One of the things that bothered me is that Christopher is portrayed -- even though it's from his POV -- as a more than usually doltish Watson. And no one treats him very well. He's a chubby nerd who loves bird watching -- but doesn't really know much about birds. He's bullied at school as he's not a jock or particularly smart or anything; just generally awkward with no particular gifts at all. I suppose that this really is what most boys that age are like, but one expects some growth over the course of a novel and I didn't really see any. But I'll give the second volume a try and see if he begins to learn anything.

[J.L. Thornton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started well and had some good moments, but for being a murder mystery, it sure dragged on and got boring through the whole middle. Just very repetitive and rambling, with our teen narrator constantly repeating information and theories and questions until I was genuinely struggling to care about what happened. I almost stopped at about the 2/3rds mark because I was so disinterested. While the narrator at times added some humor and personality to the storytelling, it overall didn't quite work for me. So I'm giving this two stars because I did power through and finish it, but only barely and with a conclusion that felt... fine, I guess. But, again, not terribly thrilling or engaging or unexpected. Maybe others would enjoy this book/series, but this will definitely be it for me.

[hoffgirl1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real treat!

I stumbled on Benedict Brown last Christmas while reading holiday-themed cozy murder mysteries. I fell completely in love with the quirky Izzy Palmer series. So when the author started a new series set in a stuffy English country manner, I had a few doubts. But I shouldn't have worried. The characters are the same magic mix of lovable, despicable and just plain peculiar - all woven into a quaint & clever whodunit. And for any grown-up kid who treasured adventures with their grandfather, this is a real treat. Looking forward to the next one.

[Lulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Todd Looked at me like I was a knife, fork and a spoon short of a place setting. His quietly judgmental manner reminded me why i'd come"

Story: 8
Writing: 8
First MC: 8
Second MC:
Secondary characters: 7
Mystery: 7
Sexual tension: 0
Humor: 6
Hotness: 0
Product placement: 5
Ridiculousness:
Annoying: 1
Audio: 10 (7hr 49min)
To re-read: 10

That was entraining on so many levels. Read from the point of view the 16 y/o Crissy. He and his grandfather investigate the murders.

His inner thoughts are so funny!

[gloria thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a treat.

I just got home from a week in the hospital. I had been so sick prior to going in I had not been able to read for 2 weeks. As soon as I got home and the strength to pick up my Kindle I saw this book advertised. I bought it and devoured it in 2 days. Everything about this book is excellent British mystery. Bravo

[Joseph · Rating 1 out of 5]

IT started out as promising, but then quickly veered off to a forgettable book. I am in such a rut lately. The mystery was ok, but the endless banter between the grandson and grandfather was just too much. I mean, you ask a 16 year old something and then don’t like the answer….Go figure! He’s just 16!

I couldn’t take it any more…The series had such promise but it just died out.

[Carly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a major disappointment. It was overly melodramatic, immature, obvious, and clearly the author just looked up words in a thesaurus and spewed them all over the page. That being said, I did like the dog. 2/5 stars