Malice Domestic

Antony Maitland #2

by Sara Woods

Old Uncle William Cassell had come back to England after nearly twenty years. His return to the family home in Wimbledon brought a lovely reunion at tea time… and a fatal bullet in the back after dinner. Now his great-nephew Paul stood accused of the crime… found with the smoking gun in his hands and a dazed look in his eyes. Young Paul felt caught in a nightmare, sure he was sleepwalking when the deed was done, unsure of his own innocence or guilt. But Antony Maitland’s famous barrister uncle, Sir Nicholas Harding, would never argue somnambulism as a defense for murder. The plea must be “not guilty”, and it was Antony’s job to prove it… in an intriguing case where inquiries into old acts of madness may uncover a new killer in the family. (Publisher’s description)

Genres: Mystery, British Literature

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

(Lana Hutton Bowen-Judd)
UK (1922 - 1986)
aka Anne Burton, Mary Challis, Margaret Leek

Born in England, she was educated at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Filey, Yorkshire.

During the Second World War, she worked in a bank and as a solicitor's clerk in London. Here she gained much of the information later used in her novels. Lana married Anthony George Bowen-Judd on April 25, 1946. They ran a pig breeding farm between 1948 and 1954. In 1957 they moved to Nova Scotia, Canada. She worked as a registrar for St. Mary's University until 1964. In 1961 she wrote her first novel, Bloody Instructions, introducing the hero of forty-nine of her mysteries, Anthony Maitland, an English barrister.

Her last years she lived with her husband at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Reviews

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Malice Domestic (1962) is the second book in the Antony Maitland series by Sara Woods. Woods is the most recognized pseudonym of Lana Hutton Bowen-Judd (March 1922-1985), a British mystery writer who also wrote under the names Anne Burton, Mary Challis, and Margaret Leek. Her series character Maitland is a English barrister who, more often than not, plays detective to ferret out details that will allow his uncle, Sir Nicholas Harding, Q.C., to more ably defend the (obviously) innocent clients that Maitland convinces him to represent.

This time Maitland wants his uncle to defend Paul Herron against a charge of murder (and attempted murder). The Cassell family has more than its share of twins. Paul and Timothy are one set and their Grandfather Ambrose and Great-Uncle William are another. William has been living abroad for almost twenty years and returns to the family home just in time to be shot and killed in Ambrose's study. Paul is caught red-handed outside the room with the gun in his hands and a bewildered look on his face.

Ambrose, who takes the family name and standing seriously, would like his grandson to plead insanity--because madness is somehow easier to swallow than cold-blooded murder. There had long been bad blood between Ambrose and his grandsons and he's quite sure that Paul mistook his identical twin for the grandfather with whom he'd argued one too many times. Paul insists that he had been sleepwalking and woke up with the gun at his feet--picking it up without thinking. When Maitland hears the details, he becomes certain that Paul is innocent and assures his uncle that he'll be able to defend the young man on a "not guilty" plea. Now Antony has to put his money where his mouth is and dig up proof that someone else fired the deadly shot. The proof just might be in the closet with the family skeletons and no one, not even Paul, wants Maitland rattling those bones. Even if an innocent man has to hang for it....

Malice Domestic provides an interesting question for the armchair detective to consider as he reads--who was the intended victim? Everyone in the family except Paul had met Uncle William and knew that he and Ambrose were identical twins--so it would seem that only Paul could have killed William in mistake for his brother. But was the killer so used to seeing Ambrose at the desk in the study that they simply assumed that was who was seated there? Or could there possibly be a reason to kill a man who hadn't set foot in England for twenty years and someone is counting on the assumption of mistaken identity?

Maitland makes for a determined detective. He doesn't mind ruffling feathers in his search for evidence to prove the client's innocence. His relationship with his uncle is amusing. Despite Sir Nicholas's bluster and complaints about Maitland's methods, it's obvious that there is great affection between the two. Characterization is not Woods's strongest point, but she does very well with these main characters and her plotting balances out any deficiencies in character development. An enjoyable entry in a series I've neglected for too long.

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

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was Paul Herrron sleepwalking when he shot his uncle? Is he mad or a murderer-- or, possibly, innocent? Sir Nicholas Harding never takes cases with an insanity plea, so his junior barrister and nephew, Antony Maitland, will just have to prove Paul innocent -- and sane -- by finding the real killer.

"He went upstairs slowly; he had reached the degree of weariness where even this slight effort was a formidable one; his mind was empty, he felt he would never be capable of constructive thought again."

The interesting "hook" with this series is the investigator's role as a junior barrister (defense attorney) and how the focus shifts from "can I find evidence to convict" to "how do I get a jury to aquit" (so far always by finding alternate, real murderer for police to charge). Disappointed this one didn't go to court at all! An intriguing mystery, particularly the way it pulled in a set of murders from 18 years ago, but I didn't particularly like any of the new characters and there wasn't enough character development for Antony and not enough time with Sir Nicholas and Jenny.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a bit of a slog to be honest, there is very little action and most of the story is dialog between the characters, a lot of it very repetitive. The characters of Antony, Nick Harding and Timothy Herron are almost 3 dimensional but the rest ar not much one than one note cutouts strolling across the stage, particularly the female ones. Woods indulges in a little passive misogyny when one male character remarks that you can hardly expect logic of girls *shudder*

[Libraryassistant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounded up from 3-12, but I did like this! Written in 1962, it feels even earlier to me. I mean that in a good way! It feels like something from the Golden Age of detective stories with tons of character in the both people and places, and lots of witty descriptions and asides. I’ll look out for more

[Kathy Sebesta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Error: I clicked on the wrong book and have NOT read this. Please ignore the rating.