The Mystery at Underwood House

Angela Marchmont Mystery #2

by Clara Benson

Old Philip Haynes was never happier than when his family were at each other's throats. Even after his death the terms of his will ensured they would keep on feuding. But now three people are dead and the accusations are flying. Can there really be a murderer in the family? Torn between friendship and duty, Angela Marchmont must find out the truth before the killer can strike again.The Mystery at Underwood House is the latest exciting 1920s whodunit featuring reluctant ‘lady detective’ Angela Marchmont.

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

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2013

About the author

Clara Benson is the author of the Angela Marchmont Mysteries and Freddy Pilkington-Soames Adventures - traditional English whodunits in authentic style set in the 1920s and 30s. One day she would like to drink cocktails and solve mysteries in a sequinned dress and evening gloves. In the meantime she lives in the north of England with her family and doesn't do any of those things.

If you want to be the first to hear about new releases, and to receive a free, exclusive short story, sign up to her mailing list at clarabenson.com/newsletter.

Reviews

[Carol, She's so Novel ꧁꧂ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5★...

...which is the same rating I gave Ms Benson's first murder mystery, The Murder at Sissingham Hall.

In a lot of areas this was a far better book. I thought I had guessed the murderer (but I was wrong & I do like to be fooled) & the ending was genuinely thrilling - at one point I was literally on the edge of my seat! But - I didn't like the start and found the writing in some of the early chapters was (like the first book) still quite pedestrian. There were parts that dragged.

I may try A Case of Blackmail in Belgravia from Ms Benson's Freddy Pilkington-Soames series. But I have hundreds of books to read at home & I'm not certain if I want to spend more time on an author who for me so far has only been average-good.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

After her success at Sissingham Hall (and a rather exciting past hinted at by her friend at Scotland Yard, Inspector Jameson), Angela Marchmont is approached by an old friend of hers, Louisa Haynes. Louisa lives at Underwood House with her husband John and son Donald. Her father in law, the mischievous and eccentric Philip Haynes, enjoyed nothing better than causing trouble between his family. John Haynes, as the eldest son, should have received his beloved Underwood House in his father’s will. Instead, Philip Haynes split his will between his remaining living children; John, Philippa, Winifred and Edward. Another daughter, the wayward, rebellious Christina, left home when young and died.

The family, including Philip Haynes’s children and grandchildren have to meet twice a year in order to meet the instructions of the will and they do so with ill grace and bad humour. What is more, three of the family members have died during these reunions and Louisa Haynes is worried that they are not natural deaths…

This is a wonderful mystery, with family feuds, secrets, financial scandals and the involvement of both Inspector Jameson and the redoubtable Angela Marchmont.

[Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore]

This is the second in the Angela Marchmont series (the first was The Murder at Sissingham Hall). In this one, Louisa Haynes, a friend of Angela’s calls on her to look into a series of mysterious deaths that have been taking place in her family. At first thought to be natural or accidental, the most recent one has raised suspicions among some of the Haynes, enough for Louisa at least to want the thing looked into. Philip Haynes, patriarch of the family was an old tartar who enjoyed playing games with his family, playing one against the other simply to watch the fun (somewhat comparable to Agatha Christie’s Simeon Lee or Mrs Boynton). In his will he has left only half his legacy to his children absolutely, the rest in trust (life interest only) and contingent on them and their families meeting twice a year for dinner and an evening spent together at the old family home. But of course, they hate each other so nothing can be expected but unpleasantness. But at each of these meetings, besides the terrible rows between the family, tragedy has also struck with one of the family dying. Angela is not keen to get involved in the matter but because of her friend’s insistence and a nudge from Inspector Jameson, she takes the investigation on. At first she feels that she isn’t getting anywhere but soon enough, attempts are made to thwart her investigation, even putting her in danger.

I enjoyed this book much more than the first one (though that was a good read as well). Angela Marchmont herself is more in the forefront in this one, unlike the first where she was only on the sidelines. As a result, one gets to know her a little better than one did in book 1. She is a spunky lady with a bit of the daredevil in her, with more to her credit (some of her ‘achievements’ were a tad much, I think) in her past than one would have suspected. Still I enjoyed the character far more than I did in book 1 (where it hardly seems that we know her). The mystery itself again worked out better for me. In book 1, I was able to guess the murderer quite early on. This was not the case in this book, though I did fix on two characters and one of them did do it, but I only guessed the right one very close to the denouement. The characters overall (suspects/family) were reasonably well done (the formidable Ursula and the eccentric artist, Susan/Euphosyne, for instance) except may be Philip Haynes himself, who I thought didn’t come through as strongly or well as a character as he could have. It felt as if the author was trying to recreate that Agatha Christie style atmosphere of family tension and dislike, and while it did come through, it wasn’t of course anywhere as good as the Queen of Crime. But overall, the book was an enjoyable and entertaining read which held my interest throughout. Three and a half stars.

[Jae · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're feeling stressed or your brain's a bit frazzled and you just want a nice, easy read that's well-written and interesting enough, then this series fits the bill nicely. I enjoy Clara Benson's style of writing, and her books usually hold my interest; the period atmosphere feels authentic, the characters are interesting and the plots not too predictable. I found this particular story about family feuds, secrets and financial scandal fast paced, amusing in parts and it kept me guessing to the end. All in all a pleasurable read. 3.5

[Doreen Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good cozy mystery! Well worth reading!

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A random dip into a mystery series but I don't think I missed anything by not reading the first one. This is definitely for readers who like the puzzle type of mystery and aren't bothered by lack of depth in characterization. Very two-dimensional characters, even Mrs. Marchmont, with everyone being polite and unemotional in a very British stiff-upper-lip way. The writing was perfectly correct but stilted and again lacked any sort of depth, a bit like one of those books written in simplified English for foreign-language or low IQ students.

One tic that annoyed me was the constant switching between "Angela" and "Mrs. Marchmont". If it had been done to zoom in and out between a more intimate POV and Angela's public facade, it might have made sense.

The best I can say about this one was that it was an undemanding read. The mystery itself was OK, although I'd guessed where we were going well before the end. Some of the loose ends were left flapping in the breeze via a fairly perfunctory explanation.

Still, YMMV as they say and I can see from the series ratings that this one has some devoted fans. Just not my kind of book.

Update 2021 I was halfway through the audiobook before I realized I'd read this one before. My opinion of the writing hasn't changed, but Elizabeth Klett's narration definitely improved the experience. Of course I'm biased in Elizabeth's favor as she narrates my own books.

[J.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a free download I've had on my kindle shelf for I don't know how long (books 1-3). And while I had some questions after reading book 1, I was interested enough to keep going... and I'm very glad I did. While Angela Marchmont didn't seem all that involved in the first book, the second book explained that further and she's very much a character in this story - people have died, there's reason to suspect it was murder, Angela is asked by a friend to "investigate," although she hardly thinks she's qualified (and even tries to get out of it). Perhaps I made a mistake in thinking this would be too much like Agatha Christie books. There are some similarities (both are English murder mysteries, neither are excessively graphic, both take place in past-times) but the Marchmont books move a bit slower (it's hard to describe that feeling except that they're written in a more modern way) and yet have more action in them. I liked the characters a lot more in this one, too. This was a very fun book to read and I'm glad I found them. Maybe 4.5 stars?

Honestly, I meant to find something else to read before launching into book 2, but everything I tried felt like a false start and just couldn't pique my interest. And now that I'm done with book 2, I'm kind of looking at the other stuff on my kindle and feeling the same way. So, I might be starting book 3 soon...

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

rather 3.5 - at last, a whodunit where I did not discover the culprit - and another dysfunctional family - arent't there any "normal" families ? I supposed not in whodunits, otherwise you wouldn't have a good story -
I liked this second instalment in the angela marchmont series much better than the first book - I look forward to reading more

[John Frankham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A much better book than the first in this series of 1920s country house murder mysteries. The amateur detective, Angela Marchmont, is developed more satisfactorily, the plotting is more complex, and the solution better-hidden. Still more about the puzzle than anything else, but I will certainly read the last two books and the fifth when it comes out shortly.

[Andrea]

A big improvement on the first in the series, this is told from the viewpoint of the detective, rather than having her floating about in the background somewhere. A good deal less obvious, with more viable suspects, though again I was able to spot the killer.

These are modern stories (though with a facade of stories written by the author as a young woman, but she chose not to attempt to publish them, and they were rediscovered posthumously). Given the time they were written in, I very much enjoy the relative independence of the lady detective (a widow of minor means), her worldliness (has a background in exciting war work) and her rather cynical attitude to a few things and her general kindness. [I smiled when a helpful policeman started to explain a facet of the stock market, and she chose not to mention that she had made several recent successful ventures.]

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is available to Amazon Prime members free (one title per month), so I decided to try it, skipping the first book as reviews indicate Angela isn't present much of the time, which worked out fine, didn't feel I was missing anything that way.

Reminds me a lot of the Mrs. Bradley series, with an English lady assisted by her chauffeur. Angela came off as more likeable to me. Historical details are well done in the sense of carefully omitting modern anachronism, the 20s setting is more implied than regularly hammered home.

Looking forward to the next one with Angela on vacation, as murder among an extended family (over a will) like this one gets a bit overdone.

[ShanDizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is my new addiction. Angela Marchmont is a clever lady. She reminds me of Diana Rigg's character Adela Bradley in "The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries." The mysteries are absorbing and interesting.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pleasant read but no depth.

[Christine Goodnough · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a very well written mystery, the plot thickened by with several suspects. I guessed fairly soon the underlying issue that was prompting the "accidental deaths" but was well along in the story before I had an idea who was behind them.

The only thing thing that grated a bit was the "old fashioned" writing style where contractions are never used, not even in speech. This made the dialogue seem rather stilted.

[J&S Rosten · Rating 5 out of 5]

English mystery

Likeable characters with mystery set. Angela Marchmont unravels the details much like a younger more agile Miss Marple. Enjoyable read.

[Greta Halliday · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cosy and pleasant Murder mystery.

[Ruth Chatlien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was better than the first one and the solution was not so predictable.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid three stars. It flows, carrying the reader along. The characters are mostly pompous, unpleasant and nevertheless vulnerable. I liked the relationship between Angela and the Inspector.

A good rainy day read, not taxing but not in anyway annoying. Enid Bayton for adult crime addicts.

[Whistler's Mom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Think blood is thicker than water? Let's spill some and find out.

Some families don't get along, but the Haynes are in a class by themselves. The father drives his wife into an early grave and torments his oldest daughter until she runs away from home. When the old goat dies he leaves a will dividing his money between his lawyer and his children and stipulating that the siblings (who loathe each other) have dinner together twice yearly. Three dinners so far and a brother or sister has died mysteriously at each one. And you think your family reunions are deadly!

So we're down to the oldest son, but there are spouses and children and three young folks who are orphans with mysterious parentage. So there are plenty of people to suspect and all of them look quite suspicious at one time or another. And, of course, there's that daughter who ran off and was never heard of again. Or was she?

This is my third Clara Benson and not my favorite. Angela (normally a great favorite of mine) seems a bit off. She divides her time between coyly denying any interest in detection and dodging death with tactics learned in WWI undercover work. She spends DAYS trying to get the slippery shyster to show her the damned will. I yelled "Go to Somerset House, woman!" until my voice gave out, but it was still several chapters before she gave up on the lawyer and went to Somerset House. (Where all wills, birth, and death records are available to the public.)

I still enjoyed it. It's a period piece and Angela's household is as entertaining as ever. Marthe continues to run the joint with an iron fist and impeccable French snootiness. William is as intelligent as Mrs. Bradley's George and much more attractive and personable. The banter between the three of them is worth the price of admission. The Haynes family is screwy enough to be interesting. The clues are broad and plentiful and if you haven't identified the killer by the middle of the book better cut back on the sherry. Not Benson's best, but still a good read.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit disappointing, as with the first one, I had guessed the murderer early on and this book was the same. I do like the Angela Marshmont character , and it is this that kept me reading the book.

[Pauline Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first book in the Angela Marchmont series of country-house cozies set in the twenties, but to my mind this one worked a lot better. I didn't guess the identity of the murderer, for one thing (although that particular character was definitely on my list), and this one felt much more satisfyingly complex. It also features Angela Marchmont, the lady detective herself, as the point of view character, which I think works much better than having her as a side character (as in the first book).

Following her success in the previous murder, Angela is called upon by her friend Louisa to investigate her husband's family. After his father's death, a rather peculiar will left money to the four children only for their lifetimes, after which it reverts to the family solicitor. Now three of the four have died in mysterious circumstances. Is it murder? And if so, who is responsible?

This sort of book follows a very predictable pattern, which anyone who's read any Agatha Christie will recognise. There is an array of suspects with motives, secrets gradually revealed and (possibly) another murder or two before the detective (and reader) works it all out. This is an excellent example of the genre, with a wonderfully literate writing style evocative of the period which makes the read an enjoyable ramble rather than the more frenetic pace of modern murder mysteries. Recommended for those who like their cozies quaintly old-fashioned. Four stars.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this 2nd mystery of the Angela Marchmont series, Ms. Benson does a much better job of keeping the reader guessing than she did in The Murder at Sissingham Hall. The Mystery at Underwood House is an entertaining English country house mystery. Family members have been dying in ways that may or may not be murder. Who could have done it and even more of a mystery, who benefits? I enjoyed the characters who are well fleshed out.

The mysteries are set in the 20's with clear class distinctions being an important part of the narrative. If the same story were set in 2015, I would find the it irritating. But, when set in a time before I was born, Ms. Benson evokes a kind fantasy world that I love to enter.

[Amanda Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much improved but a way to go..

Whilst it initially reminded me of another authors original story it did head off in a completely different direction..

This time written from Angela's viewpoint, which was great improvement, and the "clues and red herrings" were a bit less heavily and obviously dropped this time so it took a little longer to see the bigger picture, and although the "who" was still obvious quite early on the full reasons why were only revealed at the end.

Angela herself was definitely more than a bystander in this novel; she's not all there but is much less wooden and is starting to be fleshed out. I didn't really like the sudden references to her past as a spy or agent during the Great War, the Blue Iris, it didn't work at the point it was suddenly mentioned and wasn't very convincing.

Still it's improved enough to make me try the next..

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

As good as the first book, a fun cozy mystery. Fast pace. Fun characters. Murder. Secrets. All nicely wrapped up at the end.

[Mary Durrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant murder mystery that I couldn't put down.
Old Philip Haynes was never happier than when his family were at each other's throats.
His will ensured that they would keep on fueding.
But now three people have died and Angela Marchmont must find out the truth before the killer strikes again.
Clara Benson was unpublished in her lifetime and wrote for pleasure.
Written in the 1930's they are so of the time and beautifully written.

[Marli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic gothic mystery writing with a predictable ending but enjoyable to read.

[Cynthia Rodrigues · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Louisa Haynes reaches out to Mrs Angela Marchmont, her friend, requesting her help in resolving a series of deaths taking place in her home during family gatherings, the latter, at first, believes that there is no mystery at all. That they are just a series of deaths, some accidental, others mysterious, but certainly nothing ill-intentioned.

Louisa's father-in-law, Philip Haynes, was happiest when he saw his children, John, Philippa, Winifred and Edward, in conflict with each other. He lives a will in which each of his children receive yearly interest from a sum of 5000 pounds as long as they are alive. On their death, the sum goes not to their heirs but to Philip's lawyer, Faulkner.
At their last three reunions, Philippa, Winifred and Edward, died suddenly. Ursula, widow of Edward, believes that the deaths are murder and not a mere accident. Can Angela solve the mystery before Underwood House claims a fourth victim?

The book was written in the 3rd person past tense omniscient POV.

Having read the first book in the series, The Mystery at Sissingham Hal, I found Angela to be both smart and dense. Here, as in the previous book, Angela is a reluctant detective, more concerned with how the truth will affect the living. First, she expresses concerns about how her friend's life will be upended if her husband turns out to be the killer, and wishes she had never taken up the case, then changes her mind and gives another character a stern lecture about murder being wrong.
The only difference here is that Angela found herself in serious danger here.

There was a faint thread of humour in Angela's dealings with William, her chauffeur, who also doubles up as an assistant and bodyguard, whenever required.

As in the previous book, it's not hard to guess the identity of the perpretrator.
{A lack of evidence does not mean that there is nothing to find.

[Jughead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like they say,

Where there's a will there's a detective story!

This is one such book which is wonderfully written. Much better than the first one, maybe because It is told from Angela's perspective. You can figure out the crime quite early in the book (50 pages that's all it took me) from the scattered clues, if you pay close attention, but I could not put down the book for the next 3 hours, when I actually finished it. New interesting facts start coming up (which did not change my suspicion , but still I was very much interested to know how they connect) and the author was really good in misdirecting the reader into certain conclusions, and kept me hooked till the very end.

The best crime novels are not about how a detective works on a case; they are about how a case works on a detective

You get to know more about Angela, who is very interesting to read, her cleverness, humility and boldness are all well captured in the book. While reading you wish there was more about Angela's past, her previous adventures which are hinted with admiration by the Inspector. Sometimes I wish she was real (and be friends with me), she seems like the type of person whom I would love to know more about, also while hoping that I was rather like her in some ways.

I liked the book so much that the first thing I did after finishing it was to order the next one in the series. I hope it is as good as this one. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in detective stories, who also likes the challenge of beating the detective to solve the mystery.

[Gidg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Angela Marchmont is pulled into her friend Louisa's family drama when she is asked to investigate the recent deaths of family members at the Underwood House. At first she's reluctant and considers declining the request but with encouragement from Inspector Jameson of Scotland Yard she agrees to take on the request. And from there we, along with Ms. Marchmont, are pulled into the going ons of the estate and family secrets.

I really enjoyed the story and the flow of writing. Protagonist Angela Marchmont is an impressive amateur detective who keeps her wits about her in the most stressful of times. I appreciate that the writer gave us an easy and steady story to follow and a heroine who is not made to seem foolish or weak but a woman with gumption. I also appreciate that Ms. Marchmont's friend and ally, Inspector Jameson of Scotland Yard was not written as some stereotypical condescending chauvinist that is usually written of men of that era. Rather he is supportive male in a position of authority who believes in Angela's skills and opinion. Jameson is liken to Inspector Japp to her Hercule Poirot in that he doesn't try to hinder her investigation but is supportive and willing to assist or partner up to solve this mystery. This Ms. Angela Marchmont story can run circles around the Lord Peter Wimsey's "Whose Body" story; Which I was not a fan of that book. I am now a fan of Ms. Marchmont and look forward to listening to another story about Ms. Angela Marchmont and her adventures in sleuthing.

As for the narrator of the audiobook, she did a very fine job in bringing the story to life. I could see the story clearly in my head like a movie.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short interesting read

The story is suppose to take place in 1927. For those of you that have read George Bellairs, a true British mystery and crime writer; reading this book my first leaves me mystified about the author. Though a brief supposedly written by Clara Benson claims she is not American... This book is extremely limited in Britsh terminology and more American style and grammar. To me this is distracting when the description says Britsh. She claims she is following in the footsteps of great British witers...which I am such an avid fan.

This is the second book maybe they will get better. The storyline is simple, you have the murderer figured out by chapter four I think somewhere in there. Sorry I am usually not a spoiler. I just don't believe the author is who she pretends to be...British. I have British friends in modern times and still the British vocabulary is quite limited. Sorry I become immersed in books and this was distracting to me. I don't want to mean and rate lower. I will try one more to see if this continues. Especially if the author is trying to write period pieces...this feels quite modern.