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John Coffin Mystery #20
Coffin Underground
FOR THE TWISTED AND TALENTED, MURDER IS A GAME
Scotland Yard Chief Superintendent John Coffin is properly skeptical of the evil reputation of the house at No. 22 Church Row. True, the house has seen violent death over the centuries. None of it suspicious. Until now. Malcolm Kincade, student, Bill Egan, recidivist. Terry Place, villain. Edward, Irene and Nona Pitt, victims. Phyllis Henly, policewoman. Why have they died?
Coffin suspects something more than a haunted house. He sees a human, complex web of relationships, interlocking and interacting in a way he can't yet fathom, and in which people get caught up and destroyed -- as they play into the game of a very clever killer.
Scotland Yard Chief Superintendent John Coffin is properly skeptical of the evil reputation of the house at No. 22 Church Row. True, the house has seen violent death over the centuries. None of it suspicious. Until now. Malcolm Kincade, student, Bill Egan, recidivist. Terry Place, villain. Edward, Irene and Nona Pitt, victims. Phyllis Henly, policewoman. Why have they died?
Coffin suspects something more than a haunted house. He sees a human, complex web of relationships, interlocking and interacting in a way he can't yet fathom, and in which people get caught up and destroyed -- as they play into the game of a very clever killer.
250 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
11 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Gwendoline Butler
89 books18 followersGwendoline Williams Butler (aka Jennie Melville)
Gwendoline Williams was born on 19th August 1922 in South London, England, UK, daughter of Alice (Lee) and Alfred Edward Williams, her younger twin brothers are also authors. Educated at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, where she read History, and later lectured there. On 16th October 1949, she married Dr Lionel Harry Butler (1923-1981), a professor of medieval history at University of St. Andrews and historian, Fellow of All Souls and Principal of Royal Holloway College. The marriage had a daughter, Lucilla Butler.
In 1956, she started to published John Coffin novels under her married name, Gwendoline Butler. In 1962, she decided used her grandmother's name, Jennie Melville as pseudonym to sign her Charmian Daniels novels. She was credited for inventing the "woman's police procedural". In addition to her mystery series, she also wrote romantic novels. In 1981, her novel The Red Staircase won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Gwendoline Williams was born on 19th August 1922 in South London, England, UK, daughter of Alice (Lee) and Alfred Edward Williams, her younger twin brothers are also authors. Educated at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, where she read History, and later lectured there. On 16th October 1949, she married Dr Lionel Harry Butler (1923-1981), a professor of medieval history at University of St. Andrews and historian, Fellow of All Souls and Principal of Royal Holloway College. The marriage had a daughter, Lucilla Butler.
In 1956, she started to published John Coffin novels under her married name, Gwendoline Butler. In 1962, she decided used her grandmother's name, Jennie Melville as pseudonym to sign her Charmian Daniels novels. She was credited for inventing the "woman's police procedural". In addition to her mystery series, she also wrote romantic novels. In 1981, her novel The Red Staircase won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 19, 2014
This is the first book I've read by this author and it won't be the last as I thought it was well written with interesting characters and a complex plot. It is part of a series featuring John Coffin but it can be read as a standalone novel as it seems the reader does not get to hear too much about Coffin's private life. He is divorced, living on his own, domestically incompetent but likeable. In this book he has just moved into a new flat and hears from his lady 'who does' that a house further up the road has a bad reputation and there have been a lot of deaths connected with it.
At first Coffin dismisses this as superstitious nonsense, especially the indelible blood stain on the doorstep, but gradually he starts to wonder exactly what has gone on in that apparently unlucky house. The murder of someone who has just been released from prison and who has Coffin in his sights for putting him there in the first place is the main focus of the book at first but other horrific events will take place before what appears to be a simple case is gradually unravelled.
If you like Golden Age crime stories then this author may be another to add to your list. I shall definitely be reading more of this series though many of the early books are not yet available in e-book format.
At first Coffin dismisses this as superstitious nonsense, especially the indelible blood stain on the doorstep, but gradually he starts to wonder exactly what has gone on in that apparently unlucky house. The murder of someone who has just been released from prison and who has Coffin in his sights for putting him there in the first place is the main focus of the book at first but other horrific events will take place before what appears to be a simple case is gradually unravelled.
If you like Golden Age crime stories then this author may be another to add to your list. I shall definitely be reading more of this series though many of the early books are not yet available in e-book format.
June 22, 2022
Enjoy reading the “Coffin” series but this is far from being one of my favourites.
October 3, 2021
Pretty classic who done it story is written in a complex way that makes you pay attentíon. This is my first experience with this author and I unwittingly began with book 20 in the coffin series. It reads alot like a crime saga with moving parts ahead of the story and then cliff hanging.
I highly recommend you have book 21 handy before finishing. Others have left their reviews with plot points so I don't need to go into that. The writing style gives you a dingy picture where every character has a dark side, some darker than others.
I highly recommend you have book 21 handy before finishing. Others have left their reviews with plot points so I don't need to go into that. The writing style gives you a dingy picture where every character has a dark side, some darker than others.
April 1, 2021
This low rating is not based on the book. It was a free book on Audible and the reader was so bad that I couldn't finish the first chapter. That is what is wonderful about a book with printed pages--my mind gives voice to the words on the pages. I can no longer read even large-print books. I miss the feel of the pages as I turn them on my quest to the book's end. My hearing is also failing, and I wonder what I'll do when I can no longer hear books on Audible. So many books; so little time!
December 29, 2016
I need to read this series from the start.
July 29, 2020
Just wish it was easier to find the next book to figure out what happens!
June 20, 2022
wild this book went from a relatively boring police procedural to all of a sudden being an absolutely hilarious moral panic about dungeons and dragons lmao
April 29, 2023
Twisty, interesting and veddy British. And lots and lots of cuppas.
August 2, 2022
I've never read Gwendoline Butler so I've never read any of the other John Coffin novels, so I preface my opinion by acknowledging that my experience is not the most authentic.
This wasn't good. It was trying too hard to be mysterious and ended up just being really confusing. The back covered told everyone who was going to die; some of them didn't die until halfway through the book! I didn't really care about any of the characters or any of the characters' feelings. Mostly, I'm proud of myself for muscling through these pages and finishing the thing.
This wasn't good. It was trying too hard to be mysterious and ended up just being really confusing. The back covered told everyone who was going to die; some of them didn't die until halfway through the book! I didn't really care about any of the characters or any of the characters' feelings. Mostly, I'm proud of myself for muscling through these pages and finishing the thing.
December 13, 2025
This book just wasn't interesting. Slow paced, didn't care about the characters and didn't like the narrator on the audiobook. Just not the type of book I enjoy.
March 3, 2008
A John Coffin, London police detective mystery. This one involves a series of deaths over a period of time, a possible house whose residents die, and a role playing game as Coffin works to resolve what is going on and discover who is responsible. Plus an assortment of characters who add color to the story.
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February 9, 2010Coffin Underground by Gwendoline Butler (1992)
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April 2, 2015Great book, kept my attention and ended with a cliffhanger. Really interesting and enjoyable
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews