Genre:
Cozy Mystery
Series:
Lord Edgington Investigates Book 4
Length:
243 pages
Book Description (GoodReads):
England, 1925. When Lord Edgington receives an invitation to spend the Christmas holiday with an old colleague from the police, he expects fine food, good conversation and the warmth of a roaring fire. But on arriving at Mistletoe Hall with his family, they discover the house deserted and no explanation for where their host or his servants could be. As more guests appear, the master detective begins to question what could connect the disparate group of newcomers. A teacher, a comedian, a thief, a sportsman, a singer, a policeman and a racing driver will all have their roles to play when a killer crashes the party. Cut off from the outside world by the worsening weather, and with bodies piling up, Lord Edgington must rely on his wits, his years of experience, and the help of his bumbling grandson Christopher in order to solve "The Mystery of Mistletoe Hall" .
With hints of “And Then There Were None” and “The Sittaford Mystery”, the fourth "Lord Edgington Investigates…" novel is a spoiler-free, standalone whodunit with a wicked resolution all of its own. Filled with warmth, humour, a fiendishly twisting plot, an adorable canine sidekick and plenty of Yuletide spirit, “The Mystery of Mistletoe Hall” is an Agatha-Christie-style Christmas cracker that will baffle and charm you in equal measure.
My Thoughts:
This book was a stand alone in the series and I haven't finished book one yet. So I was glad I could read this at Christmas and enjoy it without series spoilers. The covers are so pretty and are what made me stop and notice. Then having a male detective made me want to try it more because as I've said there are so few cozies with them. It's almost always women so changing it up is fun.
Lord Edgington is a great character. He and his grandson Christopher are always stumbling upon a crime or body and working together to solve the case. In this story I especially loved the author's descriptions of the mansion they visit, the snow, the sleigh they take to ride to the front, and then combining that with the creepiness of the woods and the sense of doom. As murders occur and everyone feels unsafe and uneasy, they must try to stay calm and find out what is happening and why.
It follows the basic plot of an Agatha Christie with the murders and then everyone being asked about where they were and why etc. Lord Edgington and Christopher are a lot like Poirot in their way of questioning and pondering together.
The story is reminiscent of And Then There Were None with a mysterious invitation given to an eclectic group of people who are then being picked off one at a time. The only difference is that it is obvious the main characters won't likely die because you know they appear in subsequent books. Still, Benedict does a good job of keeping you guessing and anticipating who might be next. I did figure out who was behind it all but not until close to the end and the reasons why were not known. I just had a feeling based on clues who it was.
The most heartwarming moments in the book are between Lord Edgington and his grandson though. The author sets up the relationship as one where you can see how much they both love and admire each other, but in that somewhat formal way you'd imagine between English nobility. Lord Edgington, being a former detective is mentoring his grandson in how to solve crimes but it is clear he has true affection for him. The rest of the family, except for his daughter, Christopher's mother, who is also much admired, is a bit of a messy annoyance and so the two men stick together.
As for the other guests, some have mysterious names and backgrounds and motives that are hidden until the end. But all the characters have unique points that make them interesting in their own right.
This was a great book to read Christmas week. He has others set at Christmas and says they are all stand alone so you won't have spoilers with the holiday stories. If you aren't tired of Christmas cheer you will love these anytime! Even December 28th and beyond.
No comments:
Post a Comment