The Mystery of the Missing Man by Karen Baugh Menuhin Series: Heathcliff Lennox #16
Published by Little Dog Publishing Ltd on December 22, 2025
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genres: Historical Mystery
Pages: 310
Format: eBook
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Summer 1924. Seven archaeologists board the morning train from Oxford to witness the Roman villa excavation at Ashton Steeple. Only six arrive.
Dr Mortimer Quayle was seen settling into his compartment with his leather case. The conductor punched his ticket. Witnesses claimed to have seen him. But somewhere during the thirty-mile journey through the peaceful Cotswold countryside, Dr. Quayle vanished without a trace.
How does a man disappear from a moving train?
What begins as a strange puzzle becomes something far deadlier. Someone among the respectable scholars committed murder–but who would kill such a distinguished man, and what secret was worth killing for?
In a world of buried artefacts and ancient mysteries, Lennox and Swift must uncover which team member has buried their past as carefully as any Roman treasure.
Persi has invited a group of archaeologists to Ashton Steeple for the Roman temple excavation, but Dr. Quayle disappears somewhere between boarding the train and arriving at the station. What starts as a missing person case, soon transforms into a murder investigation.
The plot works well. With a bunch of archaeologists, it makes sense that the mystery has historical ties and I enjoyed the connection to Lennox’ family. We have a lot of characters- Lennox, Persi, their staff and friends, Swift and Florence, and all the visitors, but they each have fully developed personalities, with their own motives and relationships. I always enjoy Lennox – he’s likeable and competent and, here the author does a good job at balancing his sleuthing with his other responsibilities.
I think I enjoyed this one more than the last couple in the series. They’re always fun, with plenty of tea, adorable pets, and interesting mysteries, but this one just grabbed my attention more.
About Karen Baugh Menuhin
At 60, Karen Baugh Menuhin decided to write, and suddenly the stories came pouring out, along with the characters. Eccentric Uncles, stalwart butlers, idiosyncratic servants, machinating Countesses, and the hapless Major Heathcliff Lennox.
An itinerate traveller all her life, she grew up in the military, often on RAF bases but preferring to be in the countryside when they could.
She is living and writing in the Cotswolds with her dear husband Krov. Krov is a professional writer, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, professional diver, pilot, ex US special forces soldier, and the eldest son of violinist, Yehudi Menuhin.
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