J. Jefferson Farjeon – Carol's Notebook

Author: J. Jefferson Farjeon

Joseph Jefferson Farjeon (4 June 1883 – 6 June 1955) was an English crime and mystery novelist, playwright and screenwriter.
His first published work was in 1924 when Brentano’s produced ‘The Master Criminal’, which is a tale of identity reversal involving two brothers, one a master detective, the other a master criminal. This was the beginning of a career that would encompass over 80 published novels, ending with ‘The Caravan Adventure’ in 1955. He also wrote a number of plays and many short stories.
Many of his novels were in the mystery and detective genre although he was recognized as being one of the first novelists to entwine romance with crime.

The dog and I were home one Saturday night when Amber and David went off to watch a hockey game. I hadn't been able to dig out my box of Christmas books yet, but was in the mood for a vintage seasonal mystery. Someone, somewhere said good things about Mystery in White by Farjeon (if it was you, thank you) so I picked it up. I love how many old mysteries have been re-released as e-books in the last few years. As the blurb says, a train gets stopped by a blizzard on Christmas Eve and a mismatched group of people decide to leave the safety of the train and attempt to make it to the next station on foot. Of course they get lost, but happily stumble upon a house - that is empty but has fires roaring and tea set out. "“Don’t disappoint me? Don’t tell me you cannot supply the corpse? A bread-knife on a floor, a boiling...