country house – Carol's Notebook

God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen by Rhys Bowen

November 19, 2021December 3, 2021 by Carol2 Comments

I've read several of the Royal Spyness mysteries, but not all of them and not necessarily in order. I feel like each of the stands alone well, but also gives us updates on characters we've become familiar with. In God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen, Georgie and Darcy are celebrating Christmas at his eccentric aunt's home on the grounds of Sandringham where the king and queen are in residence. Not only is the house party is a cover for Wallis Simpson to have a place to stay near the Prince of Wales during the holiday season, but the Queen is also afraid. Last year two people died during the holidays at the estate, and she is worried something terrible might happen again. Soon, her fears are realized and it's up to Georgie and Darcy to find out who the killer is. I love Georgie. She's funny and smart and loyal. And Darcy adores and respects her. They make a perfect couple. And...

Murder on a Midnight Clear by Sara Rosett

November 11, 2021November 12, 2021 by Carol2 Comments

Yes, I've started reading Christmas books already. No, our house isn't decorated yet. Does anyone have any great ideas to protect a Christmas tree from a dog? The dog in Murder on a Midnight Clear is an adorable Jack Russell terrier who is a little better behaved than mine. Olive and Jasper are officially dating now, but Olive is her usual curious self, determined to figure out Jasper's secret. She follows him and does a bit of spying, which is in character if a bit annoying. She has a car accident that lands her in the same country house as Jasper for Christmas. And of course, there's a murder - the butler is found dead. A county house murder at the holidays may be my favorite set-up. I enjoy the decorations, the food, the presents, all of which give us some clues here. This time around we have an eccentric set of characters, each with their own secrets. Well, except Olive, she...

A Christmas Party by Georgette Heyer

December 27, 2020December 27, 2020 by Carol4 Comments

A British country house Christmas party may be my favorite setting for a murder. Joseph and his wife, Maud, live at Nathaniel's grand home. Joseph has organized a Christmas party, even though he seems to be the only one in a festive mood. Like any good Christmas party, we've got a ill-matched bunch of relatives, significant others, a family friend, and a business partner. Nathaniel is a difficult and argumentative man, who has fights with just about everyone at the house. When he is killed, there are a plethora of suspects and plenty of motives, mostly revolving around who inherits Nathanial’s fortune. The murder obviously puts a damper on the Christmas celebrations. This was a good read, clever and funny. We've got a locked room mystery that makes for a good puzzle for the investigator. I adored Maud, placid, unruffled, unwilling to play hostess. She just wants to find her missing book. And how can you not enjoy a mystery that...

An English Murder by Cyril Hare

December 7, 2020December 7, 2020 by Carol2 Comments

An English Murder is a typical, country house, murder mystery common in Golden Age mysteries, with a slightly different feel. Although the set-up is one of my favorites – a group of guests snowed in at a country house over the holidays – the modern world is beginning to impinge. Domestic staff is harder to get hold of and Briggs, the butler, valiantly does his best to keep up standards with far less help than he previously had. Meanwhile, the house is suffering from a lack of staff and money. It looks impressive, but maintenance is expensive and the present Lord Warbeck’s son, Robert, is unlikely to be able to afford his inheritance. Lord Warbeck is old, and ill, and wants to have his family with him at Christmas. His guests include his son, Robert, who is the President of the League of Liberty and Justice, a an antisemitic and anti-socialist organization; Sir Julius Warbeck, Chancellor of the Exchequer; Mrs. Carstairs,...

Murder in Black Tie by Sara Rosett

September 15, 2020September 15, 2020 by CarolNo Comments

Olive Belgrave is about to be homeless as her landlady is getting married and selling the boardinghouse. She packs up and heads back to Nether Woodsmoor to visit her family at Parkview Manor. Aunt Caroline and cousin Gwen are hosting a house party for a small group of friends and family, including Olive's father and his wife Sonia. Olive is happy to see her cousin Peter recovering from the trauma of the war but he isn't himself yet and when a guest is murdered, Peter becomes the number one suspect. Clearly Olive need to clear Peter's name. This is a 1920s country house party murder mystery chock full of period details, especially fashion. The history of Parkview being used as a hospital during the war and how the characters were involved with that was interesting. I like the limited cast in house party mysteries. Our murder victim, Vincent Payne, is a businessman in the antique map business, maybe not wholly...

The Red House Mystery by A. A. Milne

April 29, 2020April 28, 2020 by Carol4 Comments

It's a shame Milne only wrote one mystery. The Red House Mystery is clever and funny and charming. From the dedication: Our amateur sleuth is Antony Gillingham. He stops at The Red House to visit his friend, Bill Beverly, but as he gets there he finds a frantic man banging on the door of a locked room, trying to get in. Antony and the man run to the back of the house and break in the window, finding a dead man, shot. The man who was breaking into the room was Mr. Cayley, cousin and assistant to Mark Ablett, owner of The Red House. The dead man is Mark's brother, Robert, newly arrived from Australia. Mark himself is missing. Antony is an outsider at The Red House, but allowed free reign that the detectives don't have. The mystery is well-done, the clues make sense. I knew who the killer was, but not the hows and whys until the end. The characters are...