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The Saltmarsh Murders (Mrs. Bradley #4)
A quick-witted, clever mystery from the Golden Age of crime writing
Noel Wells, curate in the sleepy village of Saltmarsh, likes to spend his time dancing in the study with the vicar’s niece until one day the vicar’s unpleasant wife discovers her unmarried housemaid is pregnant and trouble begins. It is left to Noel to call for the help of sometime-detective and full-time F...more
Noel Wells, curate in the sleepy village of Saltmarsh, likes to spend his time dancing in the study with the vicar’s niece until one day the vicar’s unpleasant wife discovers her unmarried housemaid is pregnant and trouble begins. It is left to Noel to call for the help of sometime-detective and full-time F...more
ebook, 288 pages
Published
April 13th 2010
by Vintage Books
(first published 1932)
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Mrs Bradley is a strange detective, but engaging and entertaining. The Saltmarsh Murders hinges upon pregnancy, murder, smuggling and a village fete. It is unlike many "Golden Age" whodunnits, relying on psychology and anecdote over interrogation and fingerprints. It's a heady mix - perhaps, written in the 1930's, it needs some of the racial elements toned down - but seriously in need of rediscovery and reappraisal.
I love the classic detectives of the Golden Age of British cozies: Miss Jane Marple, Miss Maud Silver, and Lord Roderick Alleyn. But I have a new favorite: Mrs. Beatrice Bradley. She's considerably less likable than any of the aforementioned, what with her yellowed, shriveled looks, her cackling laugh, her domineering personality, and her malicious wit. Yet, she's so sly, and the satire of early 20th century refined society is so delicious, that I think she may well dethrone Miss Marple in my he...more
The Saltmarsh Murders, which appeared in 1932, was the fourth of Gladys Mitchell’s sixty-six Mrs Bradley mysteries. In some ways it’s a very typical example of golden age detective fiction while in others it’s more of a hybrid.
It has all the faults (or if you happen to be a fan of golden age mysteries as I am, all the virtues) of its type. The plot is convoluted and wildly implausible. The detective solves the mystery quickly but refuses to reveal the identity of the guilty party even to her loy...more
It has all the faults (or if you happen to be a fan of golden age mysteries as I am, all the virtues) of its type. The plot is convoluted and wildly implausible. The detective solves the mystery quickly but refuses to reveal the identity of the guilty party even to her loy...more
I have read many books from the "Golden age of crime" before, not to mention many other novels written in the years between the wars, and certainly there are many times when attitudes of the time jar terribly with what is acceptable today. However generally speaking - it is at least explainable, and the reader can set things in the context in which they were written and move on. However in this book - which is the first Gladys Mitchell I have read - there was language and attitudes particularly...more
The Saltmarsh Murders by Gladys Mitchell, is a series and an author -- incredibly -- I did not know before. Mitchell began her mystery writing career in 1929 and is pretty much a contemporary of Agatha Christie. Her heroine ... through 66 novels! ... is Beatrice Adela Lestrange Bradley, or "Mrs Bradley" as she is referred to in this early outing, first published in 1932.
Random House Vintage has reissued a half dozen of the (mostly) early titles. This one bears the tagline: "A quick-witted, cleve...more
Random House Vintage has reissued a half dozen of the (mostly) early titles. This one bears the tagline: "A quick-witted, cleve...more
Cunningly contrived mystery that rivals Christie at her best for an apparently humdrum setting, eccentric but believable characters, grim huumour and any number of suspects. Mrs Bradley is great, like a vulgar and slightly unnerving Miss Marple, content to sit back and get everyone else to do the work of detection for her - or rather for getting the proof she needs, for, according to the 'appendix' in the form of her notebook, she'd sussed the killer almost immediately. This conceit of Mitchell'...more
#4 Mrs. Bradley, psychologist, rural England; classic amateur sleuth but twisted. Overall this was a thoroughly entertaining skewering of detective story styles of the period, done with wit and a wicked sense of humor.
Another peculiar visit with Mrs. Bradley, that irascible psychologist, doctor, and sleuth, as she probes the psyches and lives of the inhabitants of a small, isolated village. Not for all tastes, this is quite morbidly delicious; Mitchell's moral sense is bizarre and interesting,...more
Another peculiar visit with Mrs. Bradley, that irascible psychologist, doctor, and sleuth, as she probes the psyches and lives of the inhabitants of a small, isolated village. Not for all tastes, this is quite morbidly delicious; Mitchell's moral sense is bizarre and interesting,...more
Mitchell did an incredible, and often amusing, job of capturing the voice of the young, not unintelligent but, bumbling crate who narrates the story. The book contains many views in regards to race that we would find troubling today, but still succeeds in being a satisfying whodunit.
This was a re-read, and was very Gladys Mitchell in employing an outside narrator to describe events and characters. I rather missed Laura who appears in other Mrs Bradley books.
Very hard to follow, garbled and incomprehensible narration. I love books set in the golden era, Christie, Sayers, Marsh etc.....but I'm afraid Gladys leaves a lot to be desired
Interesting murder mystery that takes place in an English country village. Sufficient number of characters to keep the reader confused. Some humorous moments during the investigation. I would like to read more of this author, but not right away.
Jul 11, 2009
Karyn The Pirate
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
cozy-mysteries
While I enjoyed this book, it was a bit too convoluted for me. I did not enjoy the protrayal of Mrs. Bradley in this book either. I don't remember her as being quite so old in the other books in this series. I will probably try one more of the Mrs. Bradley books before I completely give up on them.
It's odd to me how Mrs. Bradley can change so much from book to book. I didn't care for this incarnation.
Well plotted but I found the Agatha Christie cum Wodehouse cum Just William style rather annoying.
I sorta liked Mrs. Bradley the psychoanalyst/detective in this book but couldn't stand the narrator (very like Wooster, but not nearly so likable). Since you were getting all the facts from his muddled point of view, I found it really hard to keep straight who had done what. I might try another book in the series just to see if a change in narrator would make it all better.
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Aka Malcolm Torrie, Stephen Hockaby.
Born in Cowley, Oxford, in 1901, Gladys Maude Winifred Mitchell was the daughter of market gardener James Mitchell, and his wife, Annie.
She was educated at Rothschild School, Brentford and Green School, Isleworth, before attending Goldsmiths College and University College, London from 1919-1921.
She taught English, history and games at St Paul's School, Brentfo...more
More about Gladys Mitchell...
Born in Cowley, Oxford, in 1901, Gladys Maude Winifred Mitchell was the daughter of market gardener James Mitchell, and his wife, Annie.
She was educated at Rothschild School, Brentford and Green School, Isleworth, before attending Goldsmiths College and University College, London from 1919-1921.
She taught English, history and games at St Paul's School, Brentfo...more
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May 13, 2013 11:32pm