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The Mystery at Underwood House
(Angela Marchmont Mystery #2)
by
Old Philip Haynes was never happier than when his family were at each other's throats. Even after his death the terms of his will ensured they would keep on feuding. But now three people are dead and the accusations are flying. Can there really be a murderer in the family? Torn between friendship and duty, Angela Marchmont must find out the truth before the killer can stri
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Kindle Edition, 285 pages
Published
September 2nd 2013
by Clara Benson
(first published September 1st 2013)
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Start your review of The Mystery at Underwood House (Angela Marchmont Mystery #2)
After her success at Sissingham Hall (and a rather exciting past hinted at by her friend at Scotland Yard, Inspector Jameson), Angela Marchmont is approached by an old friend of hers, Louisa Haynes. Louisa lives at Underwood House with her husband John and son Donald. Her father in law, the mischievous and eccentric Philip Haynes, enjoyed nothing better than causing trouble between his family. John Haynes, as the eldest son, should have received his beloved Underwood House in his father’s will.
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3.5★...
...which is the same rating I gave Ms Benson's first murder mystery, The Murder at Sissingham Hall.
In a lot of areas this was a far better book. I thought I had guessed the murderer (but I was wrong & I do like to be fooled) & the ending was genuinely thrilling - at one point I was literally on the edge of my seat! But - I didn't like the start and found the writing in some of the early chapters was (like the first book) still quite pedestrian. There were parts that dragged.
I may try A Ca ...more
...which is the same rating I gave Ms Benson's first murder mystery, The Murder at Sissingham Hall.
In a lot of areas this was a far better book. I thought I had guessed the murderer (but I was wrong & I do like to be fooled) & the ending was genuinely thrilling - at one point I was literally on the edge of my seat! But - I didn't like the start and found the writing in some of the early chapters was (like the first book) still quite pedestrian. There were parts that dragged.
I may try A Ca ...more
This is the second in the Angela Marchmont series (the first was The Murder at Sissingham Hall). In this one, Louisa Haynes, a friend of Angela’s calls on her to look into a series of mysterious deaths that have been taking place in her family. At first thought to be natural or accidental, the most recent one has raised suspicions among some of the Haynes, enough for Louisa at least to want the thing looked into. Philip Haynes, patriarch of the family was an old tartar who enjoyed playing games
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If you're feeling stressed or your brain's a bit frazzled and you just want a nice, easy read that's well-written and interesting enough, then this series fits the bill nicely. I enjoy Clara Benson's style of writing, and her books usually hold my interest; the period atmosphere feels authentic, the characters are interesting and the plots not too predictable. I found this particular story about family feuds, secrets and financial scandal fast paced, amusing in parts and it kept me guessing to t
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rather 3.5 - at last, a whodunit where I did not discover the culprit - and another dysfunctional family - arent't there any "normal" families ? I supposed not in whodunits, otherwise you wouldn't have a good story -
I liked this second instalment in the angela marchmont series much better than the first book - I look forward to reading more ...more
I liked this second instalment in the angela marchmont series much better than the first book - I look forward to reading more ...more
Sep 08, 2015
Andrea
added it
A big improvement on the first in the series, this is told from the viewpoint of the detective, rather than having her floating about in the background somewhere. A good deal less obvious, with more viable suspects, though again I was able to spot the killer.
These stories were written by the author as a young woman, but she chose not to attempt to publish them, and they were rediscovered posthumously. Given the time they were written in, I very much enjoy the relative independence of the lady de ...more
These stories were written by the author as a young woman, but she chose not to attempt to publish them, and they were rediscovered posthumously. Given the time they were written in, I very much enjoy the relative independence of the lady de ...more
A much better book than the first in this series of 1920s country house murder mysteries. The amateur detective, Angela Marchmont, is developed more satisfactorily, the plotting is more complex, and the solution better-hidden. Still more about the puzzle than anything else, but I will certainly read the last two books and the fifth when it comes out shortly.
This series is available to Amazon Prime members free (one title per month), so I decided to try it, skipping the first book as reviews indicate Angela isn't present much of the time, which worked out fine, didn't feel I was missing anything that way.
Reminds me a lot of the Mrs. Bradley series, with an English lady assisted by her chauffeur. Angela came off as more likeable to me. Historical details are well done in the sense of carefully omitting modern anachronism, the 20s setting is more impl ...more
Reminds me a lot of the Mrs. Bradley series, with an English lady assisted by her chauffeur. Angela came off as more likeable to me. Historical details are well done in the sense of carefully omitting modern anachronism, the 20s setting is more impl ...more
This series is my new addiction. Angela Marchmont is a clever lady. She reminds me of Diana Rigg's character Adela Bradley in "The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries." The mysteries are absorbing and interesting.
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A random dip into a mystery series but I don't think I missed anything by not reading the first one. This is definitely for readers who like the puzzle type of mystery and aren't bothered by lack of depth in characterization. Very two-dimensional characters, even Mrs. Marchmont, with everyone being polite and unemotional in a very British stiff-upper-lip way. The writing was perfectly correct but stilted and again lacked any sort of depth, a bit like one of those books written in simplified Engl
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I found this a very well written mystery, the plot thickened by with several suspects. I guessed fairly soon the underlying issue that was prompting the "accidental deaths" but was well along in the story before I had an idea who was behind them.
The only thing thing that grated a bit was the "old fashioned" writing style where contractions are never used, not even in speech. This made the dialogue seem rather stilted. ...more
The only thing thing that grated a bit was the "old fashioned" writing style where contractions are never used, not even in speech. This made the dialogue seem rather stilted. ...more
English mystery
Likeable characters with mystery set. Angela Marchmont unravels the details much like a younger more agile Miss Marple. Enjoyable read.
Likeable characters with mystery set. Angela Marchmont unravels the details much like a younger more agile Miss Marple. Enjoyable read.
This was better than the first one and the solution was not so predictable.
Pleasant read but no depth.
This is a solid three stars. It flows, carrying the reader along. The characters are mostly pompous, unpleasant and nevertheless vulnerable. I liked the relationship between Angela and the Inspector.
A good rainy day read, not taxing but not in anyway annoying. Enid Bayton for adult crime addicts.
A good rainy day read, not taxing but not in anyway annoying. Enid Bayton for adult crime addicts.
Think blood is thicker than water? Let's spill some and find out.
Some families don't get along, but the Haynes are in a class by themselves. The father drives his wife into an early grave and torments his oldest daughter until she runs away from home. When the old goat dies he leaves a will dividing his money between his lawyer and his children and stipulating that the siblings (who loathe each other) have dinner together twice yearly. Three dinners so far and a brother or sister has died myster ...more
Some families don't get along, but the Haynes are in a class by themselves. The father drives his wife into an early grave and torments his oldest daughter until she runs away from home. When the old goat dies he leaves a will dividing his money between his lawyer and his children and stipulating that the siblings (who loathe each other) have dinner together twice yearly. Three dinners so far and a brother or sister has died myster ...more
Bit disappointing, as with the first one, I had guessed the murderer early on and this book was the same. I do like the Angela Marshmont character , and it is this that kept me reading the book.
I enjoyed the first book in the Angela Marchmont series of country-house cozies set in the twenties, but to my mind this one worked a lot better. I didn't guess the identity of the murderer, for one thing (although that particular character was definitely on my list), and this one felt much more satisfyingly complex. It also features Angela Marchmont, the lady detective herself, as the point of view character, which I think works much better than having her as a side character (as in the first b
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In this 2nd mystery of the Angela Marchmont series, Ms. Benson does a much better job of keeping the reader guessing than she did in The Murder at Sissingham Hall. The Mystery at Underwood House is an entertaining English country house mystery. Family members have been dying in ways that may or may not be murder. Who could have done it and even more of a mystery, who benefits? I enjoyed the characters who are well fleshed out.
The mysteries are set in the 20's with clear class distinctions being ...more
The mysteries are set in the 20's with clear class distinctions being ...more
As good as the first book, a fun cozy mystery. Fast pace. Fun characters. Murder. Secrets. All nicely wrapped up at the end.
A brilliant murder mystery that I couldn't put down.
Old Philip Haynes was never happier than when his family were at each other's throats.
His will ensured that they would keep on fueding.
But now three people have died and Angela Marchmont must find out the truth before the killer strikes again.
Clara Benson was unpublished in her lifetime and wrote for pleasure.
Written in the 1930's they are so of the time and beautifully written. ...more
Old Philip Haynes was never happier than when his family were at each other's throats.
His will ensured that they would keep on fueding.
But now three people have died and Angela Marchmont must find out the truth before the killer strikes again.
Clara Benson was unpublished in her lifetime and wrote for pleasure.
Written in the 1930's they are so of the time and beautifully written. ...more
Classic gothic mystery writing with a predictable ending but enjoyable to read.
Like they say,
Where there's a will there's a detective story!This is one such book which is wonderfully written. Much better than the first one, maybe because It is told from Angela's perspective. You can figure out the crime quite early in the book (50 pages that's all it took me) from the scattered clues, if you pay close attention, but I could not put down the book for the next 3 hours, when I actually finished it. New interesting facts start coming up (which did not change my suspicion ...more
Ms. Angela Marchmont is pulled into her friend Louisa's family drama when she is asked to investigate the recent deaths of family members at the Underwood House. At first she's reluctant and considers declining the request but with encouragement from Inspector Jameson of Scotland Yard she agrees to take on the request. And from there we, along with Ms. Marchmont, are pulled into the going ons of the estate and family secrets.
I really enjoyed the story and the flow of writing. Protagonist Angela ...more
I really enjoyed the story and the flow of writing. Protagonist Angela ...more
A short interesting read
The story is suppose to take place in 1927. For those of you that have read George Bellairs, a true British mystery and crime writer; reading this book my first leaves me mystified about the author. Though a brief supposedly written by Clara Benson claims she is not American... This book is extremely limited in Britsh terminology and more American style and grammar. To me this is distracting when the description says Britsh. She claims she is following in the footsteps of ...more
The story is suppose to take place in 1927. For those of you that have read George Bellairs, a true British mystery and crime writer; reading this book my first leaves me mystified about the author. Though a brief supposedly written by Clara Benson claims she is not American... This book is extremely limited in Britsh terminology and more American style and grammar. To me this is distracting when the description says Britsh. She claims she is following in the footsteps of ...more
I thought book one was ok but I enjoyed this more, possibly because of the main character Mrs Angela Marchmont (where is Mr Angela Marchmont I wonder). She is a really good character. Slowly it is (subtlety)revealed she has an intriguing past during the last war and though she doesn’t want to place herself in danger, she knows how to handle herself.
She is asked by old friend, Louisa Haynes, to investigate strange goings on in her extended family. Obliged by a will to regularly get together as a ...more
She is asked by old friend, Louisa Haynes, to investigate strange goings on in her extended family. Obliged by a will to regularly get together as a ...more
If you're a fan of English murder mysteries, I think you'll like this one. There are lots of characters, lots of motives and opportunities. A fiendish man, who's recently passed on, has it in his will that his children must get together twice a year for dinner and the weekend. They don't like each other very much, mostly because of the distrust that he himself has sown between them. One by one, they meet their untimely death until there is only one left alive. Also in the will, his children are
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Angela gets a visit from her friend Louisa for help. Her father-in-law who wasn't a very nice person use to pit his children against each other. After his death his seams to be doing the same. In his will it. was stipulated that for his children to get their money they would have to come together twice a year in the family home. So far they had three meeting and one of the children has died during each one. They have been ruled accidents but Louise is afraid they are not especially the last one
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This is a modern book but feels in many ways a good homage to the Christie era of mystery writers. Angela Marchmont is asked by her friend Louisa to investigate the three murders on her husband’s estate. Were they murders, are they connected, and if so, who did them? We have a devious patriarch who controls his family from beyond the grave by forcing them together twice a year as part of his will. We have a suspicious lawyer, an angry widow, one surviving sibling who loves the estate too much, a
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Book 2 in the Angela Marchmont mystery series started off with a friend requesting Angela look into 3 recent deaths all in one family, and naturally Mrs. Marchmont agrees to look into the matter. I think this series would definitely fit the terms of a "cozy mystery" read. It is easy to sit down and read the book in one or two sittings and lose yourself for a few hours.
I find it curious that the author is slow in giving us more clues about what and who Angela is as a character and person. She is ...more
I find it curious that the author is slow in giving us more clues about what and who Angela is as a character and person. She is ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading the Detec...: The Mystery at Underwood House - Clara Benson | 11 | 25 | Aug 19, 2018 06:21AM | |
| Reading the Detec...: The Mystery at Underwood House - Clara Benson - SPOILER Thread | 38 | 19 | Jul 26, 2018 03:41AM |
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Clara Benson is the author of the Angela Marchmont Mysteries and Freddy Pilkington-Soames Adventures - traditional English whodunits in authentic style set in the 1920s and 30s. One day she would like to drink cocktails and solve mysteries in a sequinned dress and evening gloves. In the meantime she lives in the north of England with her family and doesn't do any of those things.
If you want to be ...more
If you want to be ...more
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Angela Marchmont Mystery
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