The Treasure at Poldarrow Point

Angela Marchmont Mystery #3

by Clara Benson

When Angela Marchmont goes to Cornwall on doctor's orders she is looking forward to a nice rest and nothing more exciting than a little sea-bathing. But her plans for a quiet holiday are dashed when she is caught up in the hunt for a diamond necklace which, according to legend, has been hidden in the old smugglers' house at Poldarrow Point for over a century.

Aided by the house's elderly owner, an irrepressible twelve-year-old, and a handsome Scotland Yard detective, Angela soon finds herself embroiled in the most perplexing of mysteries. Who is the author of the anonymous letters? Why is someone breaking into the house at night? And is it really true that a notorious jewel-thief is after the treasure too? Angela must use all her powers of deduction to solve the case and find the necklace—before someone else does.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Historical, Historical Mystery, Audiobook

307 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2013

About the author

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 the first to hear about new releases, and to receive a free, exclusive short story, sign up to her mailing list at clarabenson.com/newsletter.

Reviews

[Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third of the Angela Marchmont mysteries sees her head off to Cornwall, Penzance specifically, when her doctor recommends a rest following a bout of the flu, though she is initially reluctant to do so. Once there she unwittingly falls into another mystery (as do all detectives on holiday) when she is invited to tea with Miss Trout and her nephew who live at Poldarrow Point, a house once occupied by smugglers. There is rumoured to be a treasure hidden in the house, in the form of a diamond necklace, made for Marie Antoinette. Angela is not alone in the treasure hunt but is rather pushed into it by her twelve-year-old goddaughter Barbara, who arrives all of a sudden when the family she is supposed to be staying with gets scarlet fever. Thus commences a treasure hunt, which, if successful will also give the Trouts some much needed help as their lease on the house is about to run out in a matter of days.

I found this a really fun read. Rather than Angela, it is Barbara who is the heroine of this one. I liked her because she had a great deal of spunk and brains as well, even though she is also naïve. Barbara as the central character gave this one the vibes of a Nancy Drew/Enid Blyton mystery as did elements of the mystery itself, with secret passages, beach picnics, and a hidden treasure. Like Nancy or EB’s children, Barbara too is free to investigate, run around without very many checks (perhaps not much of a real-life situation). If one were to think of a mystery for adults, this one could be described as along the lines of something like The Secret of Chimneys and such. Angela herself has less of a role in this one, though she does solve part of the case, and has a touch of romance to occupy her time. As far as the mystery itself was concerned, it wasn’t terribly complicated, and I did manage to guess a lot of it but that didn’t spoil my fun too much. Great fun!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third in the Angela Marchmont series. After a bout of flu, Angela is advised to have a holiday and rents a house in Cornwall. Poldarrow Point is a large house, overlooking the sea, and Angela is interested to meet the elderly lady, Emily Trout, who lives there with her nephew, Clifford.

When Angela’s god-daughter, the redoubtable Barbara, turns up out of the blue, she throws herself into the mystery of Poldarrow Point with gusto. For Emily Trout will have to leave soon, unless the treasure, a famous necklace, rumoured to have been hidden in the house, is found.

This is a mystery involving a treasure hunt, lots of characters who are not what they seem, secret passages, and a possible jewel thief among the cast of suspects. Much of the action is seen from the point of view of Barbara, while Angela, although involved in the search, would obviously much rather be having a holiday and is also involved in a little romance.

Personally, for me, Barbara did not work as well as a main character and I found the odd coincidences a little too many. Also, it just seemed unlikely that she would be able to run quite so wild, and disappear quite so often, without Angela becoming more concerned. Not my favourite of the series so far, but I will read on.

Rated 3.5

[Pauline Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third in the Angela Marchmont series of cozies, and, seriously, I had a whale of a time with this book. It’s got smuggling, a secret room, mysterious tunnels, a missing diamond necklace and anonymous letters, not to mention a number of characters behaving in suspiciously odd ways. The plot is completely preposterous, of course, but the most amazing fun, and a great leap forward from the first two books in the series.

The character of Angela herself is really beginning to shine, now. She’s turning into a wonderful heroine, intelligent and self-confident, with a relaxed approach to her investigations. Angela’s god-daughter, Barbara, is a magnificent side-kick. She’s twelve years old, and has that gung-ho let’s-have-a-go attitude that reminded me strongly of the Famous Five. While Angela is sedately looking stuff up in the library, Barbara is crawling through tunnels, picking locks, hiding in cupboards and creeping round in the middle of night. And it’s so refreshing to see that Angela doesn’t fret about her, having the quaintly old-fashioned idea that children are capable, sensible human beings, perfectly well able to look after themselves.

For anyone with an eye for detail, it probably doesn’t pay to look too closely at the logistics of the plot. There are a number of too-convenient contrivances, and some of the mysteries were very easy to solve. But it was all jolly good fun, a thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish. And I do hope that a certain character reappears in future books as a romantic focus for Angela. Four stars.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan of Golden Age detective fiction, especially that of Patricia Wentworth or Dorothy Sayers, this series will *be* a treasure for you. Clara Benson (1890-1965) wrote a series of mysteries featuring amateur sleuth Angela Marchmont in the 1920s and 1930s, but she never sought to have them published. In fact, her own family never even knew she'd written them, and only years after her death did her family discover the manuscripts.

Angela is an interesting detective figure: unlike her dowager-ish contemporaries Miss Silver and Miss Marple, Angela is thirty-something, attractive, divorced (?), and may well have been a spy in the First World War. She's recently returned to England after many years of living in the U. S. with her American husband.

These are classic British-country-house mysteries, and the third in the series is a particular delight, as Angela is joined on holiday in Cornwall by her god-daughter Barbara, a twelve-year-old spitfire who's like a junior Nancy Drew without any of Nancy's decorum. Barbara really makes the book work, which is good, since the plot is, by turns, both a little predictable and pretty far-fetched. Still, it's a fun read, and includes some great lines. In an exchange with fellow traveler George Simpson (who becomes an intriguing love-interest for Angela here), Angela remarks, "I don't believe I've ever read an improving book...but I understand they are meant to be good for the soul, if a little on the dull side. They will give you something to do during the long winter, though, when the social calls begin to peter out."

Great fun. And cheap: the first in the series, _Murder at Sissingham Hall_, is available for the Kindle for $1.29, and the other four books that have so far been published are $3.99 apiece.

[Damaskcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angela Marchmont, following a nasty bout of flu, is recommended by her doctor to take a holiday. She rents a house in Cornwall for some much needed rest and recreation only to find her god daughter, Barbara, turning up on her doorstep. Barbara is a very self-sufficient thirteen year old and manages to involve Angela in a search for hidden treasure.

International jewel thieves, undercover police, socialites who may or may not be who they say they are and Barbara’s propensity for disappearing mean Angela’s peaceful holiday is far more exciting than her doctor might have recommended.

I enjoyed this interesting mystery set in the nineteen thirties. The characters are believable and likeable and Barbara rather steals the show with her resourcefulness and her adherence to justice and fair play. Angela herself is an interesting character and the background of a ramshackle house on the cliffs is the ideal scenery for a hunt for lost treasure.

If you like your mysteries in the classic mould then try these well written Golden Age mysteries.

[Mary Durrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these Golden age mysteries.
This one being set in my beloved Cornwall.
Angela Marchmont was hoping for a quiet holiday in Cornwall.
All her plans change when she finds herself on the hunt for a diamond necklace.
Along with her young goddaughter who is quite a character.
Smugglers, hidden passages and is anyone who they are supposed to be?
Lovely period details including a threatening letter which has the scent of the French Perfume Shalimar !
Looking forward to more of these.

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was really good, BUT there was that insufferable brat named Barbara who spoiled the book for me – I sincerely hope she will not appear in another Angela Marchmont mystery because I could not stand her –
I almost gave the book 1 star only because of her, but it would have been unfair, since the mystery is quite good

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book to me was really a "cozy "read. I think the fact a twelve year old was the main character probably brought that to the fore. There were lots of suspicious characters to contend with. I did in fact suspect the one who turns out to be the villain, and was asking myself why the supposedly main character was being so dim about the whole affair. However I did really enjoy this light, easy read.

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads more like a children's adventure story than a mystery, but it was quite fun.

[Cathy Coco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and frothy read. Just what I needed on a couple of gloomy, rainy days.

[Vicky Lee Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book it is the third in the series. So much for a little peace and quiet. A mystery and a teenager underfoot. No one is who they are supposed to be.

[Vidya · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐

Angela has to be the worst godmother of all time

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been wondering whether "Clara Benson" is a hoax: such an unlikely back story -- she wrote these stories for her own enjoyment, didn't want them published in her lifetime (not quite like Jane Austen, who did see her stories published ...). But this one features a somewhat tedious child (well, she annoyed me, but she herself was adventurous and quite bright). Barbara is an orphan, who has come (on her own) to stay with Angela as there is scarlet fever in the other house she was going to stay in for the holidays (she's in boarding school most of the time) so she tracked Angela from London to Cornwall where Angela is in on holiday. The freedom this 12-year child has is really quite shocking to modern eyes: she is left to track Angela down and get herself to Cornwall on her own, she nearly gets trapped by rising tides and gets herself out of it before anyone notices she's missing, she is out all night as the mystery is wrapping up and Angela wonders vaguely where she is -- It's really amazing she survives this story at all.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 3rd book in the Angela Marchmont mystery series. Angela's 12 year old god-daughter, Barbara is introduced in this book about secret passages, a missing diamond necklace, and LOTS of false identities, this period cozy moves right along.

This book is a Kindle Unlimited selection that was worth reading.

[Vicki Giansante · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a disappointment! I thoroughly enjoyed books 1 and 2, but not this one. The first 2 were quite different from each other, but I just skimmed over large sections of this one. If it were stated up front that it was a book for adolescents, it might be okay, but to have it in the series is a total disservice to readers.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one even better than the previous story. Some reviewers disliked the character of Angela's god-daughter Barbara, but I thought she was funny.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1920s England, Angela Marchmont has made somewhat of a name for herself as an amateur sleuth. But she is not expecting to do any sleuthing when a doctor orders her to Cornwall for a rest. But then, her goddaughter shows up unexpectedly, and much like Nancy Drew, 12 year old Betty is indefatigable in hunting out a mystery. It seems that the smugglers who owned the old Poldarrow Point house nearby may have hidden a valuable diamond necklace somewhere. Angela and Betty get involved in the search, but there is a lot more going on than they suspect.

There is a lot about this that I did enjoy. I love secret passages and smugglers caves that are subject to the tides for access, and as a childhood fan of Enid Blyton's The Famous Five series, Betty would have fit right in with them, or with the Swallows and Amazons from Arthur Ransome's series. Angela is not really the main character here, and it's difficult to find her a sympathetic character when she is so lax in her responsibility towards a 12-year-old orphan who has no other place to go. I mean, Betty doesn’t come home one night, and Angela waits up a bit, but then just shrugs and goes to sleep. What normal responsible guardian does that? And then the next day, still no Betty, Angela takes herself off to Penzance for research. Granted, Betty left her a scribbled note in the night, but none of the parents or guardians in any children’s book I’ve read – at least no sympathetic parents or guardians – would have assumed that meant Betty was OK and not in need of help. For God sake‘s, she’s 12! So for that reason I didn’t find this all that believable. Well maybe, believable isn’t the right word, because it’s a sort of rollicking adventure that isn’t supposed to be all that believable. But it still bugged me. I keep thinking about Nancy Blackett complaining how difficult it was to have adventures when you had to keep going home for lunch, but at least their parents and guardians cared enough about them to want to know where they were.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is like an adult version of a Nancy Drew mystery. This one would have been called, “Nancy Drew and the Case of the Diamond Necklace.” Angela Marchmont has endless resources to go and goof off for weeks in a small cottage on the coast of Cornwall, accompanied by a maid and fed by a cook. She is joined there in a surprise visit by her 12 year old goddaughter Barbara (who is kind of the Nancy Drew in this case). A decaying 18th century mansion up the road was part of a smuggling operation in the old days, complete with tunnels to the sea, underground storage chambers, secret rooms, hidden wall panels, and trap doors in the house. There is reputedly a diamond necklace hidden somewhere on the property.

Consistent with the time period, the 12 year old is able to pull a hair pin out of her hair to work a lock; a man on vacation by himself conveniently has tennis whites with him when invited to join a match; Angela isn’t perturbed when her 12 year old charge doesn’t come home at night (she shrugs and goes off to the library); and while Barbara is off finding clues and being pursued by bad guys, Angela is sitting on a terrace at the Hotel Spendide smoking cigarettes from her gold case and sipping lemonade. When Angela becomes totally aware of the identify of a renowned thief, she doesn’t tell the police and just allows him to escape. I was more impressed with Barbara than Angela. Still, these are fun, mindless stories.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

GR thinks this is the Kindle edition, but it is on my Nook. It says there is no Nook edition, but obviously there is, because I have one! This annoys me.

Another enjoyable Angela Marchmont story - I am really enjoying this series. Angela and her young goddaughter Barbara get sucked into a treasure hunt at Poldarrow Point, near to the house Angela is renting in Cornwall while she recuperates. The old woman who lives at the Point tells them that there is a diamond necklace hidden somewhere, and she needs to find it to buy the leasehold of her home, otherwise she'll have to leave. Barbara throws herself into the hunt and also decides to be a detective when she discovers a 'secret passage' to the sea, formerly used by smugglers. Angela gets involved with a Scotland Yard policeman and finds that with her gossipy neighbors, nothing is private. The tension keeps building, and culminates with Barbara finding herself in deep trouble when nobody is who they appeared to be. A very good read. Some references made to prior books, but in general this can be read as a standalone.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 was my favorite in the series so far and introduced me to Angela Marchmont's goddaughter, the irrepressible Barbara. Angela's visit to the English coast is planned to be a relaxing visit, but of course, a mystery soon presents itself, and so this lady sleuth must look into the face of danger once again. After all, who could turn away from a feeble old lady asking for her assistance? She and Barbara determine to solve the mystery and are aided by a handsome man from Scotland Yard.

Some of the plot was rather predictable, and so I had most of the story figured out before it happened. However, the author managed to throw in a couple of surprises, which I appreciated. I enjoyed Barbara's antics and thought he brought out the humanity in Angela. I confess, I'm hoping Mr. Simpson is in future books as well.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

After solving two cases in close succession, Angela Marchmont is struck with a nasty case of pneumonia. Her doctor has ordered a rest cure at the sea side, so she's headed to Cornwall. She's barely unpacked when her impulsive goddaughter has shown up and discovered a local story of buried treasure.

Naturally, young Barbara has decided that would be the perfect project for their summer holiday. Angela is reluctant at first, but she gets caught up in the lives of the local residents. There's a sweet old lady and her nephew, a quarrelsome married couple, an odd scientist, and an attractive Scotland Yard detective all involved in the events nearby. 

The lighthearted treasure hunt takes a deadly turn when someone takes a shot at Angela and Barbara goes missing.

This one was my favorite in the series so far. The others were rather predictable, but not in a terrible way. This one I was actually caught off guard more than once. I thought I had it figured it out, but there were several surprises in there. I have already downloaded the next one in this series. If you like the British mysteries, this series is so much fun. 

[Debbie Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much of this story was enjoyable, but it becomes frustrating because (just like in "The Murder at Sissingham Hall) the detective, Angela Marchmont, was really dumb in this story. It is obvious to the reader from half-way through the story who at least one of the villains was, but Angela doesn't see it until the end. Her 12-year-old niece and her housekeeper both find more clues than Angela does. Also, "The Treasure at Poldarrow Point" has Angela sacrificing her honor and reputation as a detective because she is supposedly so in love, but we never see any hint of her feelings for this man, not even one interesting conversation between them. So, as Likeable as Angela is, she is not a believable detective.

[Scot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angela is off to Cornwall for some rest after a bout of the flu, staying in a guest cottage not far from a lovely old home, now falling apart, that was once the headquarters of major smuggling, and now is the domicile of a sweet elderly lady and her feebish nephew who will be evicted in a few weeks--unless, it turns out, they can find Marie Antoinette's old necklace, which a family legend says might have been hidden somewhere there at Poldarrow Point. Angela's feisty thirteen year old goddaughter, Barbara, gets wind of this, and the search is on. Everyone is not who they appear to be, which adds to the fun, as do hidden passageways, curious nighttime noises, and a new raconteur to charm Mrs. Marchmont.

I enjoy this series.

[Cynthia Rodrigues · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first two books in the series were okay. But this one was hard to get through. The culprits were obvious from the start, but Angela doesn't figure anything out. Also, in this book, she does even less deducing than she does in the previous two books.
For the greater part of the book, it was her 12-year-old goddaughter, Barbara, who did all the investigating, Angela was rather negligent. Even when the child is missing way past midnight, Angela tells herself, she'll turn up. Even though Barbara was too smart for her own good, she was still, after all, only a child. But Angela didn't seem to understand that.
The romance between Angela and the 'Policeman' was rather wishy-washy, and barely existent from Angela's side.

[Kidlitter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth Klett does a superb job narrating this third Angela Marchmount mystery, with a practiced manner, and variety of accents that mesh in a soothing manner that lulls the listener along. This book is livelier than the other two, thanks to the introduction of Angela's charmingly obnoxious - if you like that sort of child - goddaughter Barbara, who takes the lead on solving the mystery and threatens to outdo Angela in intuition and deductive reasoning. Angela is the ideal guardian for Barbara, as she really doesn't attempt to oversee her, leaving room for all kinds of entertaining mischief. The budding romance for Angela wasn't as remotely as engaging as Angela's bemusement at Barbara's antics.

[Cherry London · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another mesmerizing thrilling mystery, it was as riveting as the other two, only this one had a hint of romance between the good guy and the bad, of course, the good guy was hoodwinked into believing he was the police. Ah what a tangled web Mrs. Marchmont weaved herself into, but with class, she extricated herself very well. Her god-daughter Barbara was a riot and she had the makings of a true detective, solved her own case but almost died in the process for she was way over her head, I think she just needs some training. This book was a little tamer than the other two but had the same depth of suspense, it was nicely done.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy mystery in Cornwall

Angela Marchmont is assigned to a vacation in Cornwall following a brief illness. Of course wherever Angela goes, intrigue soon follows, and the small village in Cornwall is no exception. In fact, she is soon embroiled in the search for a missing necklace that was taken in a robbery some 30 years prior. The search allows the discovery of hidden tunnels and secret rooms in a lovely old house that is just a few years from plunging into the sea. Suspense and lies combine for a very spellbinding read.

[Amanda Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit mixed-up

A detective tale that seems to have got mixed up with a children's adventure novel!

It's far more Enid Blyton than Agatha Christie. Barbara the leading young lady age 12. Angela herself seems rather unconcerned about caring for her goddaughter and yes times were different, but her character's behaviour seems to be totally changed in the way she deals with Barbara.. Barbara just appears and announces she's hiked to Cornwall from London and nothing? No checking her story? No discussion about taking off? No random relations trying to find the missing child?

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbara, my favorite character. She said she walked then hitch a ride all the way to her god mother's vacation home from school and she is barely 13 yo. Is that possible? I wouldn't do half of the stuff she did at thirteen but then times are different maybe people are much wiser in the earlier times because their life span is short.

otherwise, what a lovely read, the characters were all very interesting with the ultimate thief in plain sight. I couldn't believe that mr Simpson is not who he said he is and equally surprised the scientist turns out is the undercover cop.

[Maria Valderrama · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to have to change my rating for Books 1 & 2 to 4 stars so I can give this one 3 stars. The first two books were much better in terms of characters suited to the era. What put me off about this book was Barbara, Angela's 12-year-old goddaughter. She was an obnoxious, rude, lying and downright annoying presence in the plot in addition to the fact that she simply 'appeared' and not well woven into the story.