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Mrs. Bradley #10
Printer's Error
The imminent publication in a limited edition of a scandalously anti-Semitic book—The Open Bellied Mountain—by the printing house of Saxant and Senss, finds the author of the inflammatory work—Fortinbras Carn—and his closest relatives receiving disturbing threatening letters; threats that soon have to be taken deadly seriously when the author's wife is killed in mysterious circumstances.
Mrs. Beatrice Adela Lestrange Bradley is soon drawn into a mystery as bizarre and as baffling as any that she has ever encountered during her long and illustrious career. Ably assisted by her resolute and energetic nephew Carey, and by the young and enterprising solicitor to the author's family, she finds herself battling Nazis, nudists and gun-toting motorcyclists in equal numbers; unmasking the reason behind a sudden craze for wearing false beards; and the origin of several dismembered human body parts, which begin to appear in a variety of increasingly peculiar locations. All before eventually arriving at the case's unexpected and surreal climax.
Mrs. Beatrice Adela Lestrange Bradley is soon drawn into a mystery as bizarre and as baffling as any that she has ever encountered during her long and illustrious career. Ably assisted by her resolute and energetic nephew Carey, and by the young and enterprising solicitor to the author's family, she finds herself battling Nazis, nudists and gun-toting motorcyclists in equal numbers; unmasking the reason behind a sudden craze for wearing false beards; and the origin of several dismembered human body parts, which begin to appear in a variety of increasingly peculiar locations. All before eventually arriving at the case's unexpected and surreal climax.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1939
20 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Gladys Mitchell
96 books141 followersAka 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, Brentford, from 1921-26, and at St Anne's Senior Girls School, Ealing until 1939.
She earned an external diploma in European history from University College in 1926, beginning to write her novels at this point. Mitchell went on to teach at a number of other schools, including the Brentford Senior Girls School (1941-50), and the Matthew Arnold School, Staines (1953-61). She retired to Corfe Mullen, Dorset in 1961, where she lived until her death in 1983.
Although primarily remembered for her mystery novels, and for her detective creation, Mrs. Bradley, who featured in 66 of her novels, Mitchell also published ten children's books under her own name, historical fiction under the pseudonym Stephen Hockaby, and more detective fiction under the pseudonym Malcolm Torrie. She also wrote a great many short stories, all of which were first published in the Evening Standard.
She was awarded the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger Award in 1976.
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, Brentford, from 1921-26, and at St Anne's Senior Girls School, Ealing until 1939.
She earned an external diploma in European history from University College in 1926, beginning to write her novels at this point. Mitchell went on to teach at a number of other schools, including the Brentford Senior Girls School (1941-50), and the Matthew Arnold School, Staines (1953-61). She retired to Corfe Mullen, Dorset in 1961, where she lived until her death in 1983.
Although primarily remembered for her mystery novels, and for her detective creation, Mrs. Bradley, who featured in 66 of her novels, Mitchell also published ten children's books under her own name, historical fiction under the pseudonym Stephen Hockaby, and more detective fiction under the pseudonym Malcolm Torrie. She also wrote a great many short stories, all of which were first published in the Evening Standard.
She was awarded the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger Award in 1976.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 3, 2022
Talky, convoluted, gruesome, in the end there wasn't a whole lot of sense to the plot. Published on the eve of World War II (1939), written as war was imminent but not quite happening, it features the wife of an author killed, just as he was about to publish (privately) a deeply antisemitic book that was - in the words of the heroes of the book - "distasteful." What is the point of the book? Why was his wife murdered? Body parts of a man start turning up; there's a nudist colony in the area, and a friend of his publisher's is found stuffed up the chimney - how do all these parts fit together? Are Nazi's responsible? But why would they want to stop the publication of the disgraceful novel? The resolution makes as little sense as the rest of the plot.
February 19, 2022
A weaker entry.
May 17, 2017
Printer's Error is the 10th book in Gladys Mitchell's Mrs. Bradley. Mitchell was a member of the Detection Club, who wrote many of her mysteries during the Golden Age. Her detective, Mrs. Bradley is a psychoanalyst who has been called upon to solve many mysteries. In this, she is sometimes aided by her chauffeur, George, and on occasion, by her barrister son, Sir Ferdinand Lestrange.
Solicitor Justus Bassin has been called to a client's house to view some threatening letters that have been received by Mrs. Carn, her husband, Fortinbras Carn, and their household staff. Fortinbras is a well-known book critic, and Mrs. Carn believes it is possible that he many have enemies, many unbeknownst to him. Carn also has written a book, which Mrs. Carn says may be controversial, to be published by the small printing firm of Saxant and Senss. Bassin realizes that he must spend more time with Mrs. Carn, and leaves her house to wire his firm in London. Upon his return to the Carn's house, he finds that the house has been broken into and Mrs. Carn has been struck in the head by the cash-box containing the threatening letters and the book proofs. The cash-box has disappeared, and Mrs. Carn is dead; Carn is nowhere to be found. As Bassin stays in the village inn, he meets Carey Lestrange, Mrs. Bradley's nephew, who is on holiday. Bassin and Lestrange become friends as Bassin shares the details of the case with him - Carn's book is an anti-semitic novel, and there may be a Nazi spy living in the village. Bassin and Lestrange soon call upon Mrs. Bradley to assist them, as an innocent man has been arrested for the murder of Carn, who may or may not be dead. A pair of ears is delivered to Carn's mistress, Mrs. Saxant, the wife of the printing firm's owner, a man is found hanging by the arms from the inside of the inn's chimney, Bassin and Lestrange must join a nudist colony and at the end, Mrs. Bradley and crew visit a modern art exhibition to finally catch the murderer.
It has been a year or two since I've read Gladys Mitchell - I am slowly making my way through the Mrs. Bradley series and have enjoyed all of them so far. This one is no exception, but I must admit that some of it confused me a little. There were a lot of clues, probably more than necessary as some of the "clues" were not explained at the end - and the ending was not as clear to me as I would have liked. I may want to reread it to make sure I am on the right track. So for me, it will not be my favorite of the series - so far that is The Saltmarsh Murders, but I still enjoyed it.
This book was written mainly from the perspective of the young solicitor, Justus Bassin, and a little from that of Carey Lestrange. Justus is a very likable character, who is first introduced in this book. I hope that we may see him in future books, as Mitchell does bring back characters from an early book, at times. In this book, Noel Wells from The Saltmarsh Murders makes a reappearance.
An example of Mitchell's writing, this quote on the first page struck me as magnificent: "Children and lovers haunted the path by the brook, each to some extent impeding the other in the prosecution of what appeared to both to be necessary and desirable ends."
The Mrs. Bradley mysteries are easily read as stand-alone books. I would not start with this one, as it is perhaps not the best example of her best work.
Solicitor Justus Bassin has been called to a client's house to view some threatening letters that have been received by Mrs. Carn, her husband, Fortinbras Carn, and their household staff. Fortinbras is a well-known book critic, and Mrs. Carn believes it is possible that he many have enemies, many unbeknownst to him. Carn also has written a book, which Mrs. Carn says may be controversial, to be published by the small printing firm of Saxant and Senss. Bassin realizes that he must spend more time with Mrs. Carn, and leaves her house to wire his firm in London. Upon his return to the Carn's house, he finds that the house has been broken into and Mrs. Carn has been struck in the head by the cash-box containing the threatening letters and the book proofs. The cash-box has disappeared, and Mrs. Carn is dead; Carn is nowhere to be found. As Bassin stays in the village inn, he meets Carey Lestrange, Mrs. Bradley's nephew, who is on holiday. Bassin and Lestrange become friends as Bassin shares the details of the case with him - Carn's book is an anti-semitic novel, and there may be a Nazi spy living in the village. Bassin and Lestrange soon call upon Mrs. Bradley to assist them, as an innocent man has been arrested for the murder of Carn, who may or may not be dead. A pair of ears is delivered to Carn's mistress, Mrs. Saxant, the wife of the printing firm's owner, a man is found hanging by the arms from the inside of the inn's chimney, Bassin and Lestrange must join a nudist colony and at the end, Mrs. Bradley and crew visit a modern art exhibition to finally catch the murderer.
It has been a year or two since I've read Gladys Mitchell - I am slowly making my way through the Mrs. Bradley series and have enjoyed all of them so far. This one is no exception, but I must admit that some of it confused me a little. There were a lot of clues, probably more than necessary as some of the "clues" were not explained at the end - and the ending was not as clear to me as I would have liked. I may want to reread it to make sure I am on the right track. So for me, it will not be my favorite of the series - so far that is The Saltmarsh Murders, but I still enjoyed it.
This book was written mainly from the perspective of the young solicitor, Justus Bassin, and a little from that of Carey Lestrange. Justus is a very likable character, who is first introduced in this book. I hope that we may see him in future books, as Mitchell does bring back characters from an early book, at times. In this book, Noel Wells from The Saltmarsh Murders makes a reappearance.
An example of Mitchell's writing, this quote on the first page struck me as magnificent: "Children and lovers haunted the path by the brook, each to some extent impeding the other in the prosecution of what appeared to both to be necessary and desirable ends."
The Mrs. Bradley mysteries are easily read as stand-alone books. I would not start with this one, as it is perhaps not the best example of her best work.
May 16, 2025
On the eve of WWII, will England be brought down by the enemy within?
Recently I read Mitchell's DEAD MEN'S MORRIS and was underwhelmed. This book picks up where it left off, but I think it's much better. For one thing, we get off the nephew's pig farm (Thank God!) and the scene moves to a small village.
The villagers (while they don't talk like "gentry") don't have the deplorable accent of the pig farm workers. Either employment in a factory or as a domestic worker improves English working class speech dramatically or old Gladys got so many complaints after DEAD MEN'S MORRIS was published that she decided to tone down the dialect. All to the good.
Mrs.Bradley's nephew Carey has taken a short vacation and is traveling around the region painting signs for pubs (he's an artist.) Marriage and fatherhood (or being away from the pigs) has livened him up and he's a wonderful foil for his aunt as they investigate (what else?) a murder. Hitler and his Nazis are raising hell in Germany and the English are starting to realize that he's not just a silly little man with a bee in his bonnet about Jews. And they're also becoming aware that Hitler has quite a fan club in England, starting with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and many other aristocrats. If war is inevitable, can they trust their own?
A well-known and fairly successful author has written an anti-Semitic book and insisted that a local publisher print a 100 copies, which he will pay for and distribute privately. Then he and his wife start getting hate mail and a personable young lawyer is sent from London to advise them. Unfortunately, he's not in time to prevent a murder. The main suspect disappears and severed body parts start showing up. And there are two German refugees in the village. Nazis or not?
This is far from being the best Mrs. Bradley and I wouldn't start with it if you're new to the series. It rambles a bit and it's over-plotted, but it has some wonderful parts. Mrs. Bradley (who is described as observing people "with the soulless intelligence of a bird") is as lively an old dame as you'll ever meet.
In spite of her advanced age, she hops in and out of windows and over walls and (to my delight) into bed with the handsome young lawyer. There's a nudist colony and the corny American preacher who runs it and a verbal slap at social commentary "from the backwoods of Minnesota." Aimed at the anti-war "America First" movement? I wonder.
It's an intriguing look at the English on the verge of the war that almost destroyed them. Even when not at her best. Mitchell was a fine writer and a shrewd observer of human nature. This one is worth your time.
Recently I read Mitchell's DEAD MEN'S MORRIS and was underwhelmed. This book picks up where it left off, but I think it's much better. For one thing, we get off the nephew's pig farm (Thank God!) and the scene moves to a small village.
The villagers (while they don't talk like "gentry") don't have the deplorable accent of the pig farm workers. Either employment in a factory or as a domestic worker improves English working class speech dramatically or old Gladys got so many complaints after DEAD MEN'S MORRIS was published that she decided to tone down the dialect. All to the good.
Mrs.Bradley's nephew Carey has taken a short vacation and is traveling around the region painting signs for pubs (he's an artist.) Marriage and fatherhood (or being away from the pigs) has livened him up and he's a wonderful foil for his aunt as they investigate (what else?) a murder. Hitler and his Nazis are raising hell in Germany and the English are starting to realize that he's not just a silly little man with a bee in his bonnet about Jews. And they're also becoming aware that Hitler has quite a fan club in England, starting with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and many other aristocrats. If war is inevitable, can they trust their own?
A well-known and fairly successful author has written an anti-Semitic book and insisted that a local publisher print a 100 copies, which he will pay for and distribute privately. Then he and his wife start getting hate mail and a personable young lawyer is sent from London to advise them. Unfortunately, he's not in time to prevent a murder. The main suspect disappears and severed body parts start showing up. And there are two German refugees in the village. Nazis or not?
This is far from being the best Mrs. Bradley and I wouldn't start with it if you're new to the series. It rambles a bit and it's over-plotted, but it has some wonderful parts. Mrs. Bradley (who is described as observing people "with the soulless intelligence of a bird") is as lively an old dame as you'll ever meet.
In spite of her advanced age, she hops in and out of windows and over walls and (to my delight) into bed with the handsome young lawyer. There's a nudist colony and the corny American preacher who runs it and a verbal slap at social commentary "from the backwoods of Minnesota." Aimed at the anti-war "America First" movement? I wonder.
It's an intriguing look at the English on the verge of the war that almost destroyed them. Even when not at her best. Mitchell was a fine writer and a shrewd observer of human nature. This one is worth your time.
August 29, 2016
I love Gladys Mitchell and she has written some good books. This isn't one of them. Two stars is generous but she writes beautifully and Mrs B is a wonderful character. The plot, however, is bonkers!
July 6, 2025
I loved parts of the book, and early on it was interesting and intriguing. Sadly, I found it to be disappointing overall and a below-average example of the author's work.
June 17, 2015
Gladys Mitchell is one of the better known authors of THE GOLDEN AGE, but some of her books do not measure up to her reputation, this book is one of those.
March 27, 2017
I really, really enjoyed this Mrs. Bradley--maybe inappropriately so. I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but read the exchanges between Bassin (lawyer) and Carey Lestrange (Mrs. Bradley's nephew) in light of a not entirely straight bromance. I mean, Carey gets sent to a nudist colony, and Bassin goes to hang out with him. And then Bassin ends up in bed with the wrong member of the Lestrange family. I had so much with this book that I almost managed to overlook the hysterical tone of the book--a classic example of pre-WW2 propaganda in the wild.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews