442 books
—
226 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “The Imbroglio at the Villa Pozzi (Angela Marchmont Mystery #6)” as Want to Read:
The Imbroglio at the Villa Pozzi
(Angela Marchmont Mystery #6)
by
While holidaying in Italy, Angela Marchmont is persuaded to postpone her trip to Venice and go to Stresa instead, to investigate a pair of spiritualists who are suspected of defrauding some of the town’s English residents out of their money. But what starts out as a minor matter swiftly becomes more serious when one of the residents in question is found dead in the beautif
...more
Get A Copy
Kindle Edition, 206 pages
Published
September 10th 2014
by CreateSpace
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
The Imbroglio at the Villa Pozzi,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about The Imbroglio at the Villa Pozzi
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of The Imbroglio at the Villa Pozzi (Angela Marchmont Mystery #6)

Angela Marchmont is on holiday in Italy and plans to go to Venice next, when a plea from an old friend, leads her to go to Stresa instead. A new friend, Elsa Peters, is also visiting, as are two art students, who she has met. Angela’s old friend, Mary Ainsley, says her vicar husband, Jonathan, is distressed about two local spiritualists, who he feels are defrauding English residents and visitors. Angela agrees to help, but quickly decamps from their cramped apartment, to a nearby hotel, where sh
...more

I felt that this was one of the better entries in the series so far; almost, but not quite, stands alone. Characters were varied, rather than stock, and mostly English as Angela doesn't speak Italian. Setting made a nice change of pace from English country houses.
...more

3.5 stars for another enjoyable outing with the glamorous, likable Angela Marchmont; this time, readers get a delightful visit to Stresa, Italy as she answers a friend’s request to interrupt her holiday to investigate two questionable psychics.
Angela is enjoying a delightful, but rigorous, guided tour of Italy (great pandemic reading, Angela always travels to interesting places in this series, set among the British upper classes between the wars). She has made a friend, Mrs. Peters, who is trave ...more
Angela is enjoying a delightful, but rigorous, guided tour of Italy (great pandemic reading, Angela always travels to interesting places in this series, set among the British upper classes between the wars). She has made a friend, Mrs. Peters, who is trave ...more

Good grief, that was the most amazing fun. The sixth Angela Marchmont amateur detective series, set in the twenties, sees Angela holidaying in Italy, tangling with spiritualists and meeting an old acquaintance, a certain jewel thief by the name of Edgar Valencourt, last seen charming Angela in The Treasure at Poldarrow Point, book 3 of the series. I always hoped he’d turn up again, but his reappearance was even better than I could have imagined.
The mystery this time is nothing terribly convolute ...more
The mystery this time is nothing terribly convolute ...more

Angela comes of age! I'm surprised at some of the criticism of this entry; that is, it wasn't so interesting because it was it takes place in Italy, not a country house in some isolated spot in the British Isles. The plot isn't as gory as some others in the series, but that's OK. And so happy to see the return of Edgar Valencourt. Yay! I have to agree with him that he and Angela have a bit more in common that Angela would like to admit. Actually, I think she knows it too, and that's what scares
...more

I really don't think these 'Clara Benson' books were written in the early 20th century. The book is a perfectly fine 'cosy' mystery, but I don't buy the story that it had recently been found by the author's family.
Writers of popular novels from the 1900 - 1930 era, like Jane Abbott, Edgar Wallace, E. Philips Oppenheim, Edna Ferber, Margaret Sydney, Willian McLeod Raine, or Angela Thirkell, include a great deal of description in their novels. Typically, there are pages and pages of detailed descr ...more
Writers of popular novels from the 1900 - 1930 era, like Jane Abbott, Edgar Wallace, E. Philips Oppenheim, Edna Ferber, Margaret Sydney, Willian McLeod Raine, or Angela Thirkell, include a great deal of description in their novels. Typically, there are pages and pages of detailed descr ...more

I read the first books (started with the three "Freddie" books) just to find out what they were (questions about the authors existence were intriguing ; were these newly discovered cozy murder novels written in the 1920's? Or written by a modern author mimicking the 20's writings of , say Margery Allingham???)
I love these books and am so addicted now. So thankful for kindle unlimited for feeding that addiction!! However I am sure the author , who maintains a viable Facebook page, is alive, well ...more
I love these books and am so addicted now. So thankful for kindle unlimited for feeding that addiction!! However I am sure the author , who maintains a viable Facebook page, is alive, well ...more

Plot-wise, definitely not the greatest, but if you have been following the series from the start, you would absolutely enjoy this one. You get to know more about Angela, which I liked reading very much. Also, new relationships are formed, which I'm hoping would continue in the following books.
The Story is set in Italy, where Angela has gone for a vacation, but a sudden detour takes her to Stresa, where there is a man hanging to his death. Everyone assumes it is suicide since there is no evidence ...more
The Story is set in Italy, where Angela has gone for a vacation, but a sudden detour takes her to Stresa, where there is a man hanging to his death. Everyone assumes it is suicide since there is no evidence ...more

Jul 31, 2018
PeterK B
rated it
liked it
Recommends it for:
people who enjoy the characters and not in a rush to get into the murder
Once again, barely a 3 star rating. This is a murder mystery .... why does the author spend so many pages introducing secondary characters, and their tour of Florence. (This is a murder mystery!)
Why not have the murder occur much earlier? I have now read most of this series and I do like the primary character Angela, but someone new to the series may not read very far into the book. Nothing much of significance happens for a long time. Dining, touring, chatting ... a boring seance that does not ...more
Why not have the murder occur much earlier? I have now read most of this series and I do like the primary character Angela, but someone new to the series may not read very far into the book. Nothing much of significance happens for a long time. Dining, touring, chatting ... a boring seance that does not ...more

The return of Valencourt
A bit of a mishmash. Not sure that I honestly enjoyed it that much. There's a lot of silliness over spiritualism and some terribly unconvincing scenes with Asphodel Quinn having visions.
Angela herself is rather two faced in this novel although there's lots of random hints about her past which doesn't really seem to lead anywhere.
I didn't feel it was a particularly believable situation and don't believe that someone of such a nervous disposition would have got involved. ...more
A bit of a mishmash. Not sure that I honestly enjoyed it that much. There's a lot of silliness over spiritualism and some terribly unconvincing scenes with Asphodel Quinn having visions.
Angela herself is rather two faced in this novel although there's lots of random hints about her past which doesn't really seem to lead anywhere.
I didn't feel it was a particularly believable situation and don't believe that someone of such a nervous disposition would have got involved. ...more

Sixth in the series. Angela is off to the Italian Lakes region, but her holiday getaway en route to Venice, which was intended to help a friend check out the practice and possible scamming by a medium and fortune teller, gets complicated by running into a dashing, raffish man she had encountered in an earlier book, and then she discovers a dead body while on a picnic. Nice sense of culture and practice of tourism then and there.

I have given this a 4 star rating but it is a weak 4 stars as I didn't like it as much as those that went before it. I did find Angela a bit trying at times. I hope the romance either takes off or a line is drawn under it, as the on/off does tire me. Other than that, the characters were different with a religious man and wife, a spiritualist mother and daughter, and a new friend who found romance. The Italian setting didn't really come to the forefront.
...more

I did not care for this book until around chapter six or seven. Then I gradually got more and more interested in the story. At least it wasn’t as gory as the previous five stories in the series.
I don’t know why Vallencourt had to do with the storyline, as Angela herself had said that she could have done her own sleuthing. Maybe he was added so the the scraps of burnt paper could be found.
Oh well, it will be resolved in the next installment.
I don’t know why Vallencourt had to do with the storyline, as Angela herself had said that she could have done her own sleuthing. Maybe he was added so the the scraps of burnt paper could be found.
Oh well, it will be resolved in the next installment.

Romance and Mayhem
In book 6 Angela Marchmont has travelled to Italy She was planning to visit Venice when she received a telegram from Mary Ainsley and her minister husband They needed help in the town of Stresa concerning some fortune tellers that were leading his congregation astray. Angela stays longer than she wanted due to two mysterious deaths. Great story.
In book 6 Angela Marchmont has travelled to Italy She was planning to visit Venice when she received a telegram from Mary Ainsley and her minister husband They needed help in the town of Stresa concerning some fortune tellers that were leading his congregation astray. Angela stays longer than she wanted due to two mysterious deaths. Great story.

While on holiday in Italy Angela Marchmont receives a request from her friend Mary Ainsley to vist them at Stresa and investigate two spiritualists. As her husband is convinced they are defrauding people of their money. But the investigation becomes more important when a body of one of the English residents in the town is discovered dead.
Another enjoyable and well-written mystery in this series
Another enjoyable and well-written mystery in this series

Excellent series
Loved it! This whole series is just one delightful book after another. I am looking forward to reading more about Angela's adventures and hope to for a long time. ...more
Loved it! This whole series is just one delightful book after another. I am looking forward to reading more about Angela's adventures and hope to for a long time. ...more

It's a fairly solid book but rather full! and plodding.
...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

I can't decide if this is a romantic mystery or a mysterious romance, but it's my favorite in this series.
You know you're an Angela Marchmont fanatic when you download the latest book and read it until you can't stay awake one more second and then eagerly polish it off the next day while the morning newspaper sits in your driveway. Wars and political dust-ups must wait while I find out what Angela has gotten herself into now.
It's murder, of course. You know how she is. She's on vacation in sunn ...more
You know you're an Angela Marchmont fanatic when you download the latest book and read it until you can't stay awake one more second and then eagerly polish it off the next day while the morning newspaper sits in your driveway. Wars and political dust-ups must wait while I find out what Angela has gotten herself into now.
It's murder, of course. You know how she is. She's on vacation in sunn ...more

Angela Marchmont is on holiday in Italy and has plans to go on to Venice when she receives a telegram from a friend who is married to the vicar of an English church elsewhere in Italy asking her if she can help with a problem. Reluctantly Angela changes her plans and goes to see Mary. Her husband, Jonathan believes a local spiritualist is enticing his congregation away from him and wants Angela to investigate.
Angela is a little reluctant to get involved but decides it can't do any harm to book a ...more
Angela is a little reluctant to get involved but decides it can't do any harm to book a ...more

This series just gets better with each installment! In this one, Angela Marchmont gets roped into investigating a couple of mediums who are plying their trade in a resort on Italy's Lake Maggiore. But of course, that's not the real crime that's happening in Stresa, and soon Angela finds herself caught up in a much darker scenario. And her old nemesis/flame, Edgar Valencourt, turns up, just to make things even more complicated. Fortunately, Valencourt brings out the best of Angela's acerbic wit,
...more

I loved this book. I'm not even going to say anything else for fear of giving something away. It's awesome.
Okay, one thing: Yet another Agatha Christie parallel for me: Angela's relationship with Edgar Valencourt puts me in mind of Hercule Poirot and the Countess Vera Rossakoff throughout the Poirot series! :)
I will say that I have noticed that Clara Benson has a love affair with the word perspicacity. I have seen the word at least once (the last book she used it three times!) in most of her bo ...more
Okay, one thing: Yet another Agatha Christie parallel for me: Angela's relationship with Edgar Valencourt puts me in mind of Hercule Poirot and the Countess Vera Rossakoff throughout the Poirot series! :)
I will say that I have noticed that Clara Benson has a love affair with the word perspicacity. I have seen the word at least once (the last book she used it three times!) in most of her bo ...more

As always, a delightful gem. It really doesn't matter whodunit, because the whole story is such a treat. Born in 1890, Clara Benson wrote several novels featuring Angela Marchmont. She was unpublished in her lifetime. After her death in 1965, her family started publishing her work. As an avid Agatha Christie fan, I was pleasantly surprised to discover this author. I can't wait for the next in the series.
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Reading the Detec...: The Imbroglio at the Villa Pozzi - SPOILER Thread | 5 | 10 | Apr 15, 2020 12:48AM | |
Reading the Detec...: The Imbroglio at the Villa Pozzi - Clara Benson (April/May 2020) | 15 | 13 | Apr 15, 2020 12:20AM |
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
Other books in the series
Angela Marchmont Mystery
(10 books)
News & Interviews
Listen up, because our colleagues here at Goodreads have some excellent audiobook recommendations for you! Of course, the books they've...
40 likes · 25 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »