Blood Flies Upwards

Superintendent Ditteridge #5

by E.X. Ferrars

The young woman who took the post of cook-housekeeper at the wealthy Eckersalls' weekend retreat was not all that she appeared to be. Alison Goodrich was not separated from he husband, as she claimed, she was the sister of the previous cook-housekeeper who had allegedly run off with a boyfriend - a story Alison found hard to believe. She believed it less when she discovered that the boyfriend was still around, appearing to be as worried as she was about Sally. There were other disquieting discoveries too. The more she probed, the more Alison became convinced that there was something sinister about Sally's disappearance. Only when murder was committed did Alison at last discover with a vengeance the strange truth about her younger sister's fate.

Genres: Mystery

186 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Aka Elizabeth Ferrars

Elizabeth Ferrars is a pseudonym of Morna Doris MacTaggart Brown. She was born in Rangoon, Burma.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.com/2026/...

[Ant Koplowitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure why this book is listed as being by EX Ferrars - Elizabeth Ferrars is the name on the cover of the one I've just read! This reminded my of the kind of fairly low-key, domestic crime fiction of Margaret Yorke. And I could imagine this type of story being dramatised in one of those 1980s Armchair Thriller series in the 1980s!

An easy read, straightforward plot, although quite atmospheric.

Will look out for other Ferrars books, although they seem pretty hard to find these days.

© Koplowitz 2021

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a mild lunacy that runs through this one that I quite enjoyed. I could also envision it re-envisioned as an A24 nutso-thriller. In addition to the core Ferrars ingredients (intersecting affairs, blackmail), we've got a nifty little setup in which a woman applies for a summer house housekeeping position in order to get to the bottom of why her sister disappeared when she took the same job. No one, of course, is who they seem to be, including the admirably weird elderly sisters who live next door. A nice little nutrition-free beach read from 1977.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alison is a truthful woman--but she'd tell any lie to get the job as cook/housekeeper at a remote country house. Her sister Sally had that job, and then disappeared. Nobody knows what happened to Sally, but Alison is determined to find out. A murder complicates her search.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhat slight, but good story. Alison takes a post as cook in the household where her sister worked before she disappeared. Everyone is hiding secrets. 3.5 stars, really