Murder at the Loch

Langham and Dupré Mystery #3

by Eric Brown

It is the bitterly cold December of 1955, and Donald Langham has been asked by his friend, private detective Ralph Ryland, to assist him on a case. Ryland has been contacted by their old commanding officer, Major Cartwright, who has reasons to believe that his life is under threat at his remote castle in the Scottish Highlands.

On arriving at the castle, Langham and Ryland learn that Major Cartwright is attempting to raise the wreck of a German fighter plane which crashed into the loch in 1945. But it s not only the bad weather that has put a halt to the progress of the salvage. Soon after Langham s arrival, one of Cartwright s guests is brutally murdered and the hunt is on to stop a ruthless killer before he or she strikes again

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Scotland, Historical Mystery, Crime

208 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2016

About the author

Eric Brown was a British science fiction author and Guardian critic.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a third in a mystery series set in the 1950’s and featuring author Donald Langham and Maria Dupre, who works with his literary agent, Charles Elder. The two previous books in the series are “Murder by the Book” and “Murder at the Chase.”

When we re-join the characters, Charles Elder is just about to released from prison and Donald and Maria are looking forward to welcoming him home. However, Donald gets a call from his old friend, P.I. Ralph Ryland, who tells him that their old commanding officer, Major Gordon, has just contacted him. Major Gordon has started a hotel, at Loch Corraig Castle in Scotland, and he believes someone is trying to kill him. Although Donald is loathe to leave the beautiful Maria, he feels obliged to go and so he and Ralph set off for the castle.

Major Gordon is currently planning to raise the wreckage of a Dornier aircraft from the loch. While talking to the Dutch engineer, Hans Vermeulen, someone shoots at them - but was the Major the intended victim or Vermeulen and why was a German plane flying across the loch in 1945? Is someone trying to stop the plane being raised and, if so, why? This is a traditional mystery, set in a snowbound castle, with a good cast of suspects, which includes a Professor interested in ghosts, the Major’s son, Ulrich Meyer, a visiting German specialist in aviation and Renata Kaldor, who claims to be Hungarian royalty.

This is an enjoyable series, with likeable characters and a good sense of place and time period. Donald and Maria make a good couple and, with Donald needing more money if he is to marry the wealthy Maria, hopefully he will be joining Ralph Ryland in doing some more P.I. work and having more interesting cases. This is not quite a cosy series, but it is more about the characters than the crime, and is certainly a series I will follow. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

[Damaskcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Donald Langham and his fiancée Maria Langham are looking forward to their wedding and, more immediately, to the release of their friend Charles Elder from prison. Donald is contacted by Ralph Rylands, a private detective and old army friend of his because he has been asked to investigate threats to the life of their old commanding officer. This involves a trip to his castle in Scotland which has been turned into a Bed and Breakfast establishment.

The sleuths arrive at the castle in a snowstorm and soon find themselves snowed in along with an assortment of guests. The Major's current project is raising the wreckage of a Dornier aircraft from the loch into which it crashed. This seems to be causing some friction among the guests and there is some doubt as to whether it is the Major's life which is threatened or the Dutch engineer who is helping him with the project.

This is an enjoyable 1950s mystery featuring a group of suspects confined in the conventional country house. When the threatened murder occurs, almost anyone in the castle could have done I and Ralph and Donald start to think they are not going to be able to solve it. I thought the story was well plotted and I like Donald and Maria. I would have liked to see bit more of Maria in this story and of Charles who I think is a marvellous character.

This book is part of a series but it can be read as a standalone mystery. It is very much in the tradition of the Golden Age writers so anyone who enjoys those well known authors is likely to enjoy this book and this series. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review.

[eyes.2c · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder in the highlands!

What's not to enjoy with this cosy read. A 'who dun-nit' that recalls a past era. Set in a crumbling Scottish castle by a loch, with plenty of action and a cast full of possibilities.
It's 1955 and about to be married, Donald Langham accompanies his old army chum and friend turned private investigator, Ralph Ryland to a remote part of the Scottish highlands. Their ex-commanding officer, Major Cartwright has requested Ryland's help.
Cartwright and a friend are attempting to salvage a German plane that crashed into the loch just before the end of the war. But what ensues is murder, and the perpetrator must be one of the guests trapped within the snow bound castle!
I felt like I was there, lost in the 1950's, as the puzzle becomes even more tightly knit and the culprit or culprits ever more evasive.

A NetGalley ARC

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was exactly as described- a Traditional Murder Mystery set in the 1950's. I thought the author captured the era and the characters beautifully. It was very like reading an old Agatha Christie murder mystery.

A castle in Scotland populated by diverse characters and all closed in together due to blizzard is a great backdrop to murder. I think I suspected most folk at some stage! It is well plotted and well told.

Again I wish I could award half stars, as three seems a bit mean, but I personally didn't enjoy it enough to give a four. However I am sure there are many out there who will love Murder at the Loch

Thanks to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

[Crittermom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder at the Loch reminds readers why Manor house mysteries have always been a popular sub-genre of mysteries.  This interesting mystery pits crime writer David Langham and his good friend Ralph Ryland, a private eye, against a possible killer.  When their good friend and former commander, Major Cartwright, requests their assistance, the duo travel to the Scottish Highlands.  It appears that someone may wish to kill Major Cartwright or the Dutch engineer assisting him in the recovery of a German airplane that crashed into the loch 10 years before.  An eclectic assortment of guests are currently staying at the manor, but while any would have opportunity motives are difficult to discern.  But their arrival does not prevent a murder from taking place, and a sudden winter storm isolates the manor.  With the phones out of commission and snow blocking the roads, the Langham and Ryland must rely on their wits to discover a cold and calculating killer.

It is easy to like Langham and his fiancé, as well as Ryland and the other characters who play a central role in this series.  I look forward to reading other novels in which they play a greater role.  Admittedly, Murder at the Loch is the first of Eric Brown's books that I have read, but I have high hopes that his other novels are just as good. With an engaging set of central characters, and an entertaining plot, Murder at the Loch is a perfect choice for anyone who enjoys a classic British mystery.

4/5

I received a copy of Murder at the Loch from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Cittermom

[John Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

My next  of the Langham and Dupres series of Eric Brown.


It is several months since the previous book, time which Charles has spent  serving his sentence. Maria is planning a small gettogether of his close friend when she meets him on his release. So when, with less than a week to go , Don gets a phone call from his old Commanding Officer who fears that an attempt has been made on his life at his Scottish castle,he has a problem.

Thanks to the rail service of the day, a compromise was found and Don and Ryland set of for a weekend visit with a plan for the overnight sleeper back on Monday in time to welcome  Charles back into the outside world.

Scottish castles  in literature are inevitably in winter weather and this one too is cut off by snowfall.


There follows a well constructed plot as we now expect from this author, encompassing the other guests staying at the castle and the hosts plan to lift a recently identified german plane from the loch bed.
Some trekking across Scotland send echoes of the 39 Steps of John Buchan.

Once again I failed  to spot the baddie.


All the usual characters were around but somehow this wasn't the 5* that I was hoping for.. Nevertheless a 'cracking yarn' and still a 4.

28th Aug 2025

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a murder mystery which is set in the 1950s in London and the Scottish Highlands. It is fairly typical of the genre. At times I was reminded of the novels of Agatha Christie and John Buchan.

The book and its setting in time and place seem to be well researched, with reference to real events. I like this in a story of this type because it helps to add credibility.

The plot and the characters are well crafted. As the scene moves to a castle on the shores of a Scottish Loch, I felt that I was part of a game of Cleudo. As the weather closes in and the telephone lines fail...I must stop there for fear of spoiling the story.

I liked the quality of the dialogue which captured the era. There were also enough red herrings to make the arrival at the final reveal worth the wait.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Severn House for the chance to read and review this book.

[Hapzydeco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder in the highlands à la Agatha Christie. The puzzle is the thing. This third edition of the series abounds with likable characters plus a good sense of place and time.

[Italo Italophiles · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a German plane under a resevoir in Scotland that was found in 2009 using Google Earth images. It was shot down in 1941 during the air attack on Greenock, Scotland, and it has not yet been recovered.

This fanciful tale could well have been inspired by this plane! The story imagines our detectives getting involved during a snowy winter when there are threats to the recovery effort that involve possible and then real murder.

The story was okay but slow going. Maria is mainly in London this time, with Donald working with his London detective buddy up in Scotland. Lots of tea and alcohol, as usual, with the obligatory scones and muffins, but this time we have haggis too. Yuck!

I did find it odd, now that Maria and Donald are engaged and sleeping together, that the author ignored sex and birth control. Maria is newly a full partner in a literary agent business and Donald wanst to make some more money so they can live comfortably without relying on Maria's father. It seems a subject they would have discussed. I find it odd that it wasn't in the book, especially since this author has never shied away from sexual subjects before. I would have been very interested in how they managed Family Planning in the days before reliable chemical birth controls were created and used widely. A missed opportunity, I think.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some mystery series novels work well as standalones and some don't, and I think perhaps this series is in the latter category.

This is the first book I have read in the series. I enjoyed the setting and the characters, but I did find it quite a slow read, and there were references to past events that were confusing at times, especially their friend Charles who is in prison because of a 'travesty of justice', which is never clearly spelled out.

I was expecting Maria Dupre to feature more in the novel - after all, this is supposed to be the 'Langham and Dupre' mystery series! She appears briefly at the start, doing no investigating at all, makes a couple of phone calls while her fiance, Donald Langham, is in Scotland, and then rushes up to Scotland at the end of the book because she is worried about him, but doesn't really contribute anything helpful. All the real detecting is done by Langham and his private detective friend Ralph Ryland. I assume Maria must have had a greater role to play in the earlier novels, because otherwise the series should surely be 'Langham and Ryland'!

I felt that after taking a very long time to get going, the book ended in a bit of a rush. However, there is enough of interest in the story to make me try another one in the series. Hopefully, this time Maria will play a bit more of an active role!

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably 3.75 stars! I liked this cozy. I read it because it was set in Scotland (hence my starting on book 3 of a series, as most of the series is set in England). It continued to strike me throughout that this was a male author writing a cozy that featured not only a male protagonist, but the friendship of two men as the investigator component. In my world, this is rare, because most of the cozies I read are written by women and usually feature a woman sleuth. I was skeptical about this going in, but it grew on me. It was absolutely a different feel than most of the women-written cozies I read. I felt like this had a slower start—it took me a little longer to get pulled in by the characters—but by the end I really was enjoying the characters. I *might* end up reading more in this series!

Note: I think the sleuths in this series are normally a Donald and Maria (man-woman partner) duo, and book #3 was odd to the series because it incorporated the guy’s friend as a sleuth as well. What I saw of the Donald and Maria duo here struck me as a less-well-developed Verlaq and Bonnet (ML Longworth) team.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice cozy mystery, twists & turns, spooky setting and what a strange collection of characters! Someone should turn Eric Brown’s Langham & Dupre mysteries into a T.V. series.
Have a cup of tea and scones ready when you sit down to read this.

[Dogsandbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 a contemporary author writes a golden age locked room mystery. Good character development. Not bad! DPL book

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but I probably would have liked it more without the anachronistic dialogue and sentiments. Still, it was a jolly good read. ;)

[Gail Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enough with the books set in Scotland. Time to find something Canadian.

[Andrea Sachs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost a Christie.

[Caroline Ingvaldsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third Langham and Dupre mystery is another charming period piece set in postwar England distinguished by an intriguing plort and understated romance.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

1955. Langham and Ryland are asked by their old army major to visit him at his castle in the Scottish Highlands. As he believes someone is trying to kill him. On arrival they are soon snowed in, with it seems a killer. Would this be connected to the operation to salvage a Nazi plane from the nearby Loch Corraig which sank back in 1945.
An entertaining mystery

[Natalie Zasada · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn’t a bad story line, just didn’t keep my attention as much.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yup, a pretty good murder mystery!

[Judy Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley and Severn House Publishing.

If you enjoy reading mystery novels with the feeling of having been written in a past historical time, this series by Eric Brown may just be a good fit for you. I read the previous book to this one (Murder at the Chase: A Locked Room Mystery Set in 1950s England (A Langham and Dupre Mystery)) and enjoyed the feeling of both the 1955 time period and the characters developed by the author. I'm glad I gave this one a chance also because it was very well written.

Donald Langham, a mystery novelist, and his friend Ralph Ryland, a private investigator, are requested to travel from London to the Scottish Highlands and to Loch Corraig Castle owned by Major Gordon, their commander from World War II. It seems the Major thinks someone might have tried to kill him and he needs help figuring out who among his guests at his remote castle might have been involved. The story involves trying to salvage a German fighter plane which crashed in the loch in 1945, and figuring out who would want the Major removed from the scene and why. There is a blizzard which adds to the atmosphere and a diverse group of guests and servants from which to pick your favorite suspect. Donald and Maria Dupre are engaged and have plans for a May wedding. The author has to stretch things just a bit in order to get Maria completely involved in the novel this time, but stretch he does.

The two novels I've read in this series have been very entertaining reading experiences. It will be interesting to see where the series leads next with the wedding on the horizon and Donald taking on a new part-time career. How will he ever have time to write his popular mystery novels?

[Crittermom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder at the Loch reminds readers why Manor house mysteries have always been a popular sub-genre of mysteries.  This interesting mystery pits crime writer David Langham and his good friend Ralph Ryland, a private eye, against a possible killer.  When their good friend and former commander, Major Cartwright, requests their assistance, the duo travel to the Scottish Highlands.  It appears that someone may wish to kill Major Cartwright or the Dutch engineer assisting him in the recovery of a German airplane that crashed into the loch 10 years before.  An eclectic assortment of guests are currently staying at the manor, but while any would have opportunity motives are difficult to discern.  But their arrival does not prevent a murder from taking place, and a sudden winter storm isolates the manor.  With the phones out of commission and snow blocking the roads, the Langham and Ryland must rely on their wits to discover a cold and calculating killer.

It is easy to like Langham and his fiancé, as well as Ryland and the other characters who play a central role in this series.  I look forward to reading other novels in which they play a greater role.  Admittedly, Murder at the Loch is the first of Eric Brown's books that I have read, but I have high hopes that his other novels are just as good. With an engaging set of central characters, and an entertaining plot, Murder at the Loch is a perfect choice for anyone who enjoys a classic British mystery.

4/5

I received a copy of Murder at the Loch from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Cittermom

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cozy new mystery series!

[Cathy Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are a fan of classic Golden Age mysteries, Murder at the Loch should be your perfect cup of tea because it has just that feeling about it. The puzzle is the thing, as it usually is with books originally written during that period. I, on the other hand, tend to prefer my crime fiction with more characterization added to the mix. This book is well written and has a good, fast pace to it, but I found it rather easy to deduce the identity of the killer, and-- ultimately-- the book just wasn't very exciting. But as we all know, your mileage may definitely vary!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery writer Donald Langham braves the snowy winter of 1955 to travel to a remote castle where his former commanding officer has started a hotel. He and his wartime friend Ralph Ryland have been asked to find out who shot at Major Gordon and the Dutch engineer who is helping him raise a crashed German plane from the nearby loch. Heavy snow isolates the castle, and when one of the guests is found murdered, Don and Ralph must investigate. Meanwhile, Don's fiancée Maria, fearing he's in danger, takes off for the hotel with her boss, literary agent Charles Elder.

[Deb Novack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminded me of Agatha Christie. The story starts in a castle in Scotland with totally different types of characters.The characters are stuck in the castle because of a blizzard. I enjoyed the story line and cast of characters.

****I received this book in exchange for an honest review.****

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good old fashioned Christe style murder in a Highland castle. Terrific cast of characters and a good plot that keeps you guessing. The conclusion was a little bit of a let down, but I am going back to read the first two Langham and Dupre mysteries.

[John Sargent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light read in the cozy vein. Interesting plot.

[Craig Bennett]

excellent with a few surprises and twists along the way.