Spence at Marlby Manor

Detective Chief Superintendent Ben Spence #3

by Michael Allen

Unusual incidents at Marlby Manor and the poisoning of Lady Dinnister's companion prompt Detective Ben Spence to an investigation of the manor staff and of Lady Dinnister's mixed bag of relatives

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, British Literature, Mystery Thriller, Procedural

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Michael Allen is best known for writing popular mainstream fiction, and he's been doing it successfully for more years than he cares to remember. His first novel was published in 1963.

Extract from bio on Amazon UK

Reviews

[Elaine Tomasso]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Endeavour Press for a review copy of Spence At Marlby Manor, a police procedural originally published in 1982.

Lady Dinnister is worried. She has suffered a series of accidents and thinks someone may be trying to harm her but it is she who dies but her companion, Emily Fosdyke after drinking sherry laced with arsenic. This is the conundrum facing Superintendent Spence and Inspector Laurel, was the sherry supposed to kill Miss Fosdyke or was it intended for Lady Dinnister?

Spence At Marlby Manor is a very pleasant read. It is cleverly plotted so the perpetrator is well hidden among a slew of potential murderers and I will admit to not having a clue until the denouement. I found myself getting involved and was reluctant to put it down until I knew. As it is a plot driven novel the characters aren't up to much, but, then, they don't have to be.

I thoroughly enjoyed this slice of a bygone age (or so it seems to me when I try to remember it) and have no hesitation in recommending it as a good, cozy read.

[Kenzie]

Did I mention i read such random books because someone at my husband's workplace brings them in and leaves them for the taking? So there is some random person out there (we don't know who) who apparently loves mysteries as much as I do, and I have been well stocked in my reading. Trouble is, whoever this person is, s/he manages to go through books faster than I, so I have yet to be able to reciprocate by giving books to my husband to take in.
Anyway, none of that is about this book. partially because I don't remember a whole lot about the book itself. It was OK,it worked well for mindless reading on the train while commuting. not something i would drop everything to go out and find and read. but not horrible; hence the rating.

[Eric]

Untaxing read.

This was mildly diverting, in parts amusing, and a quick and easy read.

I did not spot the perpetrator but then there were not really any clues to direct the reader in any particular direction.

When the police in charge of an investigation have to resort to trickery to gain a confession and conviction, then they also had insufficient evidence.

The characters were a bit predictable and one-dimensional but some of the dialogue was quite amusing.

Light reading for bedtime. I may try another in the series.

3.25 stars

[Barry Scott]

Excellent

My second Michael Allen book and it’s no nonsense old fashioned policing. Lady Dinnister’s companion Miss Fosdyke has been poisoned with arsenic, was it an accident, suicide or murder. With lots of suspects with motive Detectives Spence and Laurel have to separate fact from fiction to get to the bottom of this one.

[Roslyn Donohoe]

Loved it.

Another great story in my long neglected to be read pile. I'm finding such great stories there. I'm really enjoying this new adventure. I haven't been disappointed yet. So very well worth the read. You won't be disappointed.

[Raven]

Bundle of strings

Who done it with multiple strings, as pulling strings get you no where, you must continue to follow the path and finally arrive at only one conclusion. Only the clues remain hidden until the end.

[Katie]

A very cute mystery. The main character isn't really the detective, but instead the woman who thinks she may be the intended murder victim. It was a fast and fun read, and reminded me, in many ways, of a classic Agatha Christie novel.

[Kim Campbell]

This was okay, though I'm not sure I'll read anymore of this series. I had enjoyed a previous book in the series, which is what prompted me to have this one (that, and the fact that it was free!). I'm glad I didn't pay for it, because I found it all too slow.

[Bindy]

enjoyable read

[P.]

A nice read. The end is no big surprise, and I could do with out Mrs. Spencer and her psychological insights. Detection, it seems, is more art than science, while psychology is neither.

[Beth]

A good read

I enjoyed it very much. Believable Characters and a lot of English charm. Made me drink several "cuppas" while reading it

[Barbara Staffo]

Great Book

Oh my goodness what a good book. Had me on my toes the whole time. Was I able to spot who done it? No! Boy was I surprised.

[John]

Two and a half stars.

The final episode in a rather lacklustre trio. Not a bad plot but it was somewhat spoilt for me by the rather dull writing style.

[Rosemary Hughes]

Typical detective murder mystery: the scene is set, the murder occurs, the police arrive, the red herrings are thrown in the mix, and your left to deduce who dun it.
Then it's all revealed, and you go! Ah, that's why it happened.
Yeah, but as all good murder mysteries, you are never quite certain that you know who dun it, until the big reveal.

[Judy Lesley]

I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley and Endeavour Press.

I am so grateful to Endeavour Press for their work in providing digital copies of so many wonderful old books which are often difficult to track down in print form. This mystery was first published in 1984 so it is devoid of all the modern technological gadgets we take so much for granted now, but the action is set in a time when the authorities at least had telephones and automobiles for their use. Even though this story takes place in a "manor" it is very far removed from the lives of opulence and high society I often identify with when I see a word like that in the title. Here I found a 73 year old widowed mother and grandmother living a quiet life in a home much too large for her but which she loved. Lady Dinnister's staff includes a companion, a secretary, a butler, a cook/housekeeper, a chauffeur, several part-time housemaids and a staff of two gardeners. Not really such a crowd for an estate of this size. She also has two grandchildren who think it's time for her to sell Marlby Manor and go into a smaller, more economical place to live. Naturally the large selling price and a portion of her residual fortune would come in handy for them to have right now, instead of waiting for her will to be read. Lady Dinnister is having some very strange accidents. After the third one she is pretty much convinced that someone just might be trying to do away with her. When the fourth "accident" happens there is no choice but to call in the police.

This was one of those delightful, almost soothing mystery novels that I just love to immerse myself in and let everything else pass over my head. The police in the story are Detective Chief Superintendent Ben Spence and Detective Inspector David Laurel. These men are friendly both in and outside their jobs which makes for a relaxed investigative team. In fact, Spence's wife even gets involved in working out the psychological factors of the case. All very much done against proper procedures, but quite a nice touch all the same. Another aspect of this story which kept me turning the pages is the plot twist which happens about halfway through the novel. I thought that was very well done because it really continued the fresh approach author Michael Allen had shown in his writing and plotting.

Luckily this book is available in print form as well as digital and there are other novels in the series. I like the way the main characters interacted and definitely plan to read more of the Spence stories.

[DelAnne Frazee]

Title: Spence at Marlby Manor - Detective Chief Superintendent Ben Spence Book 3
Author: Michael Allen
Published: 11-11-2016
Publisher: Endeavor Press
Pages: 216
Genre: Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense
Sub Genre: Spies & Conspiracies; Polotics
ISBN: 13: 9780802754691
ASIN: B01N3PS7NQ
Reviewer: DelAnne
Reviewed For: NetGalley
Rating: 4.5 Stars



I received a copy of "Spence at Marlby Manor" from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.



Description From the Publisher:

Lady Dinnister of Marlby Manor may be elderly, but there’s lot of life in her yet…


Her heirs try to convince her to sell her vast estate and give them their inheritance early, to save on taxes of course.


But Lady Dinnister can't bear to give up her home and turns them down flat.


That's when the "accidents" start…


When a barbed bouquet of red roses pierces her palm, she attributes this to poor presentation on the florist's part.


When the front wheel falls off her Rolls-Royce, she believes it to be a mechanical mishap.


But when her hairdryer turned into a lethal weapon, Lady Dinnister finally decides someone is trying to kill her...


Only she wasn't the one who ended up dead.


Was it the buxom cook who moonlighted as a nude model? The dashing chauffeur who was driven by ambition? The spoilt grandchildren?


Detective Ben Spence, assisted by his able partner, Inspector Laurel, thinks it is much more likely to be one of the greedy relatives.


Someone has carried out an ingenious crime.


But if the killer is so clever, why is the wrong victim moldering in their grave?




My Review:

Originally published in 1982 "Spence at Marlby Manor" is still a story that is a joy to read. The characters are well formed with a plot that could be taken from yesterday's headlines. A classic is said to be timeless and that is certainly true of Michael Allen's work. My rating is 4.5 out of 5 stars.





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[B.V.]

Born in 1939, English author Michael Derek Allen had a career in education, first as a teacher and then as a university administrator at the University of Bath, and also served a brief stint working for the New York Herald Tribune. When he retired from all his various day jobs, he started his own small press, Kingsfield Publications, and turned his hand to writing novels full-time under the pen names Michael Bradford, Anne Moore and Patrick Read.

Allen has penned mostly standalone novels and short stories, but he did write three books in a series featuring his police detective Superintendent Ben Spence. The third and final book in that series was Spence at Marlby Manor, dating from 1982, in which wealthy Lady Dinnister of Marlby Manor begins to suffer from "accidents" she suspects are actually attempts on her life. When Lady Dinnister's companion Emily Fosdyke dies from arsenic poisoning, it's only natural she thinks she herself was the intended victim.

Detective Ben Spence agrees with the Lady of the Manor after interviewing a houseful of servants and family members that are all-too-eager to sell off Marlby Manor and inherit Lady Dinnister's considerable fortune. Chief among them is an artist son-in-law; a handsome but unmotivated grandson in love with a secretary neither Lady Dinnister nor Emily Fosdyke deemed good enough for him; and a selfish, greedy granddaughter and her husband who tend to live well beyond their means. But, as Spence and his assistant, Inspector Laruel, take a closer look, they uncover undercurrents of malevolence coming from an unexpected source.

Although "Publishers Weekly" was a little critical of the book's "awfully implausible murderer-catching traps to snare the culprit," the publication's reviewer ultimately deemed it "comfortable, mildly beguiling entertainment in the traditional style." It deviates a bit from the traditional police procedural into more of the classic whodunit format.

[Ann]

This is a late example (1980s, I believe) of the traditional British police procedural-with-country-house-setting.

Lady Dinnister, doyenne of Marlby Manor, is under pressure from her family to sell the money-devouring ancestral pile, and settle the money on her two grandchildren, Sarah and Alex. Sarah, a greedy young woman married to a man who fancies himself a financier, is living beyond her means. Alex, still at university, is more interested in his dalliance with Susan Green, his grandmother's secretary. Alex and Sarah's father, Edward, is contented with his painting career, but agrees to be the family's emissary to put this proposal to Lady Dinnister. Lady Dinnister, perhaps influenced by her companion, Emily Fosdyke, rejects the proposal out of hand. In the meantime, various little incidents start to worry the old lady, and when Emily Fosdyke is found poisoned, she is convinced that she was the intended victim all along. This impression seems justified by the finding of a card that seems to indicate that the poisoned bottle had been sent to Lady Dinnister as a gift.

Chief Inspector Spence is called in to investigate, and goes through the usual rounds of interviews and searches. There is not much of a puzzle here : suddenly he has an inspiration as to who the killer might be, and finds his hunch confirmed by a perusal of documents from Emily Fosdyke's past, which just happen to become available at a convenient moment. Although the feisty Lady Dinnister is a sympathetic character, the other characters in the book are not particularly engaging or interesting. So this is a good book to read when you want the trappings of a mystery without the brain-racking puzzle, or without becoming too emotionally drawn into the characters' lives.

[Libby McKinmer]

Detective Superintendent Ben Spence is called to Marlby Manor when Lady Dinnister’s nurse companion dies under suspicious circumstances. Was she the target or was the lady of manor the intended target. Spence and his partner Inspector Laurel set out to find out if the accidents that keep happening to Lady Dinnister are repeated attempts on her life.

The mystery is populated by a fascinating cast of characters, any of whom could be the murderer. Will our detectives and their team figure out what’s going on before another victim falls prey to the wily criminal.

A most enjoyable English mystery, complete with lots of atmosphere. I’ll look forward to my next Detective Spence read.

[Joyce]

4 Stars

This is a nice, well-written little book. I liked the camaraderie between Lady Dinnister and her companion, Miss Fosdyke.

A series of strange incidents are happening at Marlby Manor. Lady Dinnister is getting pressured to sell the estate and disperse her wealth prior to her death. In this story we have a collection of likeable and not-so-likeable characters for Spence and his sidekick to investigate when one of the estate’s residents is found murdered.

While the novel is steady and well written, the ending is a disappointment. At least it was to me. The story seemed to just lose its tension and pace.

This is the first Spence novel that I've read, but I will be looking into reading more of them.

Thank you to Netgalley and Endeavour Press for the permission to read this short novel.

[Betty]

This is Book 3 but I read it first and probably a good thing I did since I enjoyed it so much that I was eager to get the first book. This one is exceedingly well written and every move the Inspector makes is fast paced and enthralling. (The first book not so much but that's another story).

The writer obviously knows quite a lot about solving crime and Inspector Spence goes about it in a very orderly but also interesting manner. I liked the main characters very much and was also very fond of the mistress of Marlby Manor. Would be nice if the author can bring her around somehow in another episode.

[Susan]

The number of accidents that Lady Dennister suffers from become suspicious but are dismissed by her and her staff at Marlby Manor. But are there some people that wish her dead and they succeed as one morning someone is found dead, and Spence and Laurel are assigned to investigate if it is murder and then to find the motive and the murderer.
Another competent mystery in the series.
A NetGalley Book

[Eileen Hall]

Someone is trying to get rid of Lady Dinnister, but she didn't see it that way until someone is killed.
She calls in Detective Chief Superintendent Ben Spence and Inspector Laurel to investigate.
There are multiple suspects, but who is the culprit?
Great read and highly recommended.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Endeavour via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.

[Vanessa]

A gently written and very entertaining British murder mystery - and the likable characters outnumber the unpleasant ones by a long shot (which I always enjoy and seems to be anathema to most modern murder/thriller authors). Is the mystery twisty? Not really, but the story built around it is well worth it.

I received an eARC from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

[Anthony Ambruso]

Good stpry

I enjoyed reading this who-dunnit. It kept my interest and had a nice story line and character development. All was going along well until the end. I felt the ending was a bit contrived and forced. Other than that, I did enjoy this book.

[Marilyn]

Good

the murder of a woman who was a paid companion to an elderly woman who was very wealthy and upper class.

[Karina]

I think the correct word for this book is "delightful ",no blood running down the walls,no psychopaths,no complicated police procedures but a classic whodunit . And a very good one.

[Kimberly Peery]

Good easy read

Chose the book first because it was free. I like mysteries and English mysteries are one of my favorites. Will be looking for more from this author.