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The Wintringham Mystery
Republished for the first time in nearly 95 years, a classic winter country house mystery by the founder of the Detection Club, with a twist that even Agatha Christie couldn't solve!
Stephen Munro, a demobbed army officer, reconciles himself to taking a job as a footman to make ends meet. Employed at Wintringham Hall, the delightful but decaying Sussex country residence of the elderly Lady Susan Carey, his first task entails welcoming her eccentric guests to a weekend house-party, at which her bombastic nephew - who recognises Stephen from his former life - decides that an after-dinner séance would be more entertaining than bridge. Then Cicely disappears!
With Lady Susan reluctant to call the police about what is presumably a childish prank, Stephen and the plucky Pauline Mainwaring take it upon themselves to investigate. But then a suspicious death turns the game into an altogether more serious affair...
This classic winter mystery incorporates all the trappings of the Golden Age - a rambling country house, a séance, a murder, a room locked on the inside, with servants, suspects and alibis, a romance - and an ingenious puzzle.
First published as a 30-part newspaper serial in 1926 - the year The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was published, The Wintringham Mystery was written by Anthony Berkeley, founder of the famous Detection Club. Also known as Cicely Disappears, the Daily Mirror ran the story as a competition with a prize of £500 (equivalent to £30,000 today) for anyone who guessed the solution correctly. Nobody did - even Agatha Christie entered and couldn't solve it. Can you?
Stephen Munro, a demobbed army officer, reconciles himself to taking a job as a footman to make ends meet. Employed at Wintringham Hall, the delightful but decaying Sussex country residence of the elderly Lady Susan Carey, his first task entails welcoming her eccentric guests to a weekend house-party, at which her bombastic nephew - who recognises Stephen from his former life - decides that an after-dinner séance would be more entertaining than bridge. Then Cicely disappears!
With Lady Susan reluctant to call the police about what is presumably a childish prank, Stephen and the plucky Pauline Mainwaring take it upon themselves to investigate. But then a suspicious death turns the game into an altogether more serious affair...
This classic winter mystery incorporates all the trappings of the Golden Age - a rambling country house, a séance, a murder, a room locked on the inside, with servants, suspects and alibis, a romance - and an ingenious puzzle.
First published as a 30-part newspaper serial in 1926 - the year The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was published, The Wintringham Mystery was written by Anthony Berkeley, founder of the famous Detection Club. Also known as Cicely Disappears, the Daily Mirror ran the story as a competition with a prize of £500 (equivalent to £30,000 today) for anyone who guessed the solution correctly. Nobody did - even Agatha Christie entered and couldn't solve it. Can you?
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1927
476 people are currently reading
2906 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Berkeley
120 books165 followersAnthony Berkeley Cox was an English crime writer. He wrote under several pen-names, including Francis Iles, Anthony Berkeley Cox, and A. Monmouth Platts. One of the founders of The Detection Club
Cox was born in Watford and was educated at Sherborne School and University College London.
He served in the Army in World War I and thereafter worked as a journalist, contributing a series of humourous sketches to the magazine 'Punch'. These were later published collectively (1925) under the Anthony Berkeley pseudonym as 'Jugged Journalism' and the book was followed by a series of minor comic novels such as 'Brenda Entertains' (1925), 'The Family Witch' (1925) and 'The Professor on Paws' (1926).
It was also in 1925 when he published, anonymously to begin with, his first detective novel, 'The Layton Court Mystery', which was apparently written for the amusement of himself and his father, who was a big fan of the mystery genre. Later editions of the book had the author as Anthony Berkeley.
He discovered that the financial rewards were far better for detective fiction so he concentrated his efforts on that genre for the following 14 years, using mainly the Anthony Berkeley pseudonym but also writing four novels and three collections of short stories as Francis Isles and one novel as A Monmouth Platts.
In 1928 he founded the famous Detection Club in London and became its first honorary secretary.
In the mid-1930s he began reviewing novels, both mystery and non-mystery, for 'The Daily Telegraph' under the Francis Isles pseudonym, which he had first used for 'Malice Aforethought' in 1931.
In 1939 he gave up writing detective fiction for no apparent reason although it has been suggested that he came into a large inheritance at the time or that his alleged remark, 'When I find something that pays better than detective stories I shall write that' had some relevance. However, he produced nothing significant after he finished writing with 'Death in the House' (Berkeley) and 'As for the Woman' (Isles) in 1939.
He did, however, continue to review books for such as 'John O'London's Weekly', 'The Sunday Times', 'The Daily Telegraph' and, from the mid-1950s to 1970, 'The Guardian'. In addition he produced 'O England!', a study of social conditions and politics in 1934.
He and his wife lived in an old house in St John's Wood, London, and he had an office in The Strand where he was listed as one of the two directors of A B Cox Ltd, a company whose business was unspecified!
Alfred Hitchcock adapted the Francis Isles' title 'Before the Fact' for his film 'Suspicion' in 1941 and in the same year Cox supplied a script for another film 'Flight from Destiny', which was produced by Warner Brothers.
His most enduring character is Roger Sheringham who featured in 10 Anthony Berkeley novels and two posthumous collections of short stories.
He died on 9 March 1971.
Gerry Wolstenholme
January 2012 (less)
Cox was born in Watford and was educated at Sherborne School and University College London.
He served in the Army in World War I and thereafter worked as a journalist, contributing a series of humourous sketches to the magazine 'Punch'. These were later published collectively (1925) under the Anthony Berkeley pseudonym as 'Jugged Journalism' and the book was followed by a series of minor comic novels such as 'Brenda Entertains' (1925), 'The Family Witch' (1925) and 'The Professor on Paws' (1926).
It was also in 1925 when he published, anonymously to begin with, his first detective novel, 'The Layton Court Mystery', which was apparently written for the amusement of himself and his father, who was a big fan of the mystery genre. Later editions of the book had the author as Anthony Berkeley.
He discovered that the financial rewards were far better for detective fiction so he concentrated his efforts on that genre for the following 14 years, using mainly the Anthony Berkeley pseudonym but also writing four novels and three collections of short stories as Francis Isles and one novel as A Monmouth Platts.
In 1928 he founded the famous Detection Club in London and became its first honorary secretary.
In the mid-1930s he began reviewing novels, both mystery and non-mystery, for 'The Daily Telegraph' under the Francis Isles pseudonym, which he had first used for 'Malice Aforethought' in 1931.
In 1939 he gave up writing detective fiction for no apparent reason although it has been suggested that he came into a large inheritance at the time or that his alleged remark, 'When I find something that pays better than detective stories I shall write that' had some relevance. However, he produced nothing significant after he finished writing with 'Death in the House' (Berkeley) and 'As for the Woman' (Isles) in 1939.
He did, however, continue to review books for such as 'John O'London's Weekly', 'The Sunday Times', 'The Daily Telegraph' and, from the mid-1950s to 1970, 'The Guardian'. In addition he produced 'O England!', a study of social conditions and politics in 1934.
He and his wife lived in an old house in St John's Wood, London, and he had an office in The Strand where he was listed as one of the two directors of A B Cox Ltd, a company whose business was unspecified!
Alfred Hitchcock adapted the Francis Isles' title 'Before the Fact' for his film 'Suspicion' in 1941 and in the same year Cox supplied a script for another film 'Flight from Destiny', which was produced by Warner Brothers.
His most enduring character is Roger Sheringham who featured in 10 Anthony Berkeley novels and two posthumous collections of short stories.
He died on 9 March 1971.
Gerry Wolstenholme
January 2012 (less)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 407 reviews
July 8, 2025
Fun Golden Age detective story with a bit of romance.
Stephen Munro came into a good chunk of money after he was discharged from the army, and lived high on the hog for about a decade until the funds ran out. And this is where we find him when the story opens, applying for (and getting) the job as footman for Lady Susan Carey at Wintringham Hall.
Btw, Lady Susan is old and does not brook fools. Including her relatives. But she appreciates backbone, spunk, and intelligence, which ends up working to our hero's advantage.
The cast is full of interesting characters like her, including Stephen's faithful valet, who takes a job as Lady Susan's gardener to be close to his friend, and Stephen's love interest, played by The One That Got Away.
You can tell this was written when people were really starting to break with the idea the Upstairs/Downstairs sort of thing as a legitimate division, but weren't quite there yet. So while Stephen is a footman for a while and his friends all stand by him, the happy ending comes when he isn't a footman anymore because...yuck! footmen!
You know what I mean? But hey, we had to start somewhere.
Anyway.
A bonus for me was that this was a one-and-done and not a series. It was nice to just come to the end of a cozy mystery and be able to close the book on the characters.
I found this one after listening to The Man with the Twisted Thumb in the anthology Bodies from the Library
Recommended for fans of this genre.
Stephen Munro came into a good chunk of money after he was discharged from the army, and lived high on the hog for about a decade until the funds ran out. And this is where we find him when the story opens, applying for (and getting) the job as footman for Lady Susan Carey at Wintringham Hall.
Btw, Lady Susan is old and does not brook fools. Including her relatives. But she appreciates backbone, spunk, and intelligence, which ends up working to our hero's advantage.
The cast is full of interesting characters like her, including Stephen's faithful valet, who takes a job as Lady Susan's gardener to be close to his friend, and Stephen's love interest, played by The One That Got Away.
You can tell this was written when people were really starting to break with the idea the Upstairs/Downstairs sort of thing as a legitimate division, but weren't quite there yet. So while Stephen is a footman for a while and his friends all stand by him, the happy ending comes when he isn't a footman anymore because...yuck! footmen!
You know what I mean? But hey, we had to start somewhere.
Anyway.
A bonus for me was that this was a one-and-done and not a series. It was nice to just come to the end of a cozy mystery and be able to close the book on the characters.
I found this one after listening to The Man with the Twisted Thumb in the anthology Bodies from the Library
Recommended for fans of this genre.
Read
August 10, 2022Mostly highly entertaining Golden Age read, with a very sprightly concept: hero is a posh young man who burns through his capital in high living and ends up taking a job as a footman. This is handled with great brio and fun. The heroine has a proper spine and the romance is lovely, very few of the women in the book behave as you might expect from 1920s pulp, there's a real acknowledgement of privilege even though the book is clearly bang alongside class structure and 'sahibs', and the mystery is good fun.
Unfortunately marred by casual antisemitism in that the stock dodgy financier has a very Jewish name, which is a shame because otherwise this would be an unqualified rec.
Unfortunately marred by casual antisemitism in that the stock dodgy financier has a very Jewish name, which is a shame because otherwise this would be an unqualified rec.
December 27, 2024
A Classic British Crime/Golden Age Mystery
Written in 1927 and frosted with Agatha Christie/Nancy Drew and wintry charm vibes, The Wintringham Mystery has all the elements you would expect of a classic British mystery. Astonishingly, the Queen of Mystery herself was unable to solve this mystery when it was published as a 30-part newspaper serial!
--> Expect a country manor, a rich old lady, butlers, a secret room, a dinner party, a séance, and a mysterious kidnapping!
It’s a well-known fact that my sleuthing skills are pretty poor in the context of these kinds of books. Needless to say, I too, was unable to solve this mystery. In my defense though, there were many possible outcomes and suspicious pieces of evidence lying around amongst the many puzzles. Therefore, I felt very involved in getting answers right along with the main character.
The main character Stephen Munro was likable and provided an interesting position to the story with his history. Things surprisingly take a turn that directly impacts his standing which is fun to watch. I also really enjoyed the side romance that took place here and was rooting for them the entire time! The ending was a reward!
Overall this is a twisty, compelling, and entertaining yet deceitful wintry mystery. A perfect read for this time of year! It is perfectly paired with a cozy blanket or sweater and a cup of tea by the fireplace.❄️❄️❄️
Written in 1927 and frosted with Agatha Christie/Nancy Drew and wintry charm vibes, The Wintringham Mystery has all the elements you would expect of a classic British mystery. Astonishingly, the Queen of Mystery herself was unable to solve this mystery when it was published as a 30-part newspaper serial!
--> Expect a country manor, a rich old lady, butlers, a secret room, a dinner party, a séance, and a mysterious kidnapping!
It’s a well-known fact that my sleuthing skills are pretty poor in the context of these kinds of books. Needless to say, I too, was unable to solve this mystery. In my defense though, there were many possible outcomes and suspicious pieces of evidence lying around amongst the many puzzles. Therefore, I felt very involved in getting answers right along with the main character.
The main character Stephen Munro was likable and provided an interesting position to the story with his history. Things surprisingly take a turn that directly impacts his standing which is fun to watch. I also really enjoyed the side romance that took place here and was rooting for them the entire time! The ending was a reward!
Overall this is a twisty, compelling, and entertaining yet deceitful wintry mystery. A perfect read for this time of year! It is perfectly paired with a cozy blanket or sweater and a cup of tea by the fireplace.❄️❄️❄️
October 8, 2021
Written in 1927, this contains several commonplaces of Golden Age mystery novels: a country manor house party, a seance gone wrong, a locked-room mystery, and a bit of romance. The main characters are Stephen Munro and his former girlfriend, Pauline Mainwaring.
Stephen is a gentleman, but one who no longer has any money, which has compelled him to give up his hopes of marrying Pauline. Instead, Stephen has obtained a position as a footman at the country house of Lady Susan Carey. Awkwardness ensues, as Stephen finds one of the guests is an old school chum who keeps wanting Stephen to be one of the gang rather than a footman, which goes over very badly with Lady Susan’s butler. Another guest is Pauline, inexplicably engaged to an odious London money man.
During a seance, one of the guests, a young woman named Cicely, disappears, and Stephen and Pauline team up to try to find her and figure out what is going on. The books description tells us that this story was first published as a 30-part newspaper serial, and the paper offered a large sum of money to anyone who guessed the solution. Agatha Christie herself entered and couldn’t solve it. All I can say is that I’m not at all surprised that the paper offered the reward and nobody won it. The whodunnit is solved by Stephen by making a story out of very little. It’s still entertaining, but don’t get the idea that the mystery is somehow a fiendishly clever puzzle that only the cleverest person can solve.
As with most Golden Age mysteries, there are some antiquated elements, like Stephen’s insistence that he cannot marry Pauline because he cannot support her in her current style. Of course, nobody even considers what kind of money she might have. Worse, though Pauline’s fiancé is never overtly described as being Jewish, his name and character fit the all-too-common stereotype of Jews in Golden Age mysteries.
Despite some drawbacks, this is an entertaining light period mystery.
Stephen is a gentleman, but one who no longer has any money, which has compelled him to give up his hopes of marrying Pauline. Instead, Stephen has obtained a position as a footman at the country house of Lady Susan Carey. Awkwardness ensues, as Stephen finds one of the guests is an old school chum who keeps wanting Stephen to be one of the gang rather than a footman, which goes over very badly with Lady Susan’s butler. Another guest is Pauline, inexplicably engaged to an odious London money man.
During a seance, one of the guests, a young woman named Cicely, disappears, and Stephen and Pauline team up to try to find her and figure out what is going on. The books description tells us that this story was first published as a 30-part newspaper serial, and the paper offered a large sum of money to anyone who guessed the solution. Agatha Christie herself entered and couldn’t solve it. All I can say is that I’m not at all surprised that the paper offered the reward and nobody won it. The whodunnit is solved by Stephen by making a story out of very little. It’s still entertaining, but don’t get the idea that the mystery is somehow a fiendishly clever puzzle that only the cleverest person can solve.
As with most Golden Age mysteries, there are some antiquated elements, like Stephen’s insistence that he cannot marry Pauline because he cannot support her in her current style. Of course, nobody even considers what kind of money she might have. Worse, though Pauline’s fiancé is never overtly described as being Jewish, his name and character fit the all-too-common stereotype of Jews in Golden Age mysteries.
Despite some drawbacks, this is an entertaining light period mystery.
June 29, 2022
4,25 sterren- English Ebook
I love mysteries with rich crotchety old ladies. This book gives us Lady Susan, who has tons of valuable jewelry, a big estate, and heirs she doesn’t think much of. And I love country house mysteries. This country house has a secret priest hole, electric lighting prone to go out — and a lively house party about to begin.
The hero of the piece is a cheerful young gentleman named Stephen Monro, who having come to the end of his money and failed to find a job, accepts a position as footman to Lady Susan. It’s rather fun to watch Stephen, a university man, frantically polishing silver and valeting the male guests, but it’s rather awkward that several of the guests are friends from his old life.
In any case, when a young lady guest disappears during a dubious parlor game, Stephen stops polishing and starts sleuthing — assisted by the young woman he loves but can’t afford to marry — and his former valet.
The plot is delightfully twisty, enlivened by blackmail, kidnapping, thievery, attempted murder, and more than one romantic entanglement. I absolutely loved this vintage mystery.
I love mysteries with rich crotchety old ladies. This book gives us Lady Susan, who has tons of valuable jewelry, a big estate, and heirs she doesn’t think much of. And I love country house mysteries. This country house has a secret priest hole, electric lighting prone to go out — and a lively house party about to begin.
The hero of the piece is a cheerful young gentleman named Stephen Monro, who having come to the end of his money and failed to find a job, accepts a position as footman to Lady Susan. It’s rather fun to watch Stephen, a university man, frantically polishing silver and valeting the male guests, but it’s rather awkward that several of the guests are friends from his old life.
In any case, when a young lady guest disappears during a dubious parlor game, Stephen stops polishing and starts sleuthing — assisted by the young woman he loves but can’t afford to marry — and his former valet.
The plot is delightfully twisty, enlivened by blackmail, kidnapping, thievery, attempted murder, and more than one romantic entanglement. I absolutely loved this vintage mystery.
October 6, 2021
This is a bit of a curiosity, being the only novel which Anthony Berkeley published under the pen name A. Monmouth Platts.
Originally written as a newspaper serial, it was published in book form in 1927 as Cicely Disappears before itself disappearing. The book is a great rarity, so it is fortunate for GAD lovers that Collins and Tony Medawar have revived it. Whether it merits interest is another matter.
The good news, for those readers who find Roger Sheringham unbearable, is that he does not appear here, but the bad news is that overall this is a fairly weak effort. As with numerous detective novels of the period, but unusually for Berkeley, there is a hefty dose of romance with a happy ending, which is pretty obtrusive. It is not difficult to finger the villain or motive, despite a good piece of deception, but the investigation is overly prolonged and not terribly interesting. The characters are all a bit standard, with the dodgy financier, the fiesty female aristocrat, and the boring Indian Army officer all making an appearance.
This is easy reading, but it is a bit dull and worthy, with only the occasional humorous touch.
The Introduction gives a comprehensive account of the book's origins, and biographical information.
3.25 stars.
Originally written as a newspaper serial, it was published in book form in 1927 as Cicely Disappears before itself disappearing. The book is a great rarity, so it is fortunate for GAD lovers that Collins and Tony Medawar have revived it. Whether it merits interest is another matter.
The good news, for those readers who find Roger Sheringham unbearable, is that he does not appear here, but the bad news is that overall this is a fairly weak effort. As with numerous detective novels of the period, but unusually for Berkeley, there is a hefty dose of romance with a happy ending, which is pretty obtrusive. It is not difficult to finger the villain or motive, despite a good piece of deception, but the investigation is overly prolonged and not terribly interesting. The characters are all a bit standard, with the dodgy financier, the fiesty female aristocrat, and the boring Indian Army officer all making an appearance.
This is easy reading, but it is a bit dull and worthy, with only the occasional humorous touch.
The Introduction gives a comprehensive account of the book's origins, and biographical information.
3.25 stars.
April 8, 2022
Review of the audiobook.
3.5 stars rounded up. This was fun to listen to, although like some other mysteries that were published as serials, it is longer than it needed to be. It was full of (mostly) appealing characters and has all of the expected elements of the classic British country house mystery.
This book is well-known for an interesting reason: there was a contest promising a prize to the reader who could solve it and Agatha Christie herself entered (under her husband’s name) and lost. I also would have lost, but like so many mysteries, the solution was ridiculously simple.
Mike Grady, a narrator unknown to me, was excellent. My favorite character was the hero’s WWI batman-turned-valet, a mashup of Bunter and Jeeves. I wish he had appeared more often.
3.5 stars rounded up. This was fun to listen to, although like some other mysteries that were published as serials, it is longer than it needed to be. It was full of (mostly) appealing characters and has all of the expected elements of the classic British country house mystery.
This book is well-known for an interesting reason: there was a contest promising a prize to the reader who could solve it and Agatha Christie herself entered (under her husband’s name) and lost. I also would have lost, but like so many mysteries, the solution was ridiculously simple.
Mike Grady, a narrator unknown to me, was excellent. My favorite character was the hero’s WWI batman-turned-valet, a mashup of Bunter and Jeeves. I wish he had appeared more often.
May 3, 2022
What a fun classic mystery! I can't believe this gem was out of print for so many years, and am so pleased it's back in print so I could read it. This puzzle plot mystery features an isolated country manor, a séance gone wrong, a disappearance, a murder that's more than it seems, romance, and delightful characters who are so much fun to spend time with as they follow once false lead to the next.
November 22, 2021
This book had everything for me.
A Country House, A Mystery, Secret Passages, A Weekend Party...
A well written and fun classic crime novel.
Set in an old country pile over the course of a house party where one of the guests decides to play with magic....
Luckily, down on his luck but plucky Stephen is around to figure it all out and hopefully win his girl back.
A Country House, A Mystery, Secret Passages, A Weekend Party...
A well written and fun classic crime novel.
Set in an old country pile over the course of a house party where one of the guests decides to play with magic....
Luckily, down on his luck but plucky Stephen is around to figure it all out and hopefully win his girl back.
November 26, 2023
okay, besides being a really good and entertaining mystery, this book was funny as FUCK
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early winter means that i morph into an 80 year old grandpa wearing knit sweaters all day, reading the coziest of classic mysteries, staying in my reading chair, and drinking my array of fancy teas— AKA my true form.
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early winter means that i morph into an 80 year old grandpa wearing knit sweaters all day, reading the coziest of classic mysteries, staying in my reading chair, and drinking my array of fancy teas— AKA my true form.
January 18, 2025
This mystery had its improbable moments but it’s written in a lively style and the protagonist, Stephen Munro, makes a very congenial companion along the way.
Published in the 1920s, it’s reminiscent of Jeeves-and-Wooster stories and even Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries, though written with less depth and ambition than Dorothy Sayers aspires to. We meet Munro as he is facing up to the fact that he has dissipated all his money living like a young gentleman and confessing as much to his factotum, Bridger. In the Jeeves style, Bridger is already way ahead of his employer and when Munro confesses that he’s had to take a job as a footman on a country estate, Bridger tells him coolly that he’s taken an under-gardener job on the same estate. Off they go to Wintringham Hall, where a prodigious number of Munro’s acquaintances soon gather for a house party, and strange doings are afoot.
I won’t tell you more but despite a lot of bumbling, Munro manages to emerge the hero (with timely help from Bridger) and despite his financial crash, all comes right in the end. This was my first novel ny Berkeley and I would happily read more.
Published in the 1920s, it’s reminiscent of Jeeves-and-Wooster stories and even Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries, though written with less depth and ambition than Dorothy Sayers aspires to. We meet Munro as he is facing up to the fact that he has dissipated all his money living like a young gentleman and confessing as much to his factotum, Bridger. In the Jeeves style, Bridger is already way ahead of his employer and when Munro confesses that he’s had to take a job as a footman on a country estate, Bridger tells him coolly that he’s taken an under-gardener job on the same estate. Off they go to Wintringham Hall, where a prodigious number of Munro’s acquaintances soon gather for a house party, and strange doings are afoot.
I won’t tell you more but despite a lot of bumbling, Munro manages to emerge the hero (with timely help from Bridger) and despite his financial crash, all comes right in the end. This was my first novel ny Berkeley and I would happily read more.
October 15, 2023
I had a sneaky feeling all the way through this story (which contains all the elements of a classic golden age detective mystery, the country house complete with secret room, the group of people invited for a house party, a bit of romance and a rich elderly relative) that I was being led up the garden path. Clues were dropped so often they littered the floor, but which ones should I take seriously. It also had the slight flavour of a farce at times which made me wonder if it was all an elaborate hoax.
But the solution turned out to be very satisfactory due to all the threads coming together with an unexpected twist. Overall a very enjoyable read.
But the solution turned out to be very satisfactory due to all the threads coming together with an unexpected twist. Overall a very enjoyable read.
January 18, 2025
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I found the characters, mix of genres, and tone of the overall story to be much more interesting than the British Library Crime Classics. I felt like this book was a mix of what I imagine PG Wodehouse books to be (I haven't read them yet), a country house mystery, and a romance.
I will be checking out more Anthony Berkeley books in the future.
I will be checking out more Anthony Berkeley books in the future.
December 17, 2024
A classic little closed circle/manor house mystery. It does drag under the weight of its red herrings and there were some characters I felt were underused but I appreciated the light tone and humor.
PS: Somehow I got it in my head that this is a winter/Christmas mystery. It’s definitely not!!
PS: Somehow I got it in my head that this is a winter/Christmas mystery. It’s definitely not!!
January 10, 2022
3.5 rounded up because this is a perfect cold, gloomy, weekend read.
February 26, 2023
This was such a fun listen! And it was good company as I baked and cooked and cleaned on this cold February Saturday. My brain is tired now so I’ll fill in more details about this later. 😆
September 18, 2022
This started so promising…and ended so badly. No wonder Agatha Christie didn’t guess the solution.
January 14, 2024
Scooby-Doo-esque!
June 22, 2024
When you consider everything going on in this story, it should be a hot mess, but Berkeley makes the whole thing come together in a logical way--even after all the illogical theories along the way.
First up, the writing is excellent. It flows smoothly, the characters stay consistent, and there is even a bit of growth (not something you always see in a mystery).
Next--the smorgasbord of red herring on the offing. No sooner than one theory shows up with just the clues to make it plausible, another one overtakes it and shuts down the last. I loved that, actually. It made figuring out the whys and wherefores all that much harder.
I figured out "whodunnit" if you can call it that--who caused the disappearance, anyway--but not why or anything connected with it. I had all of that all wrong. And the only reason I stuck to my "why" was because it made as much sense as anything else being tossed out for consideration.
This was my first Anthony Berkeley--won't be my last.
First up, the writing is excellent. It flows smoothly, the characters stay consistent, and there is even a bit of growth (not something you always see in a mystery).
Next--the smorgasbord of red herring on the offing. No sooner than one theory shows up with just the clues to make it plausible, another one overtakes it and shuts down the last. I loved that, actually. It made figuring out the whys and wherefores all that much harder.
I figured out "whodunnit" if you can call it that--who caused the disappearance, anyway--but not why or anything connected with it. I had all of that all wrong. And the only reason I stuck to my "why" was because it made as much sense as anything else being tossed out for consideration.
This was my first Anthony Berkeley--won't be my last.
January 24, 2024
This was so fun
May 20, 2025
(Copied from thoughts written in messages)
The book was kinda losing me in the middle but i actually liked that ending
ill say im not a big fan of the disappearance itself, which is the thing the book is named after. Like, ultimately it just came down to a secret room nobody knew about. Hell, you had not one but two secret rooms, if you'll count the drawer she was hidden in as a secret room, which i do. Knox must be crying rn. Idk, the answer to "how did she disappear" being that "she was hidden somewhere" is extremely obvious and uninteresting, and the minutiae of the solution just feel like tacked on details that dont feel interesting to think about
the "murder" of martin, on the other hand, was decent i think. Maybe a little silly, and there isnt much in the way of clever cluing. But i kinda like the idea of the case feeling so weird and haphazard because the plan literally did change midway through because the mastermind was a dumbass and died.
though the fact that the random new maid who comes in to replace martin is the accomplice also feels a little cheap. Like yeah, martin is the "culprit culprit" ig but its still making a character introduced in the second half of the story the culprit.
it was fun to follow a couple as the two detectives too (even if they barely accomplished anything until the very end lol). Pauline had some personality too, even if i wouldnt really call her an amazingly written female character or whatever
and the old lady was a fun character too, she had a lot of personality. She was so likeable by the end that i find it really weird how she was introduced as a cruel asshole to her niece. They really could have done more with that, especially since it ended up being somewhat relevant to the solution (millicent not feeling loved by anyone was what allowed martin to manipulate her)
But yeah, overall, I wouldnt call it a great book, its not even close to poisoned chocolates, but its an enjoyable read for what it is
The book was kinda losing me in the middle but i actually liked that ending
ill say im not a big fan of the disappearance itself, which is the thing the book is named after. Like, ultimately it just came down to a secret room nobody knew about. Hell, you had not one but two secret rooms, if you'll count the drawer she was hidden in as a secret room, which i do. Knox must be crying rn. Idk, the answer to "how did she disappear" being that "she was hidden somewhere" is extremely obvious and uninteresting, and the minutiae of the solution just feel like tacked on details that dont feel interesting to think about
the "murder" of martin, on the other hand, was decent i think. Maybe a little silly, and there isnt much in the way of clever cluing. But i kinda like the idea of the case feeling so weird and haphazard because the plan literally did change midway through because the mastermind was a dumbass and died.
though the fact that the random new maid who comes in to replace martin is the accomplice also feels a little cheap. Like yeah, martin is the "culprit culprit" ig but its still making a character introduced in the second half of the story the culprit.
it was fun to follow a couple as the two detectives too (even if they barely accomplished anything until the very end lol). Pauline had some personality too, even if i wouldnt really call her an amazingly written female character or whatever
and the old lady was a fun character too, she had a lot of personality. She was so likeable by the end that i find it really weird how she was introduced as a cruel asshole to her niece. They really could have done more with that, especially since it ended up being somewhat relevant to the solution (millicent not feeling loved by anyone was what allowed martin to manipulate her)
But yeah, overall, I wouldnt call it a great book, its not even close to poisoned chocolates, but its an enjoyable read for what it is
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2021
Pour un livre dont on parle comme celui où "même la grande Agatha Christie n'a pas réussi à déduire la solution!", c'était ben moyen. Je m'attendais à quelque chose de plus rigolo et ludique, plus près de "The Poisoned Chocolates Case", et puis finalement je me suis retrouvée avec un whodunit correct mais un peu plate, dont la solution de la disparition mystérieuse de Cecily, des raisons de cette disparition et la solution du seul meurtre du livre m'ont toutes déçue singulièrement pour au moins trois raisons différentes. Je me suis endormie deux fois sur les 25 dernières pages, c'est juste pour dire, t'sais.
November 9, 2023
When I started to read this I couldn’t get into it, but when I really started reading it I started to enjoy it. The mystery in this was really good and the ending was very unexpected. The small romance that occurred was so cute.
November 20, 2023
Agatha Christie couldn't solve this 1927 mystery, which was originally serialized in the Daily Mirror, and neither could I. It was a refreshing change from modern mysteries. I love the earnest Stephen and his enthusiastic, positive attitude.
September 5, 2024
This one was entertaining but it’s no wonder even Agatha Christie couldn’t solve it—I don’t know that I fully understood what happened by the end. I did love the protagonist Stephen, formerly aristocracy who has now run out of cash and is forced to work as a footman at Wintringham Hall, the old estate of Lady Susan, as she’s throwing a dinner party for young people. The tone in this one is light and frothy, never too serious in spite of the disappearances, threats, and dead body that appear throughout. Pick this one up if you’re interested in the evolution of the mystery genre and if you enjoy Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew.
August 17, 2022
An interesting if at time dizzying story involving a young man of leisure, penniless and looking for a job. As he arrives at his new position as "help." The members of the household have a hard time treating him as such- since some are good friends. An interesting way to start out a mystery - the mystery being the disappearance of a young lady. It's kept fairly light hearted though there are certainly sinister elements all round.
The dizzying element is the running about the place and keeping track of the various people. Is it fair play, not exactly. It is a pleasant read where you really need to listen carefully to all the people.
The dizzying element is the running about the place and keeping track of the various people. Is it fair play, not exactly. It is a pleasant read where you really need to listen carefully to all the people.
May 19, 2022
A light-hearted escapist delight!
April 15, 2024
I'm honestly surprised how much I enjoyed this book! I love vintage mysteries, except for the ones that are focused only on the puzzle and don't bother to create interesting characters - and there are a lot of those, mostly written by men. So I'll admit I assumed this author would be one of those.
Instead I found a light-hearted story about a house party that decides to try out a spell found in a book. Harmless diversion? It is until the young woman involved actually disappears. That starts off the plot. The real center of the book is Stephen Munro, demobbed from the army after the war and and unable to take life seriously until he runs out of money. He then manages to land a job as a footman at the country house, and along with his faithful batman who gets employed as the undergardener, he tries to solve the disappearance of Cecily.
Stephen is hardly Sherlock Holmes. He stumbles and guesses his way through the book in an amusing way that I really enjoyed. There were a lot of characters at this party but I never had any trouble keeping them straight, and many of them made plausible suspects/conspirators.
The solution to the mystery is convoluted, and perhaps not very strong, but I honestly didn't care. I had so much fun reading this light-hearted romp that any decent ending would have been fine with me. I have no idea if any of this author's other books are this fun to read, but I will certainly be trying some more out to see!
NB - As a frequent reader of older books, I'm always prepared for the casual racism and sexism these stories often have. There wasn't any of that here, which surprised me. There was one point where a besotted young woman declared she looked forward to cooking and cleaning for her husband so money didn't matter, but he quickly assured her that would soon stop being fun. And she really wasn't the subservient type, so I blamed it on young love, not misogyny. lol Otherwise this story felt quite modern.
Instead I found a light-hearted story about a house party that decides to try out a spell found in a book. Harmless diversion? It is until the young woman involved actually disappears. That starts off the plot. The real center of the book is Stephen Munro, demobbed from the army after the war and and unable to take life seriously until he runs out of money. He then manages to land a job as a footman at the country house, and along with his faithful batman who gets employed as the undergardener, he tries to solve the disappearance of Cecily.
Stephen is hardly Sherlock Holmes. He stumbles and guesses his way through the book in an amusing way that I really enjoyed. There were a lot of characters at this party but I never had any trouble keeping them straight, and many of them made plausible suspects/conspirators.
The solution to the mystery is convoluted, and perhaps not very strong, but I honestly didn't care. I had so much fun reading this light-hearted romp that any decent ending would have been fine with me. I have no idea if any of this author's other books are this fun to read, but I will certainly be trying some more out to see!
NB - As a frequent reader of older books, I'm always prepared for the casual racism and sexism these stories often have. There wasn't any of that here, which surprised me. There was one point where a besotted young woman declared she looked forward to cooking and cleaning for her husband so money didn't matter, but he quickly assured her that would soon stop being fun. And she really wasn't the subservient type, so I blamed it on young love, not misogyny. lol Otherwise this story felt quite modern.
June 23, 2023
That was very, very enjoyable. The mystery wasn't that great, though it wasn't bad by any means but I loved how the setting with the various stuck-up aristocrats (many of whom turned out to be not what they seemed) was presented, especially as the protagonist gives us quite a unique perspective here. In general I found the witty language of the book plus the development of the relationship between the two leads as well as their banter to be the most fun parts of the book... that and of course the old countess, who I imagined as the Dowager Countess from Downton Abbey. A light, very nice read that I'm happy to have read.
April 11, 2024
This was quick and fun. I loved 1st chapter 😅
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