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Burford Family #1*3 omnibus
The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy/The Affair of the Mutilated Mink/The Affair of the Thirthy-Nine Cufflinks: An Omnibus Edition
For lovers of the traditional country house murder mystery, this James Anderson omnibus includes favourites: The Affair Of The Bloodstained Egg Cosy - The theft of the diamond necklace and the antique pistols might all be explained, but the body in the lake - that really was a puzzle. For Inspector Wilkins, it was going to take some intricate sleuthing to uncover who killed whom and why. The Affair Of The Mutilated Mink - An impromptu Hollywood party at Alderley country estate proves too much for the family's butler Merryweather. And that's before the murder in the middle of the night.... The Affair Of The Thirty-Nine Cufflinks - When Lord Burford reluctantly agrees to host his relatives at Alderley, he soon finds out that family can be murder. It isn't long before Inspector Wilkins has to be called in...yet again.
1115 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2010
1 person is currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
James Anderson
30 books66 followersJames Anderson was educated at Reading University where he gained a History degree and although born in Swindon, Wiltshire, he lived for most of his life near Cardiff.
He worked as a salesman before becoming a copywriter and then a freelance journalist, contributing to many newspapers, house journals and specialist magazines. He later turned to writing novels, the first of which was 'Assassin' (1969).
As well as his general thrillers, he wrote three books featuring Inspector Wilkins beginning with 'The Affair of the Blood-Stained Egg Cosy' in 1975. The series continued with 'the Affair of the Mutilated Mink Coat' (1981) and ended with 'The Affair of the Thirty-Nine Cuff Links' (2003).
He also wrote three novels based on the television series 'Murder, She Wrote', which were 'the Murder of Sherlock Holmes (1985), Hooray for Homicide' (1985) and 'Lovers and Other Killers' (1986). In total he wrote 14 novels and one play.
He died in 2007.
Gerry Wolstenholme
September 2010
He worked as a salesman before becoming a copywriter and then a freelance journalist, contributing to many newspapers, house journals and specialist magazines. He later turned to writing novels, the first of which was 'Assassin' (1969).
As well as his general thrillers, he wrote three books featuring Inspector Wilkins beginning with 'The Affair of the Blood-Stained Egg Cosy' in 1975. The series continued with 'the Affair of the Mutilated Mink Coat' (1981) and ended with 'The Affair of the Thirty-Nine Cuff Links' (2003).
He also wrote three novels based on the television series 'Murder, She Wrote', which were 'the Murder of Sherlock Holmes (1985), Hooray for Homicide' (1985) and 'Lovers and Other Killers' (1986). In total he wrote 14 novels and one play.
He died in 2007.
Gerry Wolstenholme
September 2010
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 20, 2011
Fantastic homage to the Golden Age of Mystery. James Anderson is a phenomenal plotter and the comedy is beyond witty and stylish. Impeccable craftsmanship!I'm surprised how few people know these books, and how well they all hold up to rereading.
A must for all fans of classic country house mysteries.
A must for all fans of classic country house mysteries.
October 6, 2012
Very enjoyable. I hadn't read anything by this author but have now read the three books in this series. Made a nice change from re-reading Agatha Christie.
May 7, 2013
Delightful cosy mysteries. Fun and just so very well written. Loved all the books wanted more.
September 25, 2019
Agatha Christies have been done to death! Lately there's been a spate or new remakes and they all stink. ‘Grimdark’ has overwrought these productions. As a die-hard mystery fan, please, someone needs to get this book into the hands of a tv/movie producer. If you were looking for a cozy murder mystery bible, you could do a heck of a lot worse than these three novels. Fun characters, great setting, brainteasing plots. In this volume we get three golden age detective stories--country house whodunnits--composed with all the benefits of hindsight: each knows what it is, but its works aren't gummed up with pomo-meta-malarkey. Anderson doesn’t take potshots at the genre either; rather, he elevates it. It's elegant, really, how much Anderson achieves using such well-worn tools.
But I suppose if nobody reads any more, tv and film people must read even less than that. Anderson must have had some experience writing screenplays, though, because he’s really good at set pieces and his climaxes are very action-packed and cinematic. Best of all, unlike a lot of mystery writers from all eras, Anderson can compose an intricate, multi-faceted, multi-dimensional mystery. Really. Each of these novels is almost like a regular mystery novel on Performance Enhancing Drugs. Puzzle pieces fit together impressively. Sometimes, like real picture puzzles, some pieces fit beautifully if incorrectly for a while. It’s quite something to see, really. “That prologue I forgot about: it makes sense now! Wait a minute, nope. Here now, ah, I see, it fits this way.”
I'd love to see the exploits of Inspector Wilkins at Alderley dramatized but I'm not sanguine it'll happen. They don't even adapt John Dickson Carr or Ngaio Marsh, for cry-eye! No, I'm not sanguine at all.
(One mystery film beloved by mystery fans is Clue. Nostalgia aside, the mystery is really a non-starter. Camp up these mysteries, though: voila: Clue.)
——-
Unfortunately, of all the mysteries great and small in this trilogy one remains unsolved: what was Dorry’s guilty secret? Gerry and Wilkins after they know what it is? What could the mousy girl be hiding, what fact could her stepmother have held over her to the extent that she was able to practically enslave Dorry with it? I’m flummoxed.
But I suppose if nobody reads any more, tv and film people must read even less than that. Anderson must have had some experience writing screenplays, though, because he’s really good at set pieces and his climaxes are very action-packed and cinematic. Best of all, unlike a lot of mystery writers from all eras, Anderson can compose an intricate, multi-faceted, multi-dimensional mystery. Really. Each of these novels is almost like a regular mystery novel on Performance Enhancing Drugs. Puzzle pieces fit together impressively. Sometimes, like real picture puzzles, some pieces fit beautifully if incorrectly for a while. It’s quite something to see, really. “That prologue I forgot about: it makes sense now! Wait a minute, nope. Here now, ah, I see, it fits this way.”
I'd love to see the exploits of Inspector Wilkins at Alderley dramatized but I'm not sanguine it'll happen. They don't even adapt John Dickson Carr or Ngaio Marsh, for cry-eye! No, I'm not sanguine at all.
(One mystery film beloved by mystery fans is Clue. Nostalgia aside, the mystery is really a non-starter. Camp up these mysteries, though: voila: Clue.)
——-
Unfortunately, of all the mysteries great and small in this trilogy one remains unsolved: what was Dorry’s guilty secret? Gerry and Wilkins after they know what it is? What could the mousy girl be hiding, what fact could her stepmother have held over her to the extent that she was able to practically enslave Dorry with it? I’m flummoxed.
May 29, 2018
Light read, historical cosy crime stories, having a bit of a twist.
July 7, 2019
Too clever by half. The plot was interesting but the execution of it was excruciating. Only read the first of three in this omnibus edition.
September 20, 2020
An enjoyable mystery but
February 22, 2011
I loved all 3 of these mystery books in this omnibus edition. All 3 were perfect English murder mysteries set in a stately home. I only guessed the murderer correctly in the last book. Superbly written with a wonderful cast of charcters.
July 30, 2013
A tour de force... Kept me awake three nights continuously till I finished it. Intricately-crafted and marvelously-melded plots and subplots full of twists and turns, amazing characterizations and a brilliantly-evoked atmosphere of a great age
July 23, 2011
Very amusing and entertaining! With very complicated plots and amusing characters.
October 4, 2012
fun and silly
September 20, 2022
The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy *****
The Affair of the Mutilated Mink *****
The Affair of the Thirty-Nine Cufflinks *****
The Affair of the Mutilated Mink *****
The Affair of the Thirty-Nine Cufflinks *****
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews