From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

Murder Underground (Watson Sisters, #1)

Mavis Doriel Hay,

Stephen Booth (Introduction)

Start date: May 1, 2018

Finish date: May 31, 2018

Discussion: Group reads

Why we're reading this: Winner of our May group read poll. This is one of the British Library Crime Classics reissues.
[close] Winner of our May group read poll. This is one of the British Library Crime Classics reissues.

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 328 topics — 11,869 comments total

Group reads

* VOTE NOW for November 2025 group read!
By Judy · 19 posts · 22 views

last updated 6 hours, 3 min ago

* Sept 25: Lonesome Road (#3 Miss Silver Mysteries) by Patricia Wentworth
By Susan · 13 posts · 11 views

last updated Sep 03, 2025 12:03PM

showing 7 of 7 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Mar 31, 2018 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Published in 1934, this mystery was re-published, after being out of print for many years. Mavis Doriel Hay only wrote three mysteries, but was popular in her time, and British Library Crime Classics are to be applauded for bringing long out of print novels, and authors, back to our attention.

The novel is set around the Frampton Private Hotel – a boarding house in North London (indeed, most of this novel is set around the area where I live, which only added to my interest). The wonderfully name Published in 1934, this mystery was re-published, after being out of print for many years. Mavis Doriel Hay only wrote three mysteries, but was popular in her time, and British Library Crime Classics are to be applauded for bringing long out of print novels, and authors, back to our attention.

The novel is set around the Frampton Private Hotel – a boarding house in North London (indeed, most of this novel is set around the area where I live, which only added to my interest). The wonderfully names Miss Euphemia Pongleton is heading for a dentist appointment, but is found murdered on the stairs of Belsize Park tube station; strangled by the lead of her dog, Tuppy. Obviously, things have changed a little since this book was written, as the body is not discovered for some time and the police actually look for prints on the hand rail of the stairs, suggesting it is both little used and also cleaned!

Miss Pongleton is not much mourned by her fellow boarders, but they are intrigued by the mystery of her death – not least as Bob Thurlow, the young man of maid Nellie, is implicated in the crime. Also, Miss Pongleton was well known for writing and re-writing her will, although her money was supposedly destined for her nephew Basil. When annoyed, though, it was re-directed to her niece, Beryl, and it is generally supposed that she changed her will shortly before her murder. Even worse, Basil is a young man whose alibi is decidedly suspicious and this concerns Betty Watson, who also lives at the Frampton and who is keen on him.

This is a fun and interesting mystery. You do wonder why Betty cares so much for Basil, whose every utterance seems to dig a deeper hole for himself and throw more and more suspicion upon his actions. However, although the members of the boarding house do not actually get together to work out who committed the crime, they almost all become involved in somehow trying to solve the case. The police, meanwhile, have their jobs cut out trying to unravel all the various clues, alibis and false trails that come their way – bemoaning the constant stream of information pouring forth from the various inhabitants of the Frampton, that they need to investigate. An enjoyable read for anyone who loves classic, Golden Age, mysteries.
...more

41 likes · Like · see review

Apr 10, 2021 Anissa rated it it was ok

Shelves: british-fiction-uk-ireland, 2021, mystery-suspense-crime, british-library-crime-classics

I finally made myself finish. I have both the book and the audiobook and still this was a slog. This is a definite miss for me.

I don't expect with so many in the collection that I'll love/enjoy them all. I'll continue with the British Library Crime Classics. ...more

14 likes · Like · see review

Oct 08, 2015 Nancy Oakes added it

Shelves: crime-fiction-uk, british-library-crime-classics, 1930s

The very barebones of plot can be found at my reading journal ; as always, feel free to click or just keep reading here.

Considering how very much I love these old books and British murder mysteries in general, overall this one was, like the dead woman, Miss Euphemia Pongleton, a bit tiresome. What I enjoyed about it was the focus on the boarders who shared a house with the dead woman, who have their own theories on what happened. The best scene takes place at the beginning of the story, when a
The very barebones of plot can be found at my reading journal ; as always, feel free to click or just keep reading here.

Considering how very much I love these old books and British murder mysteries in general, overall this one was, like the dead woman, Miss Euphemia Pongleton, a bit tiresome. What I enjoyed about it was the focus on the boarders who shared a house with the dead woman, who have their own theories on what happened. The best scene takes place at the beginning of the story, when all are together in one room, waiting to be called individually to talk to the (somewhat invisible at this point) police Inspector. There we discover that while these people feel sorry that she met such a terrible end, they're also realistic, with one woman noting that

"It would be hypocritical to pretend that any one of us is overwhelmed at the removal of Miss Pongleton."

This conversation is very lively, with a novelist, Mrs. Daymer, applying her "expert" knowledge of the police, of investigations, and of the victim herself while "surveying the possibilities of the situation." The other boarders voice their own opinions or come up with logical questions that are discussed in turn, each one speculating on motive, means and opportunity. But when outside of the boarding house, someone decides to gum up the works to protect himself and starts covering up his own movements and telling a series of lies, the story quickly gets tedious, making the novel tough to get through. Talk talk talk, very little in the way of action until the book is nearly finished. I read several reader reviews where people had said that they got bored enough to flip to the end, but really, it's so incredibly easy to figure out that no one should have had to do that. For me the question was one of waiting it out to see how long it took before things are set right, and exactly how that was going to be accomplished.

While I won't sing the praises of this novel, I do still plan on reading her other two, so maybe (hopefully!) they'll be a bit better. However, as an example of the work of a previously-obscure woman mystery writer of the Golden Age, Murder Underground is very much worth reading. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Jul 05, 2021 Bev rated it liked it

Shelves: british-mystery, bought-2015, vintage-mystery, mount-tbr-2021, mystery, early-20th-c

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Thoughts As I Read:

~Trying to figure out why Basil, Miss Pongleton's nephew, goes to Mr. Slocomb for advice. I mean, would you go ask advice from some gent who boards at the same boarding house as your aunt just because she supposedly mentioned his good sense? I wouldn't. I'd go to my own friends and associates.

~Motives are a bit slapdash. The most obvious one is Basil's--but since so far we're following Basil about, I assume his obvious motive isn't the real one. Looks like it will be a case of Thoughts As I Read:

~Trying to figure out why Basil, Miss Pongleton's nephew, goes to Mr. Slocomb for advice. I mean, would you go ask advice from some gent who boards at the same boarding house as your aunt just because she supposedly mentioned his good sense? I wouldn't. I'd go to my own friends and associates.

~Motives are a bit slapdash. The most obvious one is Basil's--but since so far we're following Basil about, I assume his obvious motive isn't the real one. Looks like it will be a case of an innocent who looks decidedly fishy needing to do some amateur sleuthing to keep himself out of jail.

~Basil really is a blithering ass. In the style of a very stupid Wooster without a Jeeves to get him out of trouble.

~I can't say I've really taken to any of the characters. Basil would be okay if there were any sort of steadying influence in his life (like a Jeeves) and I would like things to turn out okay for him and his Betty. But honestly the way these characters go about making muddles, they get on one's nerves. I think perhaps I'm not in the right frame of mind for this type of nonsense at the moment.

~Have already spotted the real culprit. No idea of a motive yet--but (and this is a sign that the story is dragging) have peeked at the end (which I rarely do) and I am right. Now I just have to soldier on through all the daft goings on with Basil until we stumble upon X's motive (and so I can claim the book for a challenge, otherwise I think I'd throw in the towel on this one.).

~Almost at the half-way mark--lots of talk (chatter, chatter, chatter), very little action. Very little actual detection. Inspector who interviewed the residents of the boarding house (off-stage, so we haven't even met him properly yet) has disappeared entirely. Only police presence is the man with big boots who is shadowing Basil. I do like a detective novel to have detecting going on--whether by the official police or amateurs doing their best.

~Now everybody's getting involved in various antics--none of which are really investigating, mind you. Just hiding pearls and looking for wills and making up stories to replace other stories.

~Finally! We have an amateur rushing off to investigate something. Hurrah! Things are picking up. Still not exactly the finest detective novel I've come across, but inching closer to the okay mark.

I have to say that I much preferred Hay's holiday-themed mystery, The Santa Klaus Murder, and hope that Death on the Cherwell will be a return to standard (and a good academic mystery in the bargain). The entire first half of the book is exasperating. But it goes a fair way to redeeming itself in the last half. There we have plenty of running about and looking for clues. We have several members of the Frampton house digging up and providing clues that the police couldn't find. Of course, it's no surprise that they couldn't find the clues, since the police weren't really there for about two-thirds of the book. The ending is superb and a very nice take-off on a drawing room comedy with actors popping in and out all over the place. Final rating: ★★★

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Mar 22, 2015 Damaskcat rated it it was amazing

An elderly spinster, Miss Pongleton, is found dead on the stairs at Belsize Park Underground station on her way to a dental appointment. She lives at the Frampton private hotel and many of her fellow residents as well as her own nearest and dearest come under suspicion, especially her niece and nephew who both stand to benefit from her will which she changes frequently according to which one of them is in favour at that moment.

This is a case where, as one of the police characters says, they coul ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Mar 10, 2017 Kat rated it liked it

Continuing my sleuthing among the British ladies of mystery. "A tidy murder" as one of the characters would say with many screwball elements thrown in. ...more

Like · see review