From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

Murder's a Swine (Agnes Sidebotham & Andrew Kinghof, #2)

Nap Lombard,

Martin Edwards (Introduction)

Start date: July 1, 2022

Finish date: July 31, 2022

Discussion: Group reads

Why we're reading this: Winner of our July group read poll
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Group reads

* Nominations for November 2025 group read
By Judy · 18 posts · 21 views

last updated Sep 05, 2025 03:20PM

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

last updated Sep 03, 2025 12:03PM

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What Members Thought

Jun 22, 2022 Susan rated it liked it

This wartime mystery is more interesting in terms of setting and social history than plot or story. However, the central characters of young husband and wife, Angnes and Andrew Kinghof, are likeable enough. It is the early days of the phoney war. Agnes and Andrew live in a block of flats, although Andrew has been called up and pops in and out of the story as he has leave. Nobody is really quite sure of what is about to befall them. There are meetings about possible fires, with no awareness of th ...more

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Jun 25, 2022 Jackie rated it it was amazing

I expected to find this mildly enjoyable but it really is a gem. Our sleuthing couple are smart but flawed, brave but believable and completely charming.

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May 27, 2022 Susan in NC rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Really enjoyed this lighthearted, humorous GA mystery, set in the “sitzkrieg” period at the beginning of World War II, (I’d never heard that term), when nothing much was happening yet, and Brits were unaware of what was to come. I got the paperback through my library, and listened to the audiobook through Scribd. I found that helpful, because the narrator was entertaining and conveyed the gallows humor well - also gave some context for some of the jokes.

The Reading the Detectives group aren’t re Really enjoyed this lighthearted, humorous GA mystery, set in the “sitzkrieg” period at the beginning of World War II, (I’d never heard that term), when nothing much was happening yet, and Brits were unaware of what was to come. I got the paperback through my library, and listened to the audiobook through Scribd. I found that helpful, because the narrator was entertaining and conveyed the gallows humor well - also gave some context for some of the jokes.

The Reading the Detectives group aren’t reading this one until July, so I don’t want to give away any spoilers. I was struck by the humor, but also the underlying creepy menace - the villain struck me as almost “modern”, the way he stalked and terrorized his female victims. I don’t read a lot of modern psychological thrillers because I don’t appreciate the violence and cruelty. This killer was cruel, greedy, and lacking in any remorse. Also, modern readers will probably find the casual sexism of the period offensive, and may be jarred by a subplot involving very ineffective Mussolini-sympathizers intent on overthrowing the British government, who may be traitors. Bizarre to read about now!

It was very effectively done, I thought, a tightly plotted revenge-themed murder mystery based on the old standby of a greedy killer wanting what they perceived as a rightful inheritance gone to the wrong relative. But the authors added a cheeky, sexy young couple (Andrew and Agnes Kinghof), a stuffy Scotland Yard official (Andrew’s cousin, Lord Whitestone), a few possible suspects among the other residents of the Kinghofs’ apartment block, a body stuffed in among the rotting sandbags of an air raid shelter, discovered by Agnes and a young air raid warden in the first pages, and we get an interesting, entertaining thriller. The authors did a good job, also, conveying the “wait and see” attitude of the time.

It really was quite an interesting feat to pull off for the husband and wife writing team - there’s obviously a great of love, passion and humor between the married couple who star as our amateur sleuths (Andrew and Agnes), and they have a respectful, friendly relationship with Inspector Eggshell (great name, eh?), and a more combative, complex relationship with Andrew’s cousin, Lord Whitestone, who is “someone important” at Scotland Yard. His childhood nickname ‘Pig’ is still used by the Kinghofs.

According to Martin Edwards’ helpful introduction to the British Library Crime Classics edition I read, there was a first mystery with the Kinghofs and Pig and called “Tidy Death”, published in 1940, but it has yet to be republished. I would like to read it, get more background on the antagonism between Lord W and Andrew, and to spend more time with the Kinghofs! ...more

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Jun 12, 2023 Lady Wesley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-golden-age-or-similar, listened, aud-rev, british-library-crime-classics

Review of the audiobook narrated by Chris Dyer.

This is a delightful Golden Age mystery set in London during the Phony War of 1939. The plot may not rise to the level of Sayers or Christie, but this reader did not solve the case. The prose and characterization are excellent, as we get to know a group of people who live in the same block of flats. Is there a killer among them? I shan’t tell, but I do highly recommend this forgotten classic.

Chris Dyer is a good narrator. I was distracted here, thou ...more

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Jun 24, 2022 Jill rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Really liked this book. The relationship between the married couple was so good. I loved some of the comments they made about each other which were very humorous, but also taken in a light-hearted way. Agnes, the wife was very good at spinning a yarn, which she did right at the beginning, when her and one of the young ARP's discovered a dead body among the sandbags of the community air-raid shelter. This being set before the war proper had begun, a dead body was not a common occurrence, and so t ...more

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Mar 24, 2021 Andréa rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller-crime, arc, digital, netgalley-edelweiss, classics, ww2-holocaust, british-isles

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

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Aug 30, 2021 Annarella rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I had a lot of fun in reading this brilliant and witty Golden Age mystery.
It's highly entertaining, gripping and I fell in love with the characters and the style of writing.
Agnes and Andrews are a great couple of detective, they reminded me of Nick&Nora with an intellectual side (first time I read an Auden quote in a mystery).
The plot is well crafted and the mystery full of red herrings and twists. The solution came as a surprise and was satisfying.
The historical background is vivid, a great de ...more

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Oct 27, 2022 Lynnie rated it really liked it

Shelves: golden-age-detective-story, london, world-war-2, read-in-2022, kindleunlimited, british-library-crime, adventure-mysteries

This was witty and fun, fast paced and at times creepy, I really enjoyed this and for the social history. I laughed out loud at the names of the houses in Hooham! The writers must have had a lot of fun overall choosing names!

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