From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

A Body at a Boarding School (Lord Edgington Investigates, #2)

Benedict Brown

Start date: September 1, 2024

Finish date: September 30, 2024

Discussion: Group Challenges

Why we're reading this: The next choice in our 2024 group challenge
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Group Challenges

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) by Agatha Christie
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last updated Sep 02, 2025 12:08AM

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) - SPOILER Thread
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What Members Thought

Aug 24, 2024 Jill rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: jill-s-tenth-years-challenge

To a certain extent, I can't help liking some of the characters in these books, but it is definitely not a compulsive read. This starts at Christopher's school, where they are preparing for the last of term. There teachers finishing up for the holidays, but the pupils planing are tricks they get up to, to get their own back by ridiculing the staff in front of the parents.
Christoper's mother, and grandfather turn up with some members of their household staff. Christoper to help out one of his fri ...more

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Jul 23, 2024 Bev rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: british-mystery, mcpl-book, academic-mystery, audionovel, historical-mystery, mystery, virtual-mount-tbr-2024

Christopher and his distinguished grandfather, renowned former Inspector Lord Edgington, are back on the hunt for a murderer. It's the last day of term at the Oakton Academy for Distinguished Young Gentleman and Christopher thinks the worst thing that might happen is a beating at the hands of the school bullies who have been after him ever since he laughed at a smiling pigeon and the ringleader thought Christopher was laughing at him. Or maybe it will just be that he has to run in the sixth form Christopher and his distinguished grandfather, renowned former Inspector Lord Edgington, are back on the hunt for a murderer. It's the last day of term at the Oakton Academy for Distinguished Young Gentleman and Christopher thinks the worst thing that might happen is a beating at the hands of the school bullies who have been after him ever since he laughed at a smiling pigeon and the ringleader thought Christopher was laughing at him. Or maybe it will just be that he has to run in the sixth form's cross country race--and Christopher hates few things more than running. But when his ex-bully, turned protector and friend Marmaduke asks him for a favor, he little suspects that he'll find a dead body.

Marmaduke had planned a grand joke on the cruel headmaster--a particularly hideous drawing that would be on display before the entire school on parents' day. But the headmaster caught him in the act of setting up the display and plans to out Marmaduke to his despicable father, so Marmaduke asks Christopher to slip into the headmaster's office while the race is being run and retrieve the drawing. Christopher is reluctant to risk the headmaster's wrath until he realizes that he will get out of running the race...and when he reaches the headmaster's office, he realizes that he won't have to worry about the headmaster's wrath ever again. Somebody has put an end to the man's cruelty for good. Fortunately, Christopher's grandfather is on hand to take over the investigation and bring the killer to justice.

I'm always a sucker for academically-inclined mysteries and one set during the Golden Age of Mysteries is definitely right up my alley. Fine setting, interesting characters, and a nice twisty plot with red herrings. What more could you ask for? Well, perhaps less of Christopher running on in the almost wrap-up scene. His grandfather gathers all the suspects, lines them up, and then tells Christopher to give them the big reveal of how "they" figured it all out. Except Christopher hasn't got all the threads in his hands and has to wander around and tell every single little detail that we, the readers, have already gotten first hand as we followed the sleuths around. It was just a tad bit tedious, especially since Christopher has none of the aplomb and self-assurance of a Poirot doing the same stunt in Agatha Christie. If you're going to put on a big show at the end, you should at least be absolutely sure that you're right. But, of course, Lord Edgington does do the honors eventually when we get to the absolutely final wrap-up scene.

This is a very good second story in the series. Often sophomore efforts tend to lose a little of the shine when debut novels have been strong. But other than the wrap-up scene, Brown does an excellent job continuing the series. I look forward to the next one (which I just recently picked up at a used book store). ★★★ and 1/2 (just slightly weaker than the debut--so not rounding up)

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

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Apr 07, 2024 Shannon Teper rated it really liked it

Shelves: british-mystery

Another great fair play mystery, with a great plot and a cast of interesting characters. Agatha, Anthony, and Dorothy would have eagerly welcomed this author to the original Detection Club!

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Sep 03, 2024 Sandy rated it it was ok

Shelves: rread-2024, mystery-detective-grp, mystery-historical, kindle-unl-read, z2024-revisit-ga, z2024-kul-10

Probably because I disliked the setting of this book, I enjoyed it less than the first. On the plus side, there is humor. In my opinion it reads like a middle-grade novel. The twist at the end adds interest.

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