Phyllida Bright is housekeeper to Agatha Christie. While her mistress (and friend) has a talent for writing mysteries, Phyllida has a talent for solving them. This is the second book, but there is nothing in particular to miss from the first book. The conceit of this book adds a layer of fun to the story.
Agatha Christie is a member of the writing group The Detection Club, along with Dorothy L. Sayers, G.K. Chesterton and Anthony Berkeley (whose full names are used nearly every time they are mentioned.) They are hosts of a fundraising Murder Fete and the local amateur writing group the Murder Club are very excited about the short story contest whose prize is publication and representation. When the local priest whose church orphanage is receiving the funds is killed at the opening party the festival is shocked, but equally interested in the investigation. Phyllida must take the investigation in hand as the local police are not as detail-oriented as they need to be, Agatha can't abide press scrutiny, and the Murder Club, including her friend Dr. Bhatt, are the prime suspects.
This is cozy, but also has a little fun with cozy mysteries as the Murder Club writers each have a classic character: an adventurous rake, a crime-solving priest, an antiques dealer, a forensic-minded physician, and a cat lady. The writing could have been edited quite a bit more, but even at 260 pages it's not that long and was pretty cute throughout. The next installment in the series looks to be another fun conceit, a murder mystery party, so I might pick it up, but I'm not drawn to any character or the series as a whole. There's not much character development (though plenty of teases) and the author catches the reader up in explicit detail (I probably couldn't read the first book with what I know now) so any single book can be read.
by Colleen Cambridge
3 stars
Phyllida Bright is housekeeper to Agatha Christie. While her mistress (and friend) has a talent for writing mysteries, Phyllida has a talent for solving them. This is the second book, but there is nothing in particular to miss from the first book. The conceit of this book adds a layer of fun to the story.
Agatha Christie is a member of the writing group The Detection Club, along with Dorothy L. Sayers, G.K. Chesterton and Anthony Berkeley (whose full names are used nearly every time they are mentioned.) They are hosts of a fundraising Murder Fete and the local amateur writing group the Murder Club are very excited about the short story contest whose prize is publication and representation. When the local priest whose church orphanage is receiving the funds is killed at the opening party the festival is shocked, but equally interested in the investigation. Phyllida must take the investigation in hand as the local police are not as detail-oriented as they need to be, Agatha can't abide press scrutiny, and the Murder Club, including her friend Dr. Bhatt, are the prime suspects.
This is cozy, but also has a little fun with cozy mysteries as the Murder Club writers each have a classic character: an adventurous rake, a crime-solving priest, an antiques dealer, a forensic-minded physician, and a cat lady. The writing could have been edited quite a bit more, but even at 260 pages it's not that long and was pretty cute throughout. The next installment in the series looks to be another fun conceit, a murder mystery party, so I might pick it up, but I'm not drawn to any character or the series as a whole. There's not much character development (though plenty of teases) and the author catches the reader up in explicit detail (I probably couldn't read the first book with what I know now) so any single book can be read.