Ada Moncrieff

OK festive mystery, but trying a bit too hard to be of the "vintage" style. Confusingly also published under the "vintage" imprint of Penguin, despite being written in 2023. This is made quite obvious by the scattered chronological errors and historical inaccuracies, which occasionally jolt the reader out of the supposed 1930s setting. Unfortunately the story itself isn't quite clever enough to make up for this. You'd be better sticking to the originals of the genre, which are increasingly show more easy to find among the British Library Crime Classics. show less

Murder Most Festive (2020) is a Christmas murder mystery set in 1938. The book was charming, but I am not the audience for this. I prefer the real deal – actual Golden Age mysteries.

It was a light read and I enjoyed some of the dialogue. However, it isn’t a riveting mystery and I had a strong hunch about the murderer and motive quite early on.
As mentioned, some of the dialogue was fun, but I never got the same vibes off this as from an actual GA mystery. There was something about the show more writing, and I can’t put my finger on what put me off. Maybe some scenes were trying a bit too hard? Maybe some scenes and expressions were more at home in the 1920s than in 1938? I mean, the focus on the achievements of some of the characters in WWI seemed out of place while current affairs, or more current affairs, taking place in the 1930s don’t get mentioned at all.

What really soured my reading experience, tho, were these:

1. The story dragged and it was so obvious when the author added “stuffing”; and
2. There was a scene at the end when an MP, who didn’t hold a title, is addressed as “Sir de Havishem” and “my Lord”, which was wrong on few levels – including getting the actual name wrong. He was Mr de Havilland. So, not “Sir”. If he had been titled, it would have been Sir Anthony, not Sir de Havishem/Havilland. But it also would not by “my Lord”.

Still, if this becomes a series, I would not mind reading a sequel. show less

Every Christmas I like to read a Christmas themed book, and this was my choice for this year.

Set in 1935, Daphne King is an agony aunt at a local newspaper in London, but dreams of being a serious journalist. When she is sent to do a fluff piece interviewing the director of a new adaptation of A Christmas Carol being performed at the Theatre Royale, matters take a serious turn when the lead actor dies on stage, apparently of a heart attack. But Daphne suspects that there is more to the death show more and decides to investigate.

All I wanted from this book was an easy enjoyable read, and on that level it definitely delivered. However, there were a few things that niggled at me slightly. The characters were all caricatures, and the females particularly were almost cartoonish. I did like Daphne though and would like to see more of her in future stories.

The story itself was fun with plenty of twists and turns, and enough red herrings to keep the reader guessing, and it was a pleasant enough way to pass some time. Other than that, I don’t have a lot to say…if you’re looking for a meaty serious read, this is not it. If you’re looking for a fun diversion (think Agatha Christie but really really ‘lite’) then this might be something you would enjoy. show less

It’s 1938, and Lord and Lady Westbury are hosting a Christmas gathering for family and and some select friends. Alas, when one guest turns up dead the next day, it throws a pall over the festivities. Originally thought to be a suicide, a closer look by one of the guests, a would-be amateur detective, suggests it was murder. Though a murder mystery, this tale is clearly a character-driven one. The clues that the reader is shown are nearly nonexistent - we are truly not able to solve the show more murder. Much of the book is taken up with the conversations between the characters, as they discuss mundane happenings as well as the death. Only at very end is the long awaited solution of the demise of the unfortunate man finally apparent. Not aiding in understanding the characters, their backgrounds, or their personalities is the somewhat stilted language of the characters dialogue and the prose of the narration. show less