Footsteps in the Dark

Not since Austen's Northanger Abbey have I read about a supposedly haunted place where the expectations are humorously turned around.

Celia, her brother Peter, and sister Margaret have inherited an old priory. It's 1932, so the fact that the priory has no electricity doesn't daunt them. The siblings, their aunt, and Celia's lawyer husband, Charles, bring the faithful family retainers, Bowers and his formidable wife, with them to spend a few weeks relaxing in the old place.

Relax? Ha! The priory is said to be haunted by the ghost of one of the old monks. Yes, a cowled and robed figure does turn up on the grounds some nights. So do obviously human men, who may or may not be about on honest business. Could one of them be the mysterious show more monk?

The priory does have some nice secret spaces and passages, but can Charles and Peter find them all? Of the female characters, Mrs. Bowers is the one most likely to give the robed figure a good thump on the head with something heavy. It's a pity she never encounters him. Celia is the most annoying, timid creature. The only reason why she stays is that Charles refuses to leave. Margaret is much more stout-hearted. Her weakness is local inn guest Michael Strange. She refuses to believe that he could be the monk. The aunt (Lydia?) is the sort of aunt often found in Ms. Heyer's Regency Romances. She refuses to believe in the monk to begin with, but later decides to try to summon his spirit in one of my favorite scenes.
Given the period in which this was written, I'll have to forgive her for fainting when she encounters the monk during a late night visit to the priory's library, instead of using her candle to see if she set the monk on fire.

This is the third time I've checked this book out and listened to it, but it had been seven years. I hadn't remembered anything consciously, but did my subconscious remember who the villain was or did I genuinely fix on the right suspect before I was halfway through?

The action ramps up in the last two CDs. It's not a bad mystery. The humor makes it even more enjoyable. show less

Well that wasn't what I expected! I'm working my way through the library's collection of Heyer books on audio book. I did wonder form the title how this would turn into a Regency romance, and even more so when the cover appeared to be a couple in 20s attire. Well it turns out that it isn't - seems Heyer also wrote a pretty good mystery!
Set between the war, a well to do family has inherited a house in the country, and so move in. Then some rather odd things start happening... They start off being entirely rational, but as the sightings and incidents increase, so the belief that this has a supernatural explanation starts to grow. There is a touch of romance, which had me clapping my hands in delight (really shouldn't do that while show more driving) and it all ends in a most satisfactory manner. The characters are appealing, and there are enough possible villains and solutions to keep me guessing until fairly close to the conclusion. Thoroughly enjoyable. show less

You've read this book before — and more deftly executed. A married couple and the wife's brother and sister go on vacation (holiday in Britspeak) in a run-down pile out in the country with a reputation for being haunted. By Chapter 2, the husband, Charles Malcolm, and his intrepid brother-in-law, Peter Fortescue, have realized that the ghost is a ruse by an all-too-real adversary. When the police prove less than useless, the brothers-in-law begin sleuthing on their own.

Admittedly, I didn't figure out who the villain was until the end; however, most readers will be able to eliminate the prime suspect with one-third of the novel to go. As this novel was first published in 1932, I'll give Georgette Heyer some credit for coming up with show more the idea earlier rather than later. In other words, the books that you've read that more expertly handle this same plot probably took a page from Footsteps in the Dark; for that reason, I'll add an extra star.

Heyer's no Dame Agatha Christie, but some of her mysteries rise to four-star levels. The novel's not as abysmal as Behold, Here's Poison, but it certainly isn't in the same league as Heyer's much better The Unfinished Clue. show less

I've read quite a few Heyer mysteries so far but I think I've just found my favorite -- Footsteps in the Dark. Sadly, it wasn't Heyer's favorite. I found this on Wikipedia --

The following year [1932], Heyer's writing took an even more drastic departure from her early historical romances when she released her first thriller, Footsteps in the Dark. The novel's publication coincided with the birth of her only child, Richard George Rougier, whom she called her "most notable (indeed peerless) work". Later in her life, Heyer requested that her publishers refrain from reprinting Footsteps in the Dark, saying "This work, published simultaneously with my son ... was the first of my thrillers and was perpetrated while I was, as any Regency show more character would have said, increasing. One husband and two ribald brothers all had fingers in it, and I do not claim it as a Major Work."

Well, at least she loved her son! This is a pretty standard Heyer mystery as far as plot goes--English country house, far-fetched mystery, bumbling country police officer and the inevitable romance--but the execution was more solid than usual. The characters were less stereotyped and had a bit more depth than in her later mysteries and the romance was more believable. So, even though Heyer didn't want it reprinted, I'm glad that Sourcebooks did it anyway.

http://webereading.com/2013/01/footsteps-in-dark.html show less

Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer is a highly enjoyable mystery that is more than half a ghost story. The requisite murder doesn't happen till more than halfway through, but there's plenty going on before you reach that point. Having inherited an ancient English house complete with secret passages, priest holes, a crypt, and even a skeleton, Charles and Celia (married couple) and Celia's brother Peter and sister Margaret are eager to move in. They refuse to be scared away by the local tales of the ghost Monk reputed to haunt the place, but then they start hearing the unearthly groans, finding skeletons about the place, and even seeing the terrifying apparition for themselves. It's more than a bit creepy.

Unlike several of Heyer's show more other mysteries, this one has a cast of likeable characters. She writes so deftly, you instantly get a sense for each person and how they will relate to one another. Even the aunt, Mrs. Bosanquet, could have been annoying but instead comes across as serenely (and unintentionally) funny. The warm family tone of the story does clue you in a bit early that a suspicious person whom Margaret likes must be a good guy after all, since it's predictable that they'll fall in love. But it's still fun to see it happen.

Footsteps in the Dark isn't set in the season of fall, but it's a perfect ghost story/mystery to curl up with when the nights get chilly. I enjoyed it so much I immediately picked up another Heyer mystery. You can't read just one... show less

From Amazon:

What begins as an adventure soon becomes a nightmare... Locals claim it is haunted and refuse to put a single toe past the front door, but to siblings Peter, Celia, and Margaret, the Priory is nothing more than a rundown estate inherited from their late uncle-and the perfect setting for a much-needed holiday. But when a murder victim is discovered in the drafty Priory halls, the once unconcerned trio begins to fear that the ghostly rumors are true and they are not alone after all! With a killer on the loose, will they find themselves the next victims of a supernatural predator, or will they uncover a far more corporeal culprit?

My Thoughts:

This is a thriller mystery of the first order, complete with secret passageways, priest show more holes, skeletons and a ghostly monk. Clues and red herrings bounce down hidden staircases and moldering crypts as Heyer, at her very best, leads the reader through a labyrinth of mystery and suspense interspersed with a light romance. First written in 1932...it still has the power to enthrall. If you've ever dreamed of an old house in the country, this one has all the aspects of reality without electricity or a phone. A truelove great read. show less

Siblings Peter, Margaret and Celia inherit a country house from an uncle; they, along with Celia’s husband Charles, are intrigued by the huge old place, especially when they learn that the locals believe it houses a ghost known mysteriously as The Monk (the house had once been a priory). Very soon, odd noises and events begin to occur, and some of their neighbours seem to be very odd indeed, especially the mysterious Michael Strange - who seems to know more about the house than anybody should…. I read Georgette Heyer’s Regency novels as a kid, but have only recently come across her mysteries, of which this is the first in a loose series known as the Country House Mystery series, published in 1932. Certainly there is a simple show more enough mystery here (most mystery readers will figure it out within the first few chapters), but the writing is bright and witty, and just a joy to read. I plan to continue picking up these books as I find them (many seem to be available as e-books) and enjoy them for the light stories that they are; mildly recommended. show less