The Red House Mystery
by A. A. Milne
On This Page
Description
The Red House Mystery is a classic "whodunit" set in an English country house. An eclectic cast of characters are gathered in the house when the owner's brother, recently arrived from Australia, is found murdered in a locked room. Two of the house guests take the investigation upon themselves and they wade almost playfully through the abundance of evidence and theories..
Tags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
I picked up 'The Red House Mystery' because I was intrigued by the idea of the author of 'Winnie The Pooh' writing a country house locked room mystery in 1922. The introduction, written four years after the publication of the book, was amusing and witty and augered well for a fun read.
Unfortunately, the book turned out to be too much of a meringue for me: finely crafted on the outside but with nothing of substance to chew on. Neither the situation nor the characters feel real, nor are they meant to. This is less a crime novel and more a tongue-in-cheek thought experiment about how a locked room mystery ought to be solved if a chap was gifted with strong powers of observation, an excellent memory and good reasoning skills. The murder is show more important only in so far as one is needed in order for there to be a locked room mystery to solve. The bright and brittlely droll amateur detective is mostly a plot device and the authorial voice is knowing and lightheaded, continually inviting the reader to acknowledge the whole exercise is a mere bagatelle, designed to amuse rather than challenge.
It's nicely done, in its way but, having reached the halfway mark, I find that I lack the motivation to go any further. The meringue, once bitten into, provides very little nourishment and the taste, however sweet, becomes monotonous.
I can see that this is meant as a light entertainment and is barely a step away from a Live Action Role Playing game but it has lost its appeal, partly through lack of traction and partly because I find the three-men-in-a-boat type of boy-men who are doing the investigating impossible to relate to except negatively. My lip instinctively curls at every bit of good chap banter.
So this goes back to the library with the mystery unsolved (at least by me) but I shan't lose any sleep over that. show less
Who knew the creator of darling Winnie the Pooh would write such a wonderful mystery? This book is wonderfully written with a mystery that has strong characters, a very interesting story line, and a healthy dose of red herrings. A very different tale than what you'd find in The Hundred Acre Wood.
I picked this up as a curiosity, a mystery novel by the author of Winnie-the-Pooh, and it turns out to be stellar puzzle solving. Its structure is wonderfully different to what else I've read. The investigator Anthony almost immediately picks up on irregularities in others' behaviour and unravels secrets at a hare's pace that keeps the story rocketing ahead. No slow build-up through interviewing multiple suspects, no having to guess at the broad outlines of what he is piecing together as he goes along, only the details he hints at that he is still uncertain of. That could sap the novel of some of its suspense, but there is always the thought: what if he is wrong? Will it continue to unfold as he predicts at each step, or will everything show more go unexpectedly sideways? Bill is the Watson-like sidekick (the comparison is made overt) who is caught up in the adventure and frustration of it all, as he struggles to keep up. The reader can play either role. show less
Pleasant, breezy, and short, The Red House Mystery is just the thing for a lazy afternoon or a boring plane trip. It takes place in the idyllic England of the 1920's, the one where the right people were invited up to country estates to amuse themselves and be tended to by a battalion of housemaids and gardeners. A shot is fired and an unfortunate visitor gains a bullet hole in the forehead. A clever young guest sets about solving the mystery. Such jolly fun!
Milne's practiced style is what sets this apart from the run of the Colonel Mustard genre of English mystery. The mystery is not terribly mysterious, the logic hasn't quite got its laces tied, and the dramatis personae are fairly stock characters, yet Milne keeps us amused to the end.
Milne's practiced style is what sets this apart from the run of the Colonel Mustard genre of English mystery. The mystery is not terribly mysterious, the logic hasn't quite got its laces tied, and the dramatis personae are fairly stock characters, yet Milne keeps us amused to the end.
Excellent 'golden age' country house locked-room novel - one would think it a glorious pastiche if it hadn't, in fact, been written in 1922. In his preface, the author seems to regret the eclipse by a certain bear of his crime-writing career. In this, one looks in vain for Milne's distinctive voice; perhaps it would have emerged in future mysteries - or perhaps this single effort will do very nicely, thank you very much.
In the time-honored tradition of the classic British mystery, a house party goes terribly awry when one of the guests is murdered and the host disappears. Mark Ablett, owner of the Red House, enjoys collecting people around him, so the house party includes such diverse characters as his private secretary, a military man, an actress, and several idle young people. The party appears to be going well until Ablett learns that his brother, the black sheep of the family who had been living in Australia, will be visiting the Red House for an unspecified but sinister reason. When Robert is inevitably murdered, Mark is nowhere to be found. Is he the murderer, or did someone else in the house party do the deed? Young man-about-town Antony show more Gillingham just happens to arrive on the scene at a pivotal moment, so he decides to try his skill as an amateur detective; but ultimately he discovers that the solution to the mystery is far more tragic than amusing.
When I came across this book a few years ago, I was delighted to discover that the creator of Winnie the Pooh had written a mystery story! It follows many conventions of the classic Golden Age mystery -- such as being "fair," with all clues presented to the reader as the detective discovers them -- but it turned out to be a bit darker and sadder than I was expecting. Tony discovers the murderer's identity fairly early in the book, so the bulk of the mystery lies in discovering how and why the deed was done. And the thing is, I found the murderer very sympathetic! So I was disappointed that this character turned out to be the guilty party. Also, unlike many mysteries from this period, this book doesn't contain much humor, nor are there any subplots to lighten the mood of suspense and doom. Tony's sidekick provides a few funny moments, but otherwise the tone remains pretty dark. Finally, Tony's character isn't developed very much, which disappointed me; he seemed really interesting, and I would have liked to know more about his backstory. The book is still worth reading if you enjoy Golden Age mysteries, but I have to admit, it wasn't my favorite. show less
When I came across this book a few years ago, I was delighted to discover that the creator of Winnie the Pooh had written a mystery story! It follows many conventions of the classic Golden Age mystery -- such as being "fair," with all clues presented to the reader as the detective discovers them -- but it turned out to be a bit darker and sadder than I was expecting. Tony discovers the murderer's identity fairly early in the book, so the bulk of the mystery lies in discovering how and why the deed was done. And the thing is, I found the murderer very sympathetic! So I was disappointed that this character turned out to be the guilty party. Also, unlike many mysteries from this period, this book doesn't contain much humor, nor are there any subplots to lighten the mood of suspense and doom. Tony's sidekick provides a few funny moments, but otherwise the tone remains pretty dark. Finally, Tony's character isn't developed very much, which disappointed me; he seemed really interesting, and I would have liked to know more about his backstory. The book is still worth reading if you enjoy Golden Age mysteries, but I have to admit, it wasn't my favorite. show less
A. A. Milne? Of Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore fame? Yes, it is!
I am very much enjoying these first days of summer. I get to read whatever I choose! I stayed up late last night and woke early this morning to read this little mystery I found in one of my favorite used bookstores in Hillcrest (San Diego, CA). It had been calling to me for weeks; but alas, final term papers required my attention. At the earliest moment of freedom, I snatched it out of my stacks of unread books and plunged in like Pooh breaking into his crock of honey. (Ok, that was a bit cheesy but I think you would expect some sort of Pooh-ish simile somewhere in here.)
You will enjoy this book if you answer in the affirmative this one question: Do you adore P. G. Wodehouse? show more Seriously, that's it. If you love the humor of Wodehouse with his endless teasing of British upper-crust society you'll eat up every second of this little volume. And, don't skip the introduction wherein Mr. Milne gives you his prerequisites for a good mystery, including:
I've no idea who Mr. Milne was quoting - that is, the author who dared have the detective hold a hand (a stare, an ass cheek...) a moment longer than customary. I did a quotation search and citations led back to Mr. Milne's The Red House Mystery. Thus, we've a mystery within a mystery concerning who insulted Mr. Milne's sensitivities so completely as to be called out in print for their misdeed.
The misdeeds of other mystery writers aside, Mr. Milne's little book is a gem. It's perfect for a light, bright, summer afternoon of reading accompanied by a pitcher of martinis. show less
I am very much enjoying these first days of summer. I get to read whatever I choose! I stayed up late last night and woke early this morning to read this little mystery I found in one of my favorite used bookstores in Hillcrest (San Diego, CA). It had been calling to me for weeks; but alas, final term papers required my attention. At the earliest moment of freedom, I snatched it out of my stacks of unread books and plunged in like Pooh breaking into his crock of honey. (Ok, that was a bit cheesy but I think you would expect some sort of Pooh-ish simile somewhere in here.)
You will enjoy this book if you answer in the affirmative this one question: Do you adore P. G. Wodehouse? show more Seriously, that's it. If you love the humor of Wodehouse with his endless teasing of British upper-crust society you'll eat up every second of this little volume. And, don't skip the introduction wherein Mr. Milne gives you his prerequisites for a good mystery, including:
On the great Love question opinions may be divided, but for myself I will have none of it. A reader, all agog to know whether the white substance on the muffins was arsenic or face-powder, cannot be held up while Roland clasps Angela's hand "a moment longer than the customary usages of society dictate." Much might have happened in that moment, properly spent; footprints made or discovered; cigarette-ends picked up and put in envelopes. By all means let Roland have a book to himself in which to clasp anything he likes, but in a detective story he must attend strictly to business. (p. x)
I've no idea who Mr. Milne was quoting - that is, the author who dared have the detective hold a hand (a stare, an ass cheek...) a moment longer than customary. I did a quotation search and citations led back to Mr. Milne's The Red House Mystery. Thus, we've a mystery within a mystery concerning who insulted Mr. Milne's sensitivities so completely as to be called out in print for their misdeed.
The misdeeds of other mystery writers aside, Mr. Milne's little book is a gem. It's perfect for a light, bright, summer afternoon of reading accompanied by a pitcher of martinis. show less
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
501 Must-Read Books
508 works; 71 members
Crime and Mysteries to Read
746 works; 31 members
British Mystery
469 works; 14 members
Haycraft Queen Cornerstones
181 works; 3 members
Barzun and Taylor's Classics of Crime
93 works; 3 members
Books mentioned in Julian Symons’ Bloody Murder
438 works; 6 members
Books Read in 2017
4,249 works; 130 members
Books with Colourful Titles
171 works; 8 members
In and About the 1920s
181 works; 31 members
A Rainbow of Books: Colors in the Title
570 works; 24 members
Which house?
423 works; 16 members
Best Mysteries With a Historical Setting
292 works; 160 members
Tozai Mystery Best 100 | The Top 100 Mystery Novels
111 works; 3 members
Art Bourgeau's Favorites [Mystery Lovers Companion, 1986]
124 works; 2 members
Author Information
1,415+ Works 85,841 Members
A prolific writer, A. A. Milne published 35 plays, 6 novels, 3 books of verse, 3 collections of short stories, and several works of nonfiction, including sketches for Punch magazine, of which he was the assistant editor. Nevertheless, his fame rests on four books for children: two of whimsical stories about the stuffed animals in his son's bedroom show more (Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner) and two of verse (When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six). All are considered classics and have been included among the Children's Literature Association's Touchstone books as the best in children's literature, on the Lewis Carroll Shelf list, and on the Choice magazine list of books for the academic library. He also wrote Toad of Toad Hall, a play based on Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, and Once upon a Time: A Fairy Tale for Grown-ups, both of which are sometimes included in volumes with the four classic works. Milne had a son, Christopher Robin, who served as the model for the little boy in his children's books. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Distinctions
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Red House Mystery
- Original title
- The Red House Mystery
- Original publication date
- 1922
- People/Characters
- Mark Ablett; Antony Gillingham; Bill Beverley; Matthew Cayley; Major Rumbold; Betty Calladine (show all 8); Ruth Norris; Inspector Birch
- Dedication
- TO JOHN VINE MILNE
My dear father,
Like all really nice people, you have a weakness for detective stories, and feel that there are not enough of them. So, after all that you have done for me, the least that I... (show all) can do for you is write you one. Here it is: with more gratitude and affection than I can well put down here.
A.A.M. - First words
- When I told my agent a few years ago that I was going to write a detective story, he recovered as quickly as could be expected, but made it clear to me (as a succession of editors and publisher made it clear, later, to him) t... (show all)hat what the country wanted from "a well-known 'Punch' humorist" was a "humorous story".
(Introduction)
In the drowsy heat of the summer afternoon the Red House was taking its siesta. - Quotations
- To Antony, who was older and who realized into what deep waters they were getting, it did not seem fun. But it was amazingly interesting. He saw so much, and yet somehow it was all out of focus. It was like looking at an opal... (show all), and discovering with every movement of it some new colour, some new gleam of light reflected, and yet never really seeing the opal as a whole. He was too near it, or too far away; he strained his eyes and he relaxed his eyes; it was no good. His brain could not get hold of it. But there were moments when he almost had it ... and then turned away from it.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I'm just getting into the swing of it.
- Original language
- English UK
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 1,876
- Popularity
- 11,392
- Reviews
- 97
- Rating
- (3.48)
- Languages
- 17 — Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 167
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 69