The Choice

This is a "locked room" mystery of a different type, and having been written in 1931, one of the 'old school' style. In an isolated house, a woman is found dead in her bedroom; her throat has been cut, but no murder weapon is evident. Downstairs at the time, her husband and his two guests present unshakeable alibis for one another; and of the four occupants of adjoining bedrooms, none (her sister, her son, her housekeeper, and a female friend) seem remotely plausible as murderers. To add to the mystery, in ensuing weeks, two of the occupants die in mysterious accidents that look like murder, and a third has several apparent attempts on her life. Detective Anthony Gethryn races to solve the mystery before more deaths ensue.

Author Philip show more MacDonald plays by the unwritten rules of mystery writing, holding nothing back from the reader. The plot twists and turns, and the investigator scrambles to unlock the puzzle. The solution is unexpected and worth waiting for. The author's style and local slang take a bit of getting used to, but tend to grow on the reader. My version of this novel is bound with two others in a compilation Triple Jeopardy), and I have been sufficiently entertained to try the others. show less