#Mavis Doriel Hay

[azazel-dreams]

The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay (British Library Crime Classics)

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[frimleyblogger]

The Santa Klaus Murder

A review of The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay Continuing the theme of Christmas-based murder mysteries, Doriel Hay’s The Santa Klaus Murder, originally published in 1936 and reissued as part of the British Library Crime Classics series, is an interesting example of a fair play murder. The text is littered with clues that enable the reader to get a good idea of the identity of the…

[verityreadsbooks]

Recommendsday: Classic Christmas mysteries

Anyway, some Christmas murder mysteries for you today – and did I say I was done with British Library Crime Classics for the year? Ahem. Here I am with a post that’s two thirds BLCC. And that’s if you’re being charitable. It’s probably more like three quarters. Oopsie Daisy. Santa Klaus Murders by Mavis Doriel Hay Starting with one I read a while ago – in fact I’ve read Mavis Doriel Hay’s other…

[myrna-nora]

2023: Books

January 1. The Wall (1938) Mary Roberts Rinehart + 2. Fallen Into the Pit (1951) Ellis Peters ** 3. Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman (2022) Lucy Worsley 4. Death on the Cherwell (1935) Mavis Doriel Hay # 5. A Death in Tokyo (麒麟の翼) (2011) Keigo Higashino 6. The Twyford Code (2022) Janice Hallett 7. Checkmate to Murder (1944) E.C.R. Lorac #

February 8. The Poisoned Chocolates Case (1929) Anthony Berkeley + # 9. Death and the Joyful Woman (1961) Ellis Peters ** 10. Bodies from the Library, 2 (2019) Tony Medawar (Editor) 11. Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (2023) Elle Cosimano ^ 12. Flight of a Witch (1964) Ellis Peters ** 13. Murder in the Basement (1932) Anthony Berkeley # March 14. Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris (1958) Paul Gallico 15. A Nice Derangement of Epitaphs (1965) Ellis Peters ** 16. These Names Make Clues (1937) E.C.R. Lorac # 17. House of Many Ways (2008) Diana Wynne Jones ^ 18. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (2023) Jesse Q. Sutanto 19. The Decagon House Murders (十角館の殺人) (1987) Yukito Ayatsuji + 20. Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World (2020) Mark Aldridge + 21. Death of Jezebel (1948) Christianna Brand # 22. The Spite House (2023) Johnny Compton 23. The Cask (1920) Freeman Wills Crofts April 24. The Piper on the Mountain (1966) Ellis Peters ** 25. Crossed Skis (1952) Carol Carnac # 26. The Wintringham Mystery (1927) Anthony Berkeley 27. Wrong Place Wrong Time (2022) Gillian McAllister 28. Smallbone Deceased (1950) Michael Gilbert # 29. Heads You Lose (1941) Christianna Brand May 30. Black is the Colour of my True Love's Heart (1967) Ellis Peters ** 31. Murder of a Lady (1931) Anthony Wynne # 32. The Lake District Murder (1935) John Bude # 33. The Mill House Murders (水車館の殺人) (1988) Yukito Ayatsuji 34. Green for Danger (1944) Christianna Brand * # 35. The Case of the Howling Dog (1934) Erle Stanley Gardner June 36. Identity (2023) Nora Roberts 37. A Will To Kill (2019) R.V. Raman 38. The Grass-Widow's Tale (1968) Ellis Peters ** 39. The Enigma of Garlic (2022) Alexander McCall Smith ^ 40. Miss Pym Disposes (1946) Josephine Tey 41. The Seat of the Scornful (1941) John Dickson Carr # 42. Fell Murder (1944) E.C.R. Lorac # 43. The House of Green Turf (1969) Ellis Peters ** July 44. The Westing Game (1978) Ellen Raskin * 45. The Case of the Gilded Fly (1944) Edmund Crispin 46. Mourning Raga (1969) Ellis Peters ** 47. Grave Intentions (A Dire Isle) (2022) R.V. Raman 48. Weekend at Thrackley (1934) Alan Melville # 49. The Singing Sands (1952) Josephine Tey ^ 50. The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books (2017) Martin Edwards + 51. The Only One Left (2023) Riley Sager 52. Death of an Airman (1934) Christopher St. John Sprigg # 53. The Knocker on Death's Door (1970) Ellis Peters ** August 54. A Disappearance in Fiji (2023) Nilima Rao 55. The Mistress of Bhatia House (2023) Sujata Massey ^ 56. Tour de Force (1955) Christianna Brand ^ 57. The Colour of Murder (1957) Julian Symons # 58. Post After Post-Mortem (1936) E.C.R. Lorac # 59. Death to the Landlords (1972) Ellis Peters ** 60. Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (1997) Patricia H. Rushford * 61. The Plague and I (1948) Betty MacDonald ^ September 62. City of Gold and Shadows (1973) Ellis Peters ** 63. Red Sky in Mourning (1997) Patricia H. Rushford 64. Twice Round the Clock (1935) Billie Houston # 65. Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone (2023) Benjamin Stevenson 66. Please Don't Push Up the Daisies (2023) Diane Vallere ^ 67. Laughing Gas (1936) P.G. Wodehouse 68. The Black Spectacles (1939) John Dickson Carr # 69. The Last Devil to Die (2023) Richard Osman ^ 70. Rainbow's End (1978) Ellis Peters ** October 71. Thirteen Guests (1936) J. Jefferson Farjeon # 72. Ghosts From the Library (2022) Tony Medawar (Editor) 73. Black Rainbow (1982) Barbara Michaels ^ 74. The Stranger Diaries (2018) Elly Griffiths 75. Where Are the Children? (1975) Mary Higgins Clark + 76. It Walks by Night (1930) John Dickson Carr # 77. Jane-Emily (1969) Patricia Clapp 78. The Woman in Black (1983) Susan Hill 79. Midnight Bayou (2001) Nora Roberts November 80. The Progress of a Crime (1960) Julian Symons # 81. Just Another Missing Person (2023) Gillian McAllister 82. The Running Grave (2023) Robert Galbraith ^ 83. Murder by Matchlight (1945) E.C.R. Lorac # December 84. The Santa Klaus Murder (1936) Mavis Doriel Hay # 85. The Christmas Guest (2023) Peter Swanson 86. The Busy Body (2024) Kemper Donovan + 87. Murder After Christmas (1944) Rupert Latimer # 88. The Twelve Days of Murder (2023) Andreina Cordani 89. Trojan Gold (1987) Elizabeth Peters + read what I already own challenge ^ finished or caught-up in series * re-reads ** re-read series challenge (Felse Investigations) # British Library Crime Classics

[itssharonstephens]

Murder Underground by Mavis Doriel Hay ( British Library Crime Classics #2 )

Murder Underground by Mavis Doriel Hay ( British Library Crime Classics #2 )

Miss . Euphemia Pongleton , a penny – pinching unpleasant spinster is found strangled to death with her terrier ‘ s leash on the stairs of the Belsize Underground station on her way to her dental appointment . Her fellow residents of the boarding house ( somewhat grand – soundingly named Frampton Private Hotel ) , who are dubbed as Frumps seem to have several theories as to the identity of Miss…

[my-52-weeks-with-christie]

Golden Age Gals: Mavis Doriel Hay

Books:

Mysteries non-series:

Murder Underground (1934-ish) Death On The Cherwell (1935) The Santa Klaus Murder (1936)

Non-Fiction: Published under her married name Mavis FitzRandolph

30 Crafts (1950) Traditional Quilting: Its Story and Practice (1953)

Co-Written with Helen Elizabeth FitzRandolph:

Rural Industries of England and Wales (1929)

Co-Written with F.M. Fletcher:

Quilting: Traditional methods and design (1972)

Editor:

Landsman Hay: The Memoirs of Robert Hay, 1789-1847 (1954)

[writingdotcoffee]

#62: Reading a Short Story Every Day

Welcome to another Writing Update—a weekly journal where I document the ups and downs of my writing life. Some are rolling their eyes. Some are freaking out, getting ready for a hell of a ride. NaNoWriMo is just a couple of days away, and if you’re going to participate, I salute you. It’s not about finishing or beating everybody else. It’s about beating the past you and challenging yourself creatively.

I won’t be joining because I write a lot all year around, and I’m just about to finish the second draft of my novel. But I still want to challenge myself to try something different. So in November, I’ll be reading at least one short story every day.

I’ve been considering this for a while because there are so many free short stories available on the internet. This includes well-known sites like Tor.com, Strange Horizons, The New Yorker, Tinhouse or Project Gutenberg for public domain classics and many, many more. There are gems to be found on Wattpad and Tumblr as well. Just that something is available for free online doesn’t make it less valuable.

Short stories are perfect for learning about new genres and discovering new authors without having to commit to reading an entire book. You can read one easily in one sitting, maybe on your way to work.

I’ll be posting the stories I read throughout the month if you’d like to join me in this little challenge!

In other news, I edited two chapters and drafted two short stories last week. If you read my previous weeks update, I’m working on shifting my attitude towards first drafts a little bit, and it is paying off. Those drafts are far from perfect, but I saw them through. And I will pick them up again when I have more time to edit and publish them. Stay tuned for that!

There are at least a couple of short that I’d love to write, but at this rate, I might need to tone it down a little. I have a book to finish after all…

What I am reading

I’m almost done with Milkman by Anna Burns. I don’t usually read literary fiction, so this was a nice detour into that world and an interesting perspective of The Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Next, I’ll be reading Murder Underground by Mavis Doriel Hay from the British Library Classic Crime series. Again, not something I’d typically read. But you never know, I might become a die-hard mystery fan!

Past Editions

#61: Letting go, October 2018

#60: The nonlinearities of writing, October 2018

#59: The Numbers Game, October 2018

#58: Constraints, September 2018

#57: Taking a step back, September 2018

[booksforyears]

“Everyone knows that when two young people who are in love for the first time begin saying ‘Do you remember?’ And recalling their feelings on this and that marvelous occasion, their conversation becomes utterly idiotic to any third person.” -Mavis Doriel Hay in the 1934 @britishlibrary Crime Classic MURDER UNDERGROUND 📚✒️ PEN: Pilot Stargazer F nib. INK: Namiki Black. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq25s5VHIVc/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=erijvs3qurtt

[papergy]

Classic Christmas Books To Get You Feeling Festive

With the weeks flying past, it won’t be long until December rolls around and it’s time to put up your tree and decorations. If you need a bit of help to get in the festive frame of mind, these books will give you a hand.

A Child’s Christmas in Wales - Dylan Thomas

There’s something special about childhood Christmases that no adult occasion can compare to. Written in the beautiful prose he’s known for, Dylan Thomas captures the magic of a childhood Christmas that grows more nostalgic with every year that passes.

The Santa Klaus Murder - Mavis Doriel Hay

If you’re a bit of a Grinch, or you simply can’t do without your fix of murder mysteries even at Christmas, this novel will hit the mark. With the dead body dressed as Santa there’s no shortage of potential culprits who fall under suspicion, but will the killer be found? Originally published in 1936, this book has been reprinted due to the popularity of this country-house mystery, festive-style.

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

It would be impossible to list Christmas-themed books without picking out the most famous of them all - A Christmas Carol. Heartwarming and moving, we don’t need to explain the plot; after reading this, there’s no question that you will end up feeling all fuzzy inside.

To immerse yourself in more classic tales and stories you can’t put down, check out www.papergy.com. A great online collection of top titles and fascinating books, you’ll have a diverse library at your fingertips.

[cliffsideparklibrary]

First Sentence Friday

“A sloping roof of cold, corrugated iron, above the sliding, brownish waters of the river Cherwell and beneath the stark boughs of a willow, might not appeal to a sane adult human being as an ideal resort at four o’clock on a gloomy January afternoon.” ~ Death on the Cherwell by Mavis Doriel Hay

[frimleyblogger]

Death On The Cherwell

Death On The Cherwell - a Varsity #CrimeFiction mystery from Mavis Doriel Hay, reissued by @BL_Publications #amreading

A review of Death on the Cherwell by Mavis Doriel Hay Death is to Oxford as espionage is to Cambridge. The detective fiction writers’ fixation with Oxford and its environs as murder capital central is well established, but one of the earliest to make the association is this rather curious novel, written by Mavis Doriel Hay, originally published in 1935 and now reissued as part of the excellent…

[ishouldreadthat]

July has come to a close and what a month it has been!  I’ve been incredibly busy in my work, personal, and bookish lives.  From my holiday to Edinburgh to the absolute insanity of YALC, there has been so much going on and not nearly enough time to read!  Regardless, July has been an amazing month for books, so let’s take a look.

  Books I read

A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab

Flight of a Starling by List Heathfield (DNF) (review)

The Cardinal’s Man by M. G. Sinclair (review)

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (review)

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed (review)

A Conjuring of Light by V. E. Schwab

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren E. James

I managed to read eight books this month and DNFed only one, so I’m right in line with my goal.  It was a really great month for reading in general, despite how busy I was, so I’m very pleased!  I’m going to review A Gathering of Shadows and A Conjuring of Light together because at this point I can’t separate them in my brain.  The best book I read this month was definitely The Loneliest Girl in the Universe.  An early sales copy from YALC, I am so thrilled I got to read this marvellous little book.  It is beautiful and wholly unexpected.  I highly recommend it!  A review is coming soon.

However, I only finished three ARC’s this month — The Cardinal’s Man, How to Stop Time, and Gather the Daughters, which is not great.  Only one of those is a NetGalley ARC too, which means my review percentage is plummeting.  I really need to hop back on the ball when it comes to digital ARC’s.  I have plenty of them waiting for me and I keep requesting more, it might be time to do a big push on my digital ARC’s.  However, The Cardinal’s Man was my very first blog tour post, which is very exciting!

As you can probably tell, I am a little behind on reviews.  I usually post them on Monday and Wednesday, but I’m thinking of throwing Saturday into the mix too.  That means I’ll be posting every single day of the week, which is great and stressful at the same time.

  Books I am currently reading

Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill

I put off Sea of Rust in the lead-up to YALC so I could finish A Conjuring of Light (which is now signed!).  I’m really looking forward to diving back into this book.  I’m only about 10% in so far, but it is so compelling and fascinating.  I’m debating what to pick up next because I finished The Loneliest Girl last night and haven’t picked up anything new yet.

  Books I bought

Non-YALC

A Conjuring of Light by V. E. Schwab

Laura by Vera Caspary

Death on the Cherwell by Mavis Doriel Hay

My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood

I picked up most of these on holiday in Edinburgh — or in the airport on the way there — and I have to say that I’m pleased to have actually read a couple of them!  If you don’t take YALC into account, I was quite responsible with book buying this month.  I’m very pleased with myself.

To be perfectly frank, I bought so many books at YALC that I don’t think I can actually include them here.  I’ll be doing a proper round-post for those, so stay tuned.  There will be photos.  There will be books.  There will be books and cats in photos together.  I’m excited to sort through everything I got.

  Book post

Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed

The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams

The Farewell Tour of a Terminal Optimist by John Young

The Vorrh by Brian Catling

All my Bookbridgr requests seem to have come through at once this month!  All of these except The Farewell Tour came from that site.  I am particularly excited to read The Vorrh because it sounds so delightfully weird and complicated, but it looks like a difficult book for that exact reason.  I feel like it’s going to be one of those books that I’ll either love or hate.

  Overall, it has been a pretty good month.  I’ve done well for physical books, but need to make a push on ARC’s.  I’ve also got this HUGE YALC book haul to sort through and prioritise.  I’ll come up with an August reading strategy and figure out what I’ll be reading next!

The YALC haul, which I had to travel home with.

What have you read this month?  Have you read anything featured here?  Are any on your TBR?  Do you have a monthly round up?  Let me know in the comments, I’d love to take a look!

A busy month of reading ALL the things: July Reading Round-up #bookblogger July has come to a close and what a month it has been!  I’ve been incredibly busy in my work, personal, and bookish lives. 

[myrna-nora]

2022: Books

January 1. Silent Parade (沈黙のパレード) (2018) Keigo Higashino 2. A Nun in the Closet (1975) Dorothy Gilman 3. The Maid (2022) Nita Prose 4. Rock Paper Scissors (2021) Alice Feeney 5. It's in His Kiss (2005) Julia Quinn February 6. The Chuckling Fingers (1941) Mabel Seeley 7. Untimely Death (He Should Have Died Hereafter) (1958) Cyril Hare+  8. No Exit (2019) Taylor Adams 9. Apprehend Me No Flowers (2020) Diane Vallere 10. Rules of Murder (2013) Julianna Deering + 11. The Lady's Mine (2022) Francine Rivers 12. Bats in the Belfry (1937) E.C.R. Lorac March 13. The Four Graces (1946) D.E. Stevenson 14. The Kill of it All (2022) Diane Vallere  15. The Spy Who Loved Me (1962) Ian Fleming 16. The Paris Apartment (2022) Lucy Foley 17. Nine Lives (2022) Peter Swanson April 18. The Nutmeg Tree (1937) Margery Sharp 19. A Time of Love and Tartan (2017) Alexander McCall Smith 20. Four Aunties and a Wedding (2022) Jesse Q. Sutanto ^ 21. Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled (2000) Dorothy Gilman ^ May 22. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It (2021) Elle Cosimano 23. All Creatures Great and Small (1970/1972) James Herriot 24. On the Way to the Wedding (2006) Julia Quinn ^ June 25. The Resting Place (Arvtagaren) (2020) Camilla Sten 26. Confessions (告白) (2008) Kanae Minato 27. Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead (2022) Elle Cosimano ^ 28. The Woman in the Library (2022) Sulari Gentill  29. Under Lock & Skeleton Key (2022) Gigi Pandian  30. Under Currents (2019) Nora Roberts 31. The House Across the Lake (2022) Riley Sager July 32. Miss Butterworth & the Mad Baron (2022) Julia Quinn, Violet Charles 33. Rose Cottage (1997) Mary Stewart * 34. Death in the Stocks (1935) Georgette Heyer + 35. The Swimming Pool (1952) Mary Roberts Rinehart + 36. Octopussy & the Living Daylights (1966) Ian Fleming ^ 37. The Science of Murder (Murder Isn't Easy: The Forensics of Agatha Christie) (2021) Carla Valentine August 38. The Peppermint Tea Chronicles (2019) Alexander McCall Smith 39. Spiders From Mars (2020) Diane Vallere ^ 40. Nightwork (2022) Nora Roberts 41. Parker Pyne Investigates (1934) Agatha Christie * 42. Murder Underground (1934) Mavis Doriel Hay 43. A Promise of Ankles (2020) Alexander McCall Smith 44. Till Death Do Us Part (1944) John Dickson Carr September 45. The It Girl (2022) Ruth Ware  46. A Flicker in the Dark (2022) Stacy Willingham 47. Solace Island (2017) Meg Tilly 48. Love in the Time of Bertie (2021) Alexander McCall Smith ^ 49. The Ink Black Heart (2022) Robert Galbraith ^ October 50. The Midwich Cuckoos (1957) John Wyndham 51. The Bullet That Missed (2022) Richard Osman ^ 52. A Song of Comfortable Chairs (2022) Alexander McCall Smith ^ November 53. Love Me or Grieve Me (2022) Diane Vallere ^ 54. The Couple at the Table (2022) Sophie Hannah  55. The Twist of a Knife (2022) Anthony Horowitz ^ 56. Kurashi at Home (2022) Marie Kondō December 57. Mystery in White (1937) J. Jefferson Farjeon 58. Murder for Christmas (1949) Francis Duncan 59. The Christmas Card Crime & Other Stories (2018) Martin Edwards (Editor) + read what I already own challenge ^ finished or caught-up in series * re-reads

[oneweekobsession]

books in 2016

ok so while i can still remember:

um well i pretty much stopped reading for fun in about march because i had no time but before that...i started with a massive maureen duffy thing, i think; i can't remember if i read that's how it was this year or last, but which ever, it's very good as a tropey lesbian bildungsroman; i probably reread microcosm, which is my all time most astounding novel; i read wounds, i think, but i can't find it anywhere in my flat so i might not have done. i think it was that that stopped me reading; i needed a break from the intensity of her writing, and then i kind of didn't start again. but then i did read her affinity, which is the biggest crock of shit ever, and it's astounding, because her early stuff is so powerful and interesting (and always flawed, somehow, but still interesting) and affinity is literally the worst thing ever.

ok, what else. (ah, i've just found the recently(ish) read pile, i can whip through this, and yes, i did read wounds). chinelo okparanta's under the udala tree, tropey bildungsroman but the twist is it's set in nigeria. carson mccullers' the ballad of the sad cafe. isabel miller's the love of good women (i got way confused with this because i couldn't work out who the novel wanted me to ship) and side by side (pretty sweet multi-generational lesbians and a happy ending i think?). a bunch of novelisations of tenko, women beyond the wire which is the history of the women who were in the prison camps. remembering tenko, which is the companion book to the series, and which is pretty impressively thorough. josephine tey's to love and be wise is on the pile, but i think this must be a re-read. kate o'brien's as music and splendor, which is about opera in the late 19thc? and has a lesbian character but i think i remember pissed me off a bit because so much was figured from a male perspective but was still pretty impressive for having been written in the 50s.

somehow, also philip pullman's once upon a time in the north.

ali smith's autumn, which like how to be both has a queerish daughter of a queerish mother, and has an odd fascination with forgotten female artists. there's some interesting stuff about the uk as developing dystopia, and the main character's mother comes up with an excellent but futile plan to push back, and as with all ali smith novels you get to the end and go 'right i better read that all again so i might understand it next time' but really i feel like i'm reserving judgement a bit until the next three books in the series come out because i'm not entirely sure what it was doing.

staying on the smiths, i continued to fail to get through any more zadie smith. i got about 40 pages into on beauty and i just hate them all so i can't.

what else. for christmas i got a good haul (me: dad, how many books will you buy me for christmas? dad: er, six? me: do you actually mean that? dad: er, um, yeah?) including autumn. and also for some christmas fluff and i'm always down for some murder in oxford, mavis doriel hay's death on the cherwell. (still on the to read pile: a couple of winifred holtby novels because i think she's my favourite ever author but i still haven't read everything she's done because i don't want to read it all (?no i know it doesn't make sense); emma donoghue's the wonder which looks a bit traumatic tbh; and walter greenwood's love on the dole just because.)

[itssharonstephens]

Review : The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay ( British Library Crime Classics #1 )

Review : The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay ( British Library Crime Classics #1 )

Sir Osmond Melbury is having a family gathering for Christmas at his country mansion Flaxmere but his sister is of the view that nothing good could ever come of the Melbury family gatherings . For a change , Sir Osmond has planned to liven up the Christmas festivities by having one of the guests dress up as Santa Claus and distribute the presents to his grand – children and the servants . Sir…

[my-52-weeks-with-christie]

Golden Age Gals: Mavis Doriel Hay

Murder Underground Review:

This book is an interesting one. The book begins with a very staccato sort of pace - with a good deal of confusion as each member of the story learns of the death of Miss Pongleton on the steps of the tube station. I became annoyed as I read because after their initial congregation to discuss the ghastly demise of a universally disliked old spinster, each member of the Frampton boarding house (where the old lady lived and each sleuth has some connection to) blundered about on their own parallel - yet not intersecting investigations.

There was no one person in the story who knew the whole, no singular sleuth with whom the information flowed the in order to facilitate the solving of the crime. Each member of the Frampton had their own thread to pull on to try and untangle the whole mess and didn’t really discuss their knot with another. The only investigators you don’t read about at any length is the police. So I continued to slog my way thru the book, which while I found annoying, the mystery did have me interested, until it dawned on me.

(near the scene of the crime) (source of the image here)

The person with whom all the information flowed thru was the reader! Me! This book is the ultimate in fair play. You are the sleuth (though the fourth wall in the book isn’t broken - that would have been really weird, but anyways) sifting through statements, evidence and alibis to figure out who did it. Nothing is hidden from the reader until the last chapter, which I suspect the author did in order to give her characters their big reveal in front of the fire with everyone gathered together again in the sitting room.

I don’t think I have ever read anything written quite like this and by the end I was really invested in discovering who did it! My early annoyance evaporated completely. Which is why I am giving you a heads up about Hay’s style here - to perhaps mitigate any frustration you might feel when reading this mystery. Plus if you are a fan of golden age mysteries Murder Underground incorporates a number of staples of the style - set in England, with a universally disliked victim, off stage violence, a smallish closed cast of characters/suspects and a traditional sitting room which bookended the mystery.

Plus the people which populated the narrative make this book worth checking out. In fact it has one of my new favorite characters in it - Mr. Blend who like a nice “tidy” murder...But you have to read the book to fully appreciate him - but it is more than worth it.

Overall I think this book is worth the time it takes to read it. Just keep in mind that you are the detective and you’ll be fine!

My 52 Weeks With Christie: A.Miner©2017