I can't resist a golden age country house murder, I'm not sure if it's nostalgia precisely (I never lived in a country house before the war) but there's something irresistible about the mix of snobbery, upstairs downstairs tension, teatime and cocktail rituals, the claustrophobia of the setting, and the clipped dialogue.
In 'Thirteen Guests' John Foss has had a bad day, in a bit of a daze he buys a train ticket to an unknown destination (he simply asks for the same station as the person in front of him at the ticket office). Disaster strikes when he has a bad fall getting off the train, a fellow passenger (a very glamorous fellow passenger) takes pity on him, packs him up, and takes him to the house party she's on her way to join.
John makes 13 guests in all which gives him a momentarily superstitious shiver, which in turn is exacerbated by a house full of incompatible guests and disturbing emotional undercurrents. Bad things soon start to happen; a painting is damaged, a dog killed, and then murder committed. John, stuck in an anti room is on the edge of the action, but also in a position to hear, and sometimes see, more than might be expected.
'Thirteen Guests' also does something else I find irresistible in a murder mystery, but as it's the final twist I won't reveal more.
Farejeon is a delightful writer, his plot holds up - though plot isn't entirely the point of a book like this, not for me anyway, the background colour is delectable - much more to the point. But best of all he has a way of veering off for a moment with a bit of humour or a general observation that's delicious. If I quoted an example it probably wouldn't look like much, but reading the book they are things that make me stop, smile, and generally feel pleased with the world for allowing me to be comfortable and so well entertained for the moment.
I say this every time, but the British Library crime classics series is excellent. It's a really well chosen collection (I can't bring myself to say curated, though in this context it might almost be appropriate) doing a really interesting job of opening up the genre and bringing some very good books back into print.
I like the same settings you do, and this novel sounds fabulous.
ReplyDeleteGood old fashioned fun, and with enough humour or X factor of some sort to make me happily read it again!
DeleteWe are getting these in a very piece-meal fashion here in the US. Quick Curtain won't be available til next year, the last I heard! And that's the one I particularly want to read. But this one has been released, perhaps because Mystery in White did so well, so I'll add it to my list.
ReplyDeleteHow frustrating! Quick curtain was great fun and will be worth the wait. Meanwhile if you liked Mystery in White' you will enjoy this this one too (i think) so at least it's not all bad news. There seems to be such a vogue for these reprints too that there will surely be lots to choose from if you're in the mood for a bit of nostalgia, my Amazon recommends list is full of nothing but at the moment.
DeleteWe're enjoying this series in our house and I'm thrilled that my library has them trickling in as well! Thirteen Guests was a hit with my husband but I haven't read it yet...Mystery in White was one of those perfect reads for last Christmas though.
ReplyDeleteThirteen Guests has an autumn setting which made it appropriately seasonal, but the combination of traditional country house murder and Farjeon's particular touch just make it a golden age gem. One to keep aside for when you want a certain amount of comfort reading!
ReplyDeleteI have this tbr & hope to get to it soon. I seem to be collecting the BLCC series but haven't read very many of them yet. What I've read, I've enjoyed so thanks for the review of this one. I enjoyed Mystery in White very much.
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