Murder by Candlelight

 
This is a cozy murder mystery with all the classic ingredients of the genre, a la Agatha Christie. Set in 1924 in the cutesy Oxfordshire village of Maybury-in-the-Marsh, its two principal protagonists have slightly pretentious names, i.e. Arbuthnot ("Arbie") Lancelot Swift is an author of some note, having recently written "The Gentleman's Guide to Ghost Hunting" and his female off-sider is Valentina (Val) Olivia Charlotte Coulton-Jones, the vicar's daughter. 

Miss Amy Phelps is a wealthy - and not particularly liked - resident who has been on the receiving end of some decidedly ghostly happenings. Assuming Arbie to be the expert on such, she hires him to solve the problem. Before he can do so, the unfortunate lady is found deceased in a locked room, poisoned by cyanide and having just changed her Will. Two of her immediate relatives are the main suspects, but there are others who may also have ulterior secretive motives. The police are called in, but Arbie and Val proceed with their own investigation.

This is a fun read, well-paced with much snappy dialogue and lively characters. Arbie's a bit of fumbling upper-class twit at times but is smarter than he appears. (He reminded me of Jack Farthing's brilliant performance as Freddie Threepwood in the TV series "Blandings".) Val as the ever-so-keen outspoken sidekick who is secretly besotted with Arbie is also charming. The resolution is cleverly constructed, with the usual red herrings thrown in.

An enjoyable first outing in a new series of whodunnits by Faith Martin. I look forward to reading more.

(PS  A tip for readers - a couple of clues are hidden in plain sight on the front cover - both UK and American versions!)

Four stars

amazon.com

amazon.co.uk

Dymocks Australia

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