Murder at Mallowan Hall (A Phyllida Bright Mystery)

A wonderful read that could have been written by Christie herself ,can’t for the next one to be released .

Murder At Mallowan Hall is the first book in the Phyllida Bright Mystery series by Colleen Cambridge. Phyllida Bright is the housekeeper at Mallowan Hall, the home of Agatha Christie and her husband, Max Mallowan. Bright and Christie had known each other during the “Great War” when they worked together with Red Cross. When Christie married Mallowan, she asked Bright to be their housekeeper. Even though Bright had never worked in service, having served during the war, she developed some management skills. The only member of the staff is the butler, Mr. Dobble. He’s not happy with Bright’s light-colored dresses and believes she should wear a cap over her flaming-red hair. The Mallowan’s are having a few guests in for the weekend. As they are about to sit down to supper, there is a knock on the front door. Mr. Dobble announces that there is a Mr. Waring who explains he is a journalist and is there to interview Agatha Christie. Agatha doesn’t remember having an interview scheduled, but she still offers to put Waring up for the evening because of inclement weather. The next morning when Bright enters the library, she finds the body of Waring with a fountain pen sticking out of his neck. Once the local constable and a detective from Scotland Yard arrive and begin their investigation, Bright isn’t confident that they will find the murderer. Bright is a big fan of mysteries, especially her employers. Her favorite character is Hercule Poirot, and she hopes to use some of Poirot’s expertise to help her with her sleuthing. Bright will learn that Waring was not there for an interview. So her attention is drawn to one of the guests as the killer. Bright will enlist the help of the servants to watch for possible clues and let her know right away. Bright knows she needs to speed up her investigation when a maid is found dead in the orchard before anyone else loses their life. This book is an excellent start to a new series. Bright and the entire staff at Mallowan Hall are all believable and quite enjoyable. I would like to see more of Bright’s backstory. The banter between Mr. Bradford, the chauffeur, and Mr. Dobble was fascinating. Agatha Christie plays a minor role in this book, but Bright did provide her with some plots for future books. The book is well-written and plotted. It had enough twists and turn and red herrings that I was kept guessing until the Poirot-style ending who the killer was. I’m anxiously awaiting the next book is new series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Kensington Publishing for this opportunity to review “Murder at Mallowan Hall.” All opinions are my own. The housekeeper of Mallowan Hall (yes, “that” Mrs. Mallowan, popularly known as Agatha Christie) finds a dead body in the library. How terribly inconvenient for someone who doesn’t want the publicity (not that many people do, of course. Our book is set in the 1930s, not the 2020s). Thus begins “Murder at Mallowan Hall” by experienced mystery writer Colleen Cambridge. (An author’s note right at the beginning lets us know that the setting and the characters are entirely fictitious, well, except for Mr. Max and Mrs. Agatha, of course. One hopes that the real Mrs. Mallowan would have approved.) Phyllida Bright is that housekeeper, and she establishes herself as the one who is going to investigate the murder, as she doesn’t trust the police to do the job. She’s also established as a fully realized character, along with everyone else in the house, although there’s nothing new there with the snobby butler or curmudgeon of a cook. That’s fine; this is one of those books that will get you to where you need to go without a whole lot of fuss. Just like a well-run house, actually. Although murder -- actually, two murders eventually, in this case – doesn’t usually figure in the equation. The murder investigation is under control throughout; she gets the regulation “stop interfering” speech from the police inspector, but when did that stop anybody? Phyllida has everything in check. One of her inspirations is her favorite fictional detective Hercule Poirot, after all. Clues pop up, including some incriminating photographs. She gets some help from the family chauffeur; looks like he’s definitely going to figure in future books. Every amateur detective needs a sidekick, don’t they? A side note -- what I really enjoyed was what you learn about the duties of a housekeeper in a big house. I found that almost as compelling to read as the murder mystery. And since this book runs along the lines of a “golden age” mystery, we’re rewarded with the “drawing room scene,” in this case that library, where everyone gathers to listen as Phyllida expose a murderer. Just like in her employer’s books. And best of all, she gets the greatest of compliments from Poirot’s creator – a job well done. Throw in a good plot and fully realized characters, “Murder at Mallowan Hall” is a great start to a new series.