Genre Fiction
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Murder at Mallowan Hall (A Phyllida Bright Mystery)
The first in an exciting new historical mystery series set in the home of Agatha Christie!
Colleen Cambridge's charming and inventive new historical series introduces an unforgettable heroine in Phyllida Bright, fictional housekeeper for none other than famed mystery novelist Agatha Christie. When a dead body is found during a house party at the home of Agatha Christie and her husband Max Mallowan, it's up to famous author's head of household, Phyllida Bright, to investigate...
Tucked away among Devon's rolling green hills, Mallowan Hall combines the best of English tradition with the modern conveniences of 1930. Housekeeper Phyllida Bright, as efficient as she is personable, manages the large household with an iron fist in her very elegant glove. In one respect, however, Mallowan Hall stands far apart from other picturesque country houses...
The manor is home to archaeologist Max Mallowan and his famous wife, Agatha Christie. Phyllida is both loyal to and protective of the crime writer, who is as much friend as employer. An aficionado of detective fiction, Phyllida has yet to find a gentleman in real life half as fascinating as Mrs. Agatha's Belgian hero, Hercule Poirot. But though accustomed to murder and its methods as frequent topics of conversation, Phyllida is unprepared for the sight of a very real, very dead body on the library floor...
A former Army nurse, Phyllida reacts with practical common sense--and a great deal of curiosity. It soon becomes clear that the victim arrived at Mallowan Hall under false pretenses during a weekend party. Now, Phyllida not only has a houseful of demanding guests on her hands--along with a distracted, anxious staff--but hordes of reporters camping outside. When another dead body is discovered--this time, one of her housemaids--Phyllida decides to follow in M. Poirot's footsteps to determine which of the Mallowans' guests is the killer. With help from the village's handsome physician, Dr. Bhatt, Mr. Dobble, the butler, along with other household staff, Phyllida assembles the clues. Yet, she is all too aware that the killer must still be close at hand and poised to strike again. And only Phyllida's wits will prevent her own story from coming to an abrupt end...
Colleen Cambridge's charming and inventive new historical series introduces an unforgettable heroine in Phyllida Bright, fictional housekeeper for none other than famed mystery novelist Agatha Christie. When a dead body is found during a house party at the home of Agatha Christie and her husband Max Mallowan, it's up to famous author's head of household, Phyllida Bright, to investigate...
Tucked away among Devon's rolling green hills, Mallowan Hall combines the best of English tradition with the modern conveniences of 1930. Housekeeper Phyllida Bright, as efficient as she is personable, manages the large household with an iron fist in her very elegant glove. In one respect, however, Mallowan Hall stands far apart from other picturesque country houses...
The manor is home to archaeologist Max Mallowan and his famous wife, Agatha Christie. Phyllida is both loyal to and protective of the crime writer, who is as much friend as employer. An aficionado of detective fiction, Phyllida has yet to find a gentleman in real life half as fascinating as Mrs. Agatha's Belgian hero, Hercule Poirot. But though accustomed to murder and its methods as frequent topics of conversation, Phyllida is unprepared for the sight of a very real, very dead body on the library floor...
A former Army nurse, Phyllida reacts with practical common sense--and a great deal of curiosity. It soon becomes clear that the victim arrived at Mallowan Hall under false pretenses during a weekend party. Now, Phyllida not only has a houseful of demanding guests on her hands--along with a distracted, anxious staff--but hordes of reporters camping outside. When another dead body is discovered--this time, one of her housemaids--Phyllida decides to follow in M. Poirot's footsteps to determine which of the Mallowans' guests is the killer. With help from the village's handsome physician, Dr. Bhatt, Mr. Dobble, the butler, along with other household staff, Phyllida assembles the clues. Yet, she is all too aware that the killer must still be close at hand and poised to strike again. And only Phyllida's wits will prevent her own story from coming to an abrupt end...
Editorial Reviews
Praise for Colleen Cambridge
"Cambridge pens a thoroughly intriguing mystery, told in a unique manner from the perspective of the staff belowstairs rather than the upper class above, in this splendid first installment in a new series. Her heroine, Phyllida Bright, is the confident, shrewd, and eminently capable housekeeper for none other than the grand dame of mystery herself-Agatha Christie-and a great admirer of Christie's fictional detective Poirot, whose methods she seeks to emulate. Fans of Tessa Arlen and Jennifer Ashley will be delighted."
-Anna Lee Huber, bestselling author of the Verity Kent Mysteries
"Marple and Poirot have nothing on Agatha Christie's housekeeper, Phyllida Bright. Details and diligence being the tools of her trade, Phyllida puts them to good use whether she's arranging a country house party for her employers, or determining which of the guests is a crazed killer. You'll love this new Christie-inspired series!"
-Alyssa Maxwell, author of A Lady & Lady's Maid Mysteries and The Gilded Newport Mysteries
"What if Agatha Christie's housekeeper was the best detective of all? In this delightful book, she is! You will love watching Phyllida spot the clues the authorities miss when a dead body shows up in Agatha's library. An outstanding start to what promises to be a winning new series." -Victoria Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of Murder on Wall Street
"Agatha Christie's indomitable and mysterious housekeeper Phyllida Bright takes on a killer in this exciting new series from Colleen Cambridge. Fans of historical mysteries-and Christie herself-will love this well-imagined homage, and the clever twists and numerous suspects will keep readers on their toes. I'm already looking forward to Phyllida's next adventure!" -Erica Ruth Neubauer, author of the Jane Wunderly mystery series
"Cambridge pens a thoroughly intriguing mystery, told in a unique manner from the perspective of the staff belowstairs rather than the upper class above, in this splendid first installment in a new series. Her heroine, Phyllida Bright, is the confident, shrewd, and eminently capable housekeeper for none other than the grand dame of mystery herself-Agatha Christie-and a great admirer of Christie's fictional detective Poirot, whose methods she seeks to emulate. Fans of Tessa Arlen and Jennifer Ashley will be delighted."
-Anna Lee Huber, bestselling author of the Verity Kent Mysteries
"Marple and Poirot have nothing on Agatha Christie's housekeeper, Phyllida Bright. Details and diligence being the tools of her trade, Phyllida puts them to good use whether she's arranging a country house party for her employers, or determining which of the guests is a crazed killer. You'll love this new Christie-inspired series!"
-Alyssa Maxwell, author of A Lady & Lady's Maid Mysteries and The Gilded Newport Mysteries
"What if Agatha Christie's housekeeper was the best detective of all? In this delightful book, she is! You will love watching Phyllida spot the clues the authorities miss when a dead body shows up in Agatha's library. An outstanding start to what promises to be a winning new series." -Victoria Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of Murder on Wall Street
"Agatha Christie's indomitable and mysterious housekeeper Phyllida Bright takes on a killer in this exciting new series from Colleen Cambridge. Fans of historical mysteries-and Christie herself-will love this well-imagined homage, and the clever twists and numerous suspects will keep readers on their toes. I'm already looking forward to Phyllida's next adventure!" -Erica Ruth Neubauer, author of the Jane Wunderly mystery series
Readers Top Reviews
Kindle
A wonderful read that could have been written by Christie herself ,can’t for the next one to be released .
F. Yoder
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.
HelenH
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.
