Death in the Grand Manor by Anne Morice 😱🏡☠️🎬

Happy Furrowed Middlebrow Friday! 🥳🎉

This week, I'm sharing a Dean Street Press Golden Age Crime Fiction instead of a Furrowed Middlebrow novel. This is the first time I'm reading anything by Anne Morice (born Felicity Shaw) and I'm very excited to share my thoughts!

MY FAVORITE QUOTE FROM THE BOOK: 

‘Yes, I do, and for God’s sake don’t get the idea that you’re Miss Marple, and start asking all and sundry what they were doing between four and six o’clock, on Saturday, 3rd August. It could quite conceivably lead to your being whacked on the head yourself.’ - Inspector Robin Price 

RATING: 4🌟 A fantastically fun vintage mystery! 

It’s like hopping into a sports car with your most adventurous girlfriend behind the wheel—then having her put the pedal to the metal before you’ve even had a chance to close the door! (Also picture your hair flying out in all directions and gripping your sunglasses and purse for dear life! lol)

Although this 1970 mystery takes place in a small English village (Roakes Common), it feels anything but "Miss Marple-esque". Tessa Crichton is an energetic, slightly snarky and wonderfully real young lady who is also an actress and takes jobs whenever she can. 

In Death in the Grand Manor, she is staying with her cousin Toby Crichton and his slightly famous actress wife, Matilda Spragge. Toby asks Tessa to come up from London to help with Ellen (Toby & Matilda's clever and resourceful 11-year-old daughter) while his wife is filming and away from home. Between playing detective, "babysitting" and trying to get her acting career on track, Tessa is up to her eyeballs in activities. 

Finding out who killed the hateful Mrs. Cornford (of "The Old Manor") almost becomes a full-time job for Tessa (and those around her). Pretty much everyone in the little village is a suspect. Thank goodness Inspector Robin Price of Scotland Yard shows up to shed some light upon the matter...and to dazzle the female residents with his handsome appearance and debonair manner. 

The ending is surprising, but also extremely satisfying. As soon as I got to the final page, I knew I needed to continue with the series. There's so much energy and clever conversations in every scene. (I was a bit exhausted by the end, to tell the truth!) Whew—so much to take in! 

Even though it wasn't quite a 5-star read, I have a feeling that these Tessa Crichton mysteries might just get better and better. So, I'm going to pace myself until I get to the very last book. 

I cannot wait to read the next one!

Many thanks to my dear friend, Victoria, of Dean Street Press for recommending Anne Morice to me! 🥰❤️  I'm so grateful and happy that DSP has republished her books! 🤩🌟📚

I also ADORE the covers. Sooo awesomely retro! Highly recommended!

PRAISE FOR ANNE MORICE'S WRITING:

“Entrancingly fresh and lively whodunit. . . . Excellent dialogue. . . . Much superior to the average effort to lighten the detective story.” - Maurice Richardson

“Morice is a traditionalist, and she has no surprises [in terms of subject matter] in her latest book. What she does have, as always, is a bright and amusing style . . . [and] a general air of sophisticated writing.”  - Newgate Callendar (aka classical music critic Harold C. Schoenberg)

"This is not a blood-curdling, chilling mystery; it is amusing and light, but Miss Morice writes in a polished and intelligent manner, providing pleasure and entertainment. Anne Morice’s mysteries most frequently take place at country villages and estates, quintessence of modern cozy mystery settings, there is a pleasing tartness to Tessa’s narration and the brittle, epigrammatic dialogue which reminds me of the Golden Age Crime Queens (particularly Ngaio Marsh) and, to part from mystery for a moment, English playwright Noel Coward...Dean Street Press editions and thereby passing time once again in that pleasant fictional English world where death affords us not emotional disturbance and distress but enjoyable and intelligent diversion." - Curtis Evans

‘Entrancingly fresh and lively whodunit . . . Excellent dialogue.’ - Observer 

Wishing you a wonderful rest of the month, book friends! I hope to have a new autumn-inspired blog post early in September! 

Many hugs! 💛🌻🤗🌻💛 

P.S. Here are some pics from a recent trip to Storyland (in northern New Hampshire) with my sister, Kim and my husband, Ian! We had a blast! I can't believe summer is almost over! (Although, to be honest, I'm very happy about it. Summer is my least favorite season 😱)

Dynamic Duo for Dean Street December! 😍📚🎄❤️✨

Happy Furrowed Middlebrow Friday and Happy Dean Street Press December 2025! 🥳💜✨

What could be better than spending the most lovely and cozy moments of December snuggled up with a cup of tea and a snack by a warm, crackling fire with a Dean Street Press's Furrowed Middlebrow book? (hint: nothing!)

So many thanks to Liz Dexter at Adventures in Reading for hosting another wonderful wintery month of DSP books! Yippee! ☺️📘❄️💙

Ian's SPAM socks (with container) and his 33-year-old can of unopened SPAM! 

Spam Tomorrow by Verily Anderson 

RATING: 4.5🌟 

A non-stop roller coaster of activity on the home front! 

This wartime memoir by Verily Anderson grabbed me from the very first page until the (wonderfully satisfying) last sentence. At first, I thought that Ms. Anderson's writing was all-over-the-place and it really had my head reeling...BUT...once I got into the rhythm and pace of her thoughts and writing style, it was a JOY to read. 

To me, the life of Verily, her family, her friends (and then later with her husband, Donald) reminds me of these other titles:

❊ The humor, flurry, excitement and coziness of the Mrs. Tim series by D.E. Stevenson
❊ A smidge of the satirical and amusing novels, The Benefactress and The Caravaners, by Elizabeth von Arnim
❊ With a touch of Susan Scarlett's slightly silly and irreverent (but also touching) romance novels. 

Once I got used to the author's writing style (maybe 30% in?), I flew through the rest of the memoir and I didn't want it to end. There's so much to love, lots to laugh about and also a little bit to frustrate in Spam Tomorrow. 

If you love wartime memoirs, quirky personalities, unbelievably wacky situations and an underlining theme of real life and honest feelings/reactions during the war, this book is for you! I really enjoyed it!

Murder While You Work by Susan Scarlett

RATING: 4.75🌟 

Oooh! This was SO good! I had no idea that Susan Scarlett wrote a murder mystery! 😱

This story had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. It has the perfect blend of coziness, Susan Scarlett/Noel Streatfeild's sparkling writing and intrigue. It was so hard to put down. Wow!

The only reason why I didn't give it a full five stars is because Judy (who I really liked overall) was almost entirely clueless to the affections of a certain war-time colleague. It seems to me that the author wrote her character to be very clever, positive, attractive and observant...but, in this one aspect, she is totally blind to the words and actions of this man. I had such a hard time believing this fact that it frustrated me and I had to bump it down a half star. 😭

But, aside from that, it was AMAZING! I would absolutely re-read this Susan Scarlett novel and...who knows...I might end up changing it to a five star story in the end. 

Highly recommended! One of my Top 3 Susan Scarlett favs! 

I also plan on re-reading Miss Plum and Miss Penny by one of my favorite authors, Dorothy Evelyn Smith this month! It's another Christmas-y favorite of mine! 😍❤️📚🎄

NOTE: 

Current Favorite Teas: Organic lemon balm, Simpson & Vale's Literary Teas in Goldilocks and the Three Bears or Louisa May Alcott (thoughtful and delicious gifts from Christie @felines_and_flowers!)

Current Favorite Snacks: Gladys Taber's homemade cranberry walnut tea bread, Fine & Raw dark chocolate or oyster crackers

Now, I can't even imagine December without a Dean Street Press book in my hand! I think I already have 2-3 DSP titles in mind for next year. Do you have any suggestions for me? 

What are your favorite drinks or snacks to enjoy while reading? Let me know in the comments below! 

If I can't manage to share another blog post this month, I want to wish all of you the most joyful, healing and peaceful holiday and New Year!! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog, comment, like my posts on Instagram/Facebook/Goodreads and for always being so caring, supportive and encouraging! It was also so exciting to grow from 1900 to almost 2400 followers on Instagram since early this year...thank you, thank you! 

All of my love, warmest hugs, and wishes for the most cozy and amazing reading for the rest of the year and 2026!! 🥰💕🤗❄️✨🎁💫❤️💚🎄

 

The Best Halloween Book Collection! 👻📙☠️🖤🎃

Happy Halloween! 🎃👻🧛🏻‍♂️🧡🖤

Hello Friends!!! Here's just a sampling of the Halloween/Spooky/Ghostly books in my collection! Some of the titles have links (and more photos!) to my Instagram posts because I couldn't fit all of the photos here 😂

• 2024 Halloween Re-Reads
• 2023 Halloween Reads 
• 2021 Halloween Reads
• 2020 Halloween Reading Progress 

What are YOUR favorite Halloween books, activities and movies? 🤩 (Please comment below!)

[I'll do my best to update this Halloween Book Guide as time goes on! Please share your favorite Halloween book recommendations with me 😍]

FAVORITE BOOKS TO READ ON HALLOWEEN:

This mix of children's books, novels and mysteries are my go-to choices for getting my spirit into the spooky mood of the season. I tend to start with the less spine-tingling titles and then slowly increase the level of fright until a few days before Halloween. Then, I read all of my favorite children's novels, leaving Cranberry Halloween (my childhood fav) for the day itself. My list is in order of preference, not the order in which I read them. 

🎃 Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie 5🌟
🧛🏻‍♂️ Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kahara 5🌟
👻 The Ghost Who Was a Quilt by Riel Nason 5🌟
🧙🏻‍♀️ The Pumpkin Smasher by Anita Benarde 5🌟
💀 How to Make Friends with a Ghost by Rebecca Green 5🌟
🎃 I SPY Spooky Night 5🌟
🧛🏻‍♂️ Thornyhold by Mary Stewart 4.75🌟
👻 Emma M. Lion Volume 4 by Beth Brower 5🌟
🧙🏻‍♀️ The Witch Next Door by Norman Bridwell 4.5🌟
💀 The Ghost Stories of E.F. Benson 4.5🌟 
🎃 The Last Seance by Agatha Christie 4.5🌟
🧛🏻‍♂️ A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney 4.5🌟
👻 The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell 4.5🌟
🧙🏻‍♀️ Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman 4.5🌟
💀 Cranberry Halloween by Wende & Harry Devlin 3🌟  

 

FAVORITE SPOOKY MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS:

Every year, I scour the used bookstores, websites, thrift stores and antique shops for new-to-me Halloween books. I especially love vintage middle grade chapter books with interesting covers. Sometimes, there's a brand new book at my local library that I'm not able to resist borrowing. If it meets my approval (including creepy, cute, sweet or scary...or a mixture of all four!), then I add it to my list. These eerily excellent books are my current favorites. 

🎃 In a Closed Room by Frances Hodgson Burnett 5🌟 (A lovely book gift from Virginia @oldbookdreamer 🤩)
🧛🏻‍♂️ Jane-Emily by Patricia Clapp 5🌟
👻 The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 5🌟
🧙🏻‍♀️ In a Blue Velvet Dress by Catherine Sefton 4.5🌟
💀 The Skull by Jon Klassen 4.5🌟
🎃 Gobbolino The Witch’s Cat by Ursula Moray Williams 4🌟
🧛🏻‍♂️ Meg Mystery Series by Holly Beth Walker 4🌟
👻 Spook by Jane Little 4🌟
🧙🏻‍♀️ The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn 4🌟
💀 Carbonel Series by Barbara Sleigh 4🌟
🎃 The Aveline Jones series by Phil Hickes 4🌟
🧛🏻‍♂️ Jade Green by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor 4🌟
👻 Mystery of the Green Cat by Phyllis A. Whitney 4🌟
🧙🏻‍♀️ The Girl in the Locked Room by Mary Downing Hahn 4🌟
💀 Amelia Fang by Laura Ellen Anderson 4🌟
🎃 Alfred Hitchcock's Haunted Houseful 3.5🌟
🧙🏻‍♀️ The Little Leftover Witch by Florence Laughlin 3.5🌟  

FAVORITE GHOSTLY BOOKS:

Go, go, ghosts! I've been interested in ghosts since I was very little. Anything concerning the supernatural is high on my list to read—both fiction and non-fiction. I don't know exactly why the subject of ghosts gives me a ghoulish glee, but it certainly does! Here are my top picks for books with "ghost" in the title or as a primary theme. Do you like ghost books, too?

👻 Ghosts and Bogels by Dinah Starkey 5🌟
👻 Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kahara 5🌟
👻 The Ghost Who Was a Quilt by Riel Nason 5🌟
👻 How to Make Friends with a Ghost by Rebecca Green 5🌟
👻 What's a Ghost to Do? by Jane Thayer 5🌟 
👻 The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins 5🌟
👻 The Winter Spirits by Bridget Collins 4.5🌟
👻 The Ghost Stories of E.F. Benson 4.5🌟
👻 The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters 4.5🌟 
👻 The Haunting Season by Bridget Collins 4🌟
👻 Ghosts from the Library by Tony Medawar 4🌟
👻 The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn 4🌟
👻 Among the Shadows by L.M. Montgomery 4🌟 
👻 City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab 4🌟
👻 The Ghost of Windy Hill by Clyde Robert Bulla 4🌟
👻 Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn 4🌟
👻 The Ghost at Penniman House by Wilma Pitchford Hays 3.5🌟
👻 The Ghost of Follonsbee's Folly by Florence E. Hightower 3.5🌟   
👻 The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson 3🌟
👻 Victorian Ghost Stories (slowly savoring…this is another book gift from Virginia @oldbookdreamer 🤩) 

 

SERIOUSLY CHILLING TITLES:

These novels are a bit more over the top when it comes to ominous and eerie vibes. These frightening fifteen are perfect for when I'm looking for something a bit more unearthly and unsettling. Some of these books are also a bit more graphic in content. 

☠️ Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier 5🌟
☠️ The Magic Cottage by James Herbert 5🌟
☠️ The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware 4.5🌟
☠️ Bone China by Laura Purcell 4.5🌟
☠️ The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell 4🌟
☠️ The Corset by Laura Purcell 4🌟
☠️ We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson 4🌟
☠️ Audrey Rose by Frank de Felitta 4🌟
☠️ Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert L. Stevenson 4🌟
☠️ A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness 4🌟
☠️ The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell 3🌟
☠️ The Turn of the Screw by Henry James 3🌟
☠️ House of Splinters by Laura Purcell (Currently Reading!!)
☠️ The Witching House by Brigit Collins (TBR!)
☠️ The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware (TBR)

 

FAVORITE ATMOSPHERIC MYSTERIES:

Reading mysteries during the month of October is a MUST. Although I'm a little more partial to a Gothic/thriller/suspense for a Halloween read, the murder mysteries below never fail to get me into a more macabre mindset! 

🔍 Halloween Party by Agatha Christie 5🌟
🔍 The Last Seance by Agatha Christie  4.5🌟
🔍 A Medium for Murder by Mignon Warner 4.5🌟
🔍 The Tarot Murders by Mignon Warner 4.5🌟
🔍 Sleep No More by P.D. James 4.5🌟
🔍 Haunted Lady by Mary Roberts Rhinehart (TBR)
🔍 The Spirit Murder Mystery by Robin Forsythe (TBR…excited to try this one!)

FUN HALLOWEEN CHILDREN'S BOOKS:

Yay for mummies, monters and murky mansions! Never mind the ghosts, ghouls and greedy witches. There's never a dull moment when meandering through menacing morgues, moonlit mists and malignant mausoleums—while munching on a midnight snack!

🎃 How to Make Friends with a Ghost by Rebecca Green 5🌟
🎃 Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kahara 5🌟
🎃 The Ghost Who Was a Quilt by Riel Nason 5🌟
🎃 I SPY Spooky Night 5🌟
🎃 The Pumpkin Smasher by Anita Benarde 5🌟
🎃 Hallo-Wiener by Dav Pilkey 5🌟
🎃 Dragon’s Halloween by Dav Pilkey 5🌟
🎃 No Such Thing by Ella Bailey 4.5🌟
🎃 Vlad The Fabulous Vampire by Flavia Z. Drago 4.5🌟
🎃 Wispp, The Littlest Witch by Rosemary Leahy Varney 4.25🌟
🎃 The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart 4🌟
🎃 Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell 4🌟
🎃 The Worst Witch series by Jill Murphy 4🌟
🎃 Gustavo The Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago 4🌟
🎃 Leila The Perfect Witch by Flavia Z. Drago 4🌟
🎃 Cranberry Halloween by Wende & Harry Devlin 3🌟

 

BOOKS WITH SEANCE SCENES:

Calling all sinister spirits, supernatural spooks and shadowy specters! Seances are seriously another favorite topic of mine! I'll never get tired of reading about senseless shrieks, smoke and mirrors, spirit orbs and shivery souls in torment. 

🕯 Peril at End House by Agatha Christie 5🌟
🕯 Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer 5🌟
🕯 The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcel. 4.5🌟
🕯 The Last Seance by Agatha Christie 4.5🌟
🕯 The Seance by Joan Lowery Nixon 4.5🌟
🕯 The Dower House Mystery by Patricia Wentworth 4🌟
🕯 Murder at Hazelmoor/The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie 4🌟
🕯 Paranormal Parlor by Varla Ventura 3🌟
🕯 The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner  3🌟
🕯 Beverly Gray’s Scoop by Clair Blank 3.5🌟
🕯 The Shadow in the North by Phillip Pullman 3🌟
🕯 Seance on a Wet Afternoon by Mark McShane (TBR)
🕯 The Diviners by Libba Bray (TBR)

SEANCE MOVIES: (in order of preference)

There aren't many movies that fit this description or include a seance scene (even in the smallest sense). But, luckily, this list of ten tempting tragedies will trick you into a terrifying trance. In my mind, there aren't enough movies with this thrilling theme!

🔮 The Changeling (1980)
🔮 The Others (2001)
🔮 The Conjuring 2 (2016)
🔮 The House That Would Not Die (1970)
🔮 Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964)
🔮 The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)
🔮 The Uninvited (1944)
🔮 Hereditary (2018)
🔮 Insidious (2010)
🔮 Magic in the Moonlight (2014) 

EERIE BLUE VINTAGE CHILDREN'S BOOKS:

Beware of these bewitching and bone-chilling books with a boo-tiful hue! For some weird reason, the blue color gives a bit of a blood-curdling burial ground vibe. The vintage books below are guaranteed to bring out the best fire-and-brimstone feels!

😱 The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 5🌟
📘 What's a Ghost to Do? by Jane Thayer 5🌟
😱 The Ghost of Windy Hill by Clyde Robert Bulla 4🌟 
📘 The Bewitching of Aveline Jones by Phil Hickes 4🌟
😱 The Blue-Nosed Witch by Margaret Emery 4🌟
📘 The Ghost at Penniman House by Wilma Pitchford Hays 3.5🌟
😱 The Ghost of Follonsbee's Folly by Florence E. Hightower 3.5🌟
📘 The Witch’s Spoon by Mary Cunningham (TBR)
😱 The Haunted Cove by Elizabeth Baldwin Hazelton (TBR) 

The front of our house with jack o'lanterns, vintage pumpkins and googly eyes that move in the window!

FAVORITE HALLOWEEN ACTIVITIES:

Autumn activities are always amusing and awesomely fun. Although, they were much more fun when my kids were young (now they are 32 and 22!). But, I'll still try to do at least a few of these every year. If I'm lucky, Ian and the kids might join in, too! Woo! 

  
🧡 Carving jack-o-lanterns
🖤 Watching scary movies
🧡 Halloween snacks
🖤 Giving out candy to trick-or-treaters
🧡 Making sugar & spice roasted pumpkin seeds

Rose and Benji in 2008 - so cute!

Wearing my glow-in-the-dark Buc-ee shirt from Texas!

HALLOWEEN/SCARY MOVIES I LOVE: (in order of preference)

You might not know this about me, but I love scary movies. Now that I'm older, it gets a bit harder each year to watch them (I seem to be getting more and more sensitive), but I still can't resist my favorites. These are the movies I re-watch either alone (or with my family) every single year. Highly recommended for hair-raising thrills!

A few of my favorite Halloween movies, plus two favorite seance movies: The Changeling and The Others! Lovely pumpkin card from Christie! 

 
🎬 The Exorcist (1 & 3)
🎬 The Changeling
🎬 The Others
🎬 Paranormal Activity series
🎬 Halloween series
🎬 The Omen trilogy
🎬 Hellraiser
🎬 The Ring
🎬 Rosemary’s Baby
🎬 Poltergeist series
🎬 Psycho
🎬 Prince of Darkness
🎬 The Craft
🎬 The Witches of Eastwick
🎬 Practical Magic
🎬 It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
🎬 The Adventures of Icabod and Mr. Toad

Many Halloween hugs!!💕🎃🤗🎃💕

Wonderful witch ornament gift from Carla and adorable crochet pumpkins from Caro!

 

 

A super fun vintage album of Halloween sounds! 

Christianna Brand—4 British Library Crime Classics Book Reviews! 🤩🌟

Are you completely hooked on the British Library Crime Classics? (You may not be surprised that my very favorites are the Christmas titles and the short story collections 😂)

I've always wanted to try more mysteries in their amazing collection, so I decided to dip into the Inspector Cockrill series by Christianna Brand! 

After reading primarily Agatha Christie books for 40+ years, it's been hard for me to love the work of other authors in this genre. But, I'm trying to branch out and these crime classic titles are definitely a fabulous resource for new-to-me mystery authors. 

BOOK REVIEWS

(in the order in which I read them)

Heads You Lose 3.75🌟

An entertaining and quirky crime novel! This was my first introduction to Christianna Brand's writing and I definitely liked it. Although this particular mystery seemed a bit repetitive and monotonous at times, it was fun to follow the story overall. The author seems to have a talent for creating interesting and lively characters (both positive and negative). I especially enjoyed the antics of the twins, Francesca and Venetia. 

The final reveal was a surprise to me, but I did have a tiny hunch it might go that way in the last chapter or two. It wasn't the best ending ever, but it had a satisfactory conclusion.

Green for Danger 4🌟

Interesting and suspenseful! This murder mystery centered at a war hospital truly kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved the slow introduction of each of the medical personnel—both male and female, professional and VADs. Though, when reading both Heads You Lose and Green for Danger, I had to re-listen to (or re-read) the first chapter twice. (Perhaps it was because I wasn't 100% familiar with Christianna Brand's writing style yet?)

Following the twists and turns of the multiple murders (both in and out of the hospital)—as well as suspicious behavior from all of the medical staff—made the ending even more dramatic. I was sure it was a certain person until the very end and I was shocked at the final reveal of the murderer by Inspector Cockrill. 

 

Tour de Force 3🌟

 

An excellent choice to read during the summer months! This British Library Crime Classic has most wonderful, hot-weather Italian atmosphere. 
 

Now for a difficult truth...although I REALLY want love these mysteries (especially the Inspector Cockrill series), I'm having trouble enjoying them as much as the Agatha Christie mysteries. 

 

One reason is that I believe I've found a pattern in the mysteries (at least in the titles I've read so far) that doesn't 100% appeal to me. Here's the template—

1. An "everyday" murder occurs with many people present
2. Very chummy support between all of the people who are considered possible murder suspects
3. An unexpected murderer is "chosen" to investigate 
4. Events/conversations become confusing and repetitive with each main character in the book becoming a suspect for various reasons. 
5. At the very end (usually in the last chapter or two of the book), the "real" murderer is revealed. 

Even though the plot in Tour de Force was clever and the characters very well drawn, I found reading the story itself to be exhausting, confusing and hard to follow. I frequently found myself going back and re-reading multiple chapters over again or discovering that I've suddenly lost the thread of what is going on. For me, this particular crime classic was a frustrating reading experience.

 

London Particular 4🌟

This is my second favorite Christianna Brand mystery—the setting is wonderfully atmospheric! 

Although Green for Danger was good, I was a bit disappointed after all the hype and I think my expectations (after reading many reviews) were too high. But, now that I've read this London-based mystery, I started leaning more towards "yay", rather than "nay" when it comes to this series as a whole.

What I Loved:

• Mysterious London fog setting
• Interesting and charming characters (especially Rosie)
• Lots of domestic details and everyday routines (mostly involving Matilda, Rosie's sister-in-law)
• Discovering the often questionable pasts of the main characters (Rosie, Matilda, Tedward, Thomas, Raoul, and Melissa)
• Excellent and witty conversations

Two things that bother me about Christianna Brand's mysteries: 

1. Although Inspector Cockrill is supposed to be an unforgettable character like Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes, he is the opposite to me. No matter how many times he is described in each mystery, I can never remember him or why he is important. I keep wondering why that is...
2. It seems to me like every single book in this series is the same..or, at least it feels like that to me. The way the suspicion spotlight switches repeatedly from from one character to the next...and then explaining why each of them could be the murderer...completely exhausts my mind. When the murderer is finally revealed, it's usually someone who has already been suspected and then dismissed for some reason. Why does the pattern always have to be the same? Is it because the books each have the same Inspector? Instead of this template having a cozy feeling within the series, it sometimes feels monotonous and a bit irritating when reading another title. 

Suddenly at His Residence 4.25🌟

I must admit—this is my FAVORITE British Library Crime Classics title (so far)! Suddenly at His Residence bumped my opinion of Ms. Brand's mysteries from "good" to "great"!

Either the author's writing style and plot templates finally started making sense to me (after reading 4 previous books) or this mystery novel was particularly my style...either way, it was an awesome read! 

What I Loved:
💚 Setting of a manor house (with inheritance and wills involved)
💚 Charming (and also not-very-charming) characters
💚 Perfect pacing
💚 The descriptions of clothing, every day activities and servants
💚 Stunning ending!

The clever title is also the absolute best choice for this book—nothing could be more fitting. From the very first page to the last, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for someone to die and waiting for the murderer to be revealed. Inspector Cockrill does his "usual thing" (also see my thoughts in the template above)—attempting to soothe his friends while also trying to dig down to the truth at the same time. 

I almost never guess who the murderer is in mysteries like these, but this one did glimmer in my mind for a moment or two. When the person was revealed at the end, I was still a bit surprised. But, in a good way.  

Next on my Crime Classics wish list are the other two books in the Inspector Cockrill series, as well as starting off with one of the newer books I received—'Cat and Mouse' of the Inspector Chunky duology.

CHRISTIANNA BRAND TBR:

1. Death of  Jezebel
2. Three-Cornered Halo 
3. Cat and Mouse 

Many, many thanks to the British Library team for sending these books (and a couple of British Library Women Writers!) to me to read and review! I appreciate the chance to share my honest thoughts and discover a new-to-me mystery author to enjoy! 😍📚

Flavia de Luce #11 Book Review! 👧🏻📙🔍☠️🧪

What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley 🤩

A gem!! I forgot how much I love this character created by Alan Bradley!

Book Rating: 4.5🌟 

Oh, what an amazing addition to the series! I've read at least six books so far and I was in love from the very beginning. Flavia de Luce is the most charming and hilarious character. 

It's impossible not to be charmed by her youth, awkward nerdiness, sharp intelligence and overactive mind. Although I was classified as "nerdy" in high school for my love of mathematics, I don't think I have even a quarter of her talented and brilliant mind.

Following Flavia, her sisters, her kooky cousin Undine, helpful Mrs. Mullet and loyal Dogger was such a treat. You never knew what will happen next! But, that's the beauty of this mystery series. The country village of Bishop's Lacy was also wonderful to come back to, especially because it takes place in the 1950s (one of my favorite time periods).

I love everything about this book...such a gorgeous edition!

Overall, I loved the pacing, the plot and all of the seemingly random (but also very clever) details sprinkled throughout the narrative. I found myself slightly overwhelmed at times because there was so much going on, but it was for the very best reasons. Plus, the ending was perfect.

Now, I need to go back and read 7-10!!

Many thanks to Penguin Random House Publishing for sending me this book to read and review! I can't wait to read the next in the series! 😍❤️

So many amazing titles!! One of my absolute FAV mystery series!