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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was exactly what I needed. But for a Christmas mystery, it really lacked in the festive department. Snow, an orange with cloves and the fact it was set during the Christmas season were the only things indicating it was a "Christmas mystery". I read a Christmas novel every year and although I loved the speedy pace and the who dunnit vibes, it doesn't cut the mustard for a Christmas novel.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Mrs Thewley stroked Duke's ears absent-mindedly. The beginnings of something we making themselves known. She had had a light breakfast - a simple porridge with nettle tea - so it couldn't be one of her funny turns. No, there was something else. Something that was starting to tickle that corner of her brain that usually fluttered into action when she found herself up against a charlatan clairvoyant or a fraudulent medium. She looked again at the invitation.
Maybridge Castle. It was Maybridge Castle that was behind it. Only a few hours now until she would be there. Until Mrs Thewley would uncover quite what it was about Maybridge Castle that was unsettling her."
The third in the Christmas Murders, historical cosy crime series, I think they could each be read standalone. With London journalist, Miss Daphne King at the helm, she finds herself investigating a brutal death at her relative's supposedly haunted Cumbrian castle.
Inter-war cosy crime and, for this novel, a locked room whodunit in a ramshackle castle. I welcomed the cast of characters at the beginning, always helps when most of the characters are meeting one another for the first time. Daphne is a joy, as ever, and I relished her new partner this time in elderly Mrs Thewley and her cat, Duke, there to debunk the spiritualists cousin Charles has lined up. The other characters staying in the castle for a few days before Christmas were varied and eccentric and many had potential motives. It's funny too, poking fun at itself whilst celebrating the Agatha Christie-esque format. Fast-paced and set over three days, there's plenty of action and it has short chapters. I did guess whodunit, but didn't mind that, found it an enjoyable, seasonal read.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really liked Ada Moncrieff's past Christmas mysteries, because they were fun, a little bit classic (a country house mystery, no less, for the first one!) and easy to read. They weren't too surprising in terms of methods and motives, but it's sometimes enjoyable to just settle into a story where you know the rough shape of it, and let it unfold.
Along much the same lines, I enjoyed Murder at Maybridge Castle, though I feel like there was maybe a little something that didn't work for me here. Maybe it's just comparison with how quickly I read her other books, or maybe it's the particular cast of characters -- I don't quite know. This one does also feature a repeat character, unlike before: Daphne King returns, with a wealth of references to characters we don't see on the page, leaving me grasping to try and remember the details. I found that a bit offputting, to be honest.
The mystery itself unfolded more or less as I predicted, but I did enjoy the character of Mrs Threwley, and there were nice little moments of characterisation and dialogue that made things feel a bit more alive (such as the interaction between the father and son duo, and Mrs Threwley's genuine care for her cat, Duke).
So in the end, it was fun, but I'm not quite as enthused as with previous years' mysteries from Moncrieff. Which will in no way stop me trying out another, should she continue in this vein.
Along much the same lines, I enjoyed Murder at Maybridge Castle, though I feel like there was maybe a little something that didn't work for me here. Maybe it's just comparison with how quickly I read her other books, or maybe it's the particular cast of characters -- I don't quite know. This one does also feature a repeat character, unlike before: Daphne King returns, with a wealth of references to characters we don't see on the page, leaving me grasping to try and remember the details. I found that a bit offputting, to be honest.
The mystery itself unfolded more or less as I predicted, but I did enjoy the character of Mrs Threwley, and there were nice little moments of characterisation and dialogue that made things feel a bit more alive (such as the interaction between the father and son duo, and Mrs Threwley's genuine care for her cat, Duke).
So in the end, it was fun, but I'm not quite as enthused as with previous years' mysteries from Moncrieff. Which will in no way stop me trying out another, should she continue in this vein.
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No