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A review by incrediblefran
The Family Vault by Charlotte MacLeod
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
3.5
Charlotte MacLeod is apparently known as America's Agatha Christie, and it's pretty easy to see why. I didn't find this as fun as Christie at her best, but it's a promising start and definitely has the feel of a golden age murder mystery. Sarah Kelling is a pragmatic, steadfast protagonist, and the family she's married into is full of bizarre rich people with multiple skeletons in the closet.
The prose itself is workmanlike, even staid at times, and MacLeod spends a lot of time describing the step-by-step of preparing food, cleaning the house, making tea… it sometimes veers from setting-building detail to being tedious. The mystery works pretty well, with fun red herrings and some unexpected twists, and the ending is satisfying.
The prose itself is workmanlike, even staid at times, and MacLeod spends a lot of time describing the step-by-step of preparing food, cleaning the house, making tea… it sometimes veers from setting-building detail to being tedious. The mystery works pretty well, with fun red herrings and some unexpected twists, and the ending is satisfying.