A review by jennyanydots
The Affair of the Mutilated Mink by James Anderson

4.0

1930s country house mysteries, with these 2 books written in 1975 and 1981 respectively. As convoluted as anything written by Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayers, and in fact various characters mention meeting with both Poirot and Lord Peter Whimsey! In book 1, a small central European duchy is concerned by the rise of Hitler, and enter into negotiations with Britain for protection. The talks are arranged to be held secretly, under the guise of a weekend house party, at the estate of the Earl of Burford, whose brother is a junior minister at the foreign office, but are interrupted by the mysterious death of one of the participants. Inspector Wilkins of the local police force is called in to unravel all the secrets the various guests are keeping, but he's really not sanguine about his hopes. In book 2, a Hollywood director wants to use the house for a film set, and comes down with the leading man to convince the Earl and Countess to let them go ahead. Another house party, another shooting, and Wilkins is back, feeling as un-sanguine as ever. Great fun, and strongly plotted, with some very unexpected twists in the mystery. Sadly, the author only wrote one more in the series before his own untimely death, and I'm looking forward to reading that next, but wanted to capture these 2 now. And that puts me on track for my 2015 reading challenge. Good for anyone who likes convoluted country house mysteries, and secret passages.