Murder by Numbers (A Langham & Dupre Mystery Book 7)
London, 1956. You are invited to attend a death …
When a reclusive artist invites Maria Dupré to attend a death at his manor home in Essex, curiosity and dread mingle. Maxwell Fenton was famous before the war, a charismatic man who was both loved and hated in extremes—and not just by her. Donald Langham, Maria’s husband and one half of the Ryland and Langham Detective Agency, agrees to attend with her out of professional concern and curiosity. One death is promised, but that is just the beginning. As the five other guests from that evening fall victim to brutal murders in numerical order, Langham and Dupré must race the clock before her number is called.
Murder by Numbers is the seventh in the Langham and Dupré Mysteries series by Eric Brown, although it can be read as a stand-alone. Brown’s historical research shines in the sheer detail contributed throughout the book, although at times it can read a bit exhaustive in settings and movements. Although Maria’s past is the one under the magnifying glass, she does not spend much time in the limelight throughout, and I would have liked to see a bit more life from her. The mystery is well-written with a few twists and turns to keep readers on their feet.
