Murder at Mallowan Hall (A Phyllida Bright Mystery)
There’s never been an epigraph truer to a novel’s spirit than the one C. M. Gleason, writing as Colleen Cambridge, chose for Murder at Mallowan Hall: “What I feel is that if one has got to have a murder actually happening in one’s house, one might as well enjoy it, if you know what I mean,” wrote Agatha Christie in The Body in the Library.
And without giving doubtful readers even time to take a breath, Phyllida Bright, housekeeper to Mrs. Agatha Mallowan (aka Agatha Christie), has taken the plunge in investigating the case of an uninvited journalist’s murder in the crime writer’s library. What else can she do? Christie won’t take on the bloody mess—she’s got mystery chapters to write and guests. The local constable can’t stop guffawing when he asks if Phyllida is really calling to report there’s a body in the “detective book lady’s” library. And the detective inspector from Scotland Yard is so boyish he has freckles.
It’s obvious Gleason had a blast writing the book, set in 1930s Devonshire, and her fun is infectious. Phyllida is a confident first-time detective, modeling herself on her hero, Christie’s Hercule Poirot, who outshines all suitors who have come her way. Phyllida’s smarts and assurance don’t save her from making mistakes, some of which delay solving the case. Paced at a gallop, it’s an entertaining read. Recommended.
