Murder by Candlelight
In the summer of 1924, life in the charming Cotswold village of Maybury-in-the-Marsh is quiet. That is, until Amy Phelps needs help with a murderous ghost. She turns to the local expert, Arbie Swift, a young man who recently published a bestseller: The Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost-Hunting. Who better to purge the restless spirit haunting the Old Forge – the Phelps family residence for generations – than the man who wrote the book?
Arbie, generally a useless fellow, prefers not to get involved. However, when Valentina Coulton-James, the vicar’s daughter, declares that she will join Arbie in the ghost vigil, she commits him to acting the hero. They visit the Old Forge and meet the inhabitants: family members, old friends, and the staff. They spend a restless night but see nothing suspicious. But when the housekeeper asks for help with a locked bedroom door, Arbie and Val break in through the locked window only to find a dead body. Every one of the occupants at the house have something to gain by this death, so is a ghost really behind it all, or is someone of flesh and blood hiding behind the spectre?
Murder by Candlelight is a cosy murder mystery. There are nice red herrings and false trails, but the clues are so subtle that readers aren’t quite given the chance to solve the mystery themselves. The cast of characters grows and grows, and it’s difficult for readers to have a good grasp on who’s who. There’s occasional head-hopping, but the reader is never confused as to who is narrating. The language suits the era, but at times feels unconvincingly immersive and extreme. Still, the novel is a light and easy read, perfect for readers who want a nice ghostly mystery.
