CBR Bingo: Holiday
The Mystery of Mistletoe Hall is an absolutely delightful mystery by Benedict Brown. I’ve never heard of Brown, but he has a series featuring retired police superintendent Lord Edgington as the main detective, including in this book.
Lord Mountfalcon has invited the Edgingtons and other individuals to his estate in Britain for Christmas. Accompanied by his teenaged grandson, Christopher, who is also the narrator, Lord Edgington sets off for the house. Edgington is a really engaging character. He’s clever, mischievous and loves to drive his sports car dangerously fast. The Edgingtons are rich, so they bring their servants along on the trip.
Once the Edgingtons near the house, it becomes apparent that their car can’t make it through the snow to the front door. But there is a sleigh, pulled by two horses, to lead the way. But when the family arrives, there is no one around. The door is open so they search the festively decorated house but no one, including Mountfalcon’s servants, is to be found. They come across notes that indicate the servants were deliberately sent away. Determined to find their host, Lord Edgington and Christopher search the grounds, where they find Mountfalcon. Only he’s dead; shot through the heart.
By the time they return to the house, a host of characters have arrive and keep arriving via the horses. Yes, this is one of those mysteries, where a bunch of guests are stranded at a house and someone is murdered. Everyone is a suspect! I love mysteries like this. Very Agatha Christie, and Brown has some colorful characters, including a woman car racer, a musician and another performer, a cricket player, and a governess/teacher who is bewildered that the advertised job has led to this situation. Christopher also has a friend from school and his father. Then there are all the servants and chauffeur, among a few others.
The plot moves along at a brisk pace and is very entertaining. I just enjoyed hanging out with the motley group of characters, and Lord Edgington and Christopher were a great pair. The ending was a little anticlimactic, but I still enjoyed it.
Just on a personal note, this book made me happy. It took me away from daily life (much needed), Brown’s characters are vivid, he writes with wit and detail, and he plotted a jolly mystery. He’s a cozy mystery writer for sure and I’m definitely going to read more of the series (this book is a stand-alone so you can read it without worrying about spoilers for the other books).