MARTIN EDWARDS is an award-winning crime writer best known for two series of novels set in Liverpool and the Lake District. He is a series consultant for British Library Crime Classics, Chair of the Crime Writers' Association, and President of the Detection Club. The Golden Age of Murder, his study of the Detection Club, was published in 2015 to international acclaim, and won the Edgar, Agatha, H.R.F. Keating and Macavity awards for the year's best book about the genre.
Absolutely loved this collection!-- "Blogspot"
Actually, the stories were quite entertaining The stories were
written by a variety of authors and the the compiler of the stories
thoughtfully provided information about each author which certainly
added to the enjoyment. I did find one story down right scary, but
perhaps because that was partly because I was reading that one late
at night. Most of the stories would fit into the cozy
category....My favorite was Murder at the Towers which I found
delightfully written and with a twist that I could NEVER have
imagined. E. V. Knox had amusing names for the characters like
Police-Inspector Blowhard. The writing for this one had me longing
for more. It is set in a house party in a grand home in England (of
course - the book is titled Murder at the Manor) The first sentence
is one of the best opening lines I have ever read. Mr.
Ponderby-Wilkins was a man so rich, so ugly, so cross, and so old,
that even the stupidest reader could not expect him to survive any
longer than Chapter 1. Our detective is introduced and was welcomed
by all the guests. Many of them had already begun to feel that a
house-party without a detective in it must be regarded as a
literary failure....My problem was not with the stories or the
writing, but with the format. I read this on my kindle; it was the
first time I had ever read short stories in e-format. I found this
disconcerting. I couldn't be certain while reading how much longer
a story was; I couldn't just flip a few pages easily and see how
much more 'til the end. The stories were of varying length so I had
no idea. My kindle only would show the % until the end of the book.
I wasn't even certain just how many stories were included in this
anthology....While I highly recommend the book, I would advise
anyone who wants to read it, to buy the traditional bound copy.--
"Goodreads"
Another delightful volume in the series of Classic British
mysteries, concentrating on the Golden Age of Detective
Fiction....Presented in chronological order, this set of short
stories has some real gems. Although each of these volumes has a
unifying theme, the country house in this case, I find that the
books also uncover some ideas about what makes up a mystery....In
this volume the theme is less detection and more presentation. In
some stories the main character is the criminal, in others the
murder is named in an unconventional way. One is even more of a
thriller than a mystery and two have no murders at all....Each
story is introduced with a short description of the author, his
typical writings, and something about the story. I love how these
put the stories in context....It's another charming volume in a
series I just love.-- "Blogspot"
Another excellently curated collection from Poisoned Pen Press,
this time focusing on the well-trod ground of the manor house
mystery. Unsurprisingly, this group of stories often subvert the
reader's expectations for this type of British cozy while at the
same time satisfying the itch to solve a mystery while rich people
misbehave.-- "NetGalley"
As a lover of classic mysteries, I've been extremely impressed by
Poisoned Pen Press's recent releases of volumes from the British
Library Crime Collection. It is always a pleasure to discover gems
that have long been out of print....Murder at the Manor is a
fantastic anthology which will thrill anyone who enjoys classic
British mysteries. While some of the authors are well known, such
as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, many will be new to readers. The stories
are imaginative and differ greatly, but what all have in common is
the rural, country house setting....The country house setting has
long been a staple amongst mystery authors. Its isolation makes
communication difficult, and the setting means a limited number of
suspects. At the same time, it references a bygone era of wealthy
and aristocratic landowners who indulge in lavish house parties.
The short stories included in Murder at the Manor are amongst some
of the best examples of the genre....If you are a fan of classic
British mysteries, I highly recommend you add Murder at the Manor
to your library. You won't be disappointed by the quality and the
variety of tales within.-- "NetGalley"
As always, I really enjoyed this collection that Mr. Edwards put
together. The stories all very greatly. Some are classic whodunit,
others told from the perspective of the criminal, and one is even a
ghost story. I was especially pleased that he included a Sherlock
Homes mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle. The common theme that ties
them all together is the country setting of the manor
house....Murder at the Manor is a wonderful collection, each story
is unique and a fun read. You don't have to read them all at once,
either. It's a great book to savor, picking it up to read a story
here and there. I highly recommend this book, there is a mystery
here for everyone.-- "HiddenStaircase"
Edwards provides both enthusiastic introductions and careful
selection of stories, some old favorites and some neglected but
well worth reading.--Peter E. Blau
For the last several months I've been enjoying these short stories
whose publishing history ranges roughly over sixty-five years, the
heyday of the British country house mystery, written by names still
famous today, and writers once famed and now fading....Martin
Edwards has written an engaging and informative introduction, and
at the start of each story gives more specifics about each writer,
highlighting their most famous works, and sometimes why this
particular story was chosen. I was glad to see that the anthology
was not comprised of the most famous stories by each author, often
seen in many anthologies; though I recognized a number of authorial
names, every one of the stories was new to me....The early ones
show the relative roughness of the form as mystery writers were
beginning to assemble their tropes. Somewhere along the line the
English mystery shifted from its pulpy origins to an acceptable
literary game for the respected auteur, though the funniest story
in the entire group, penned by E.V. Knox (brother of Ronald Knox,
and editor of Punch) pokes fun at the subgenre with a hilarious
deftness. The prose and characterizations show a steady advancement
in polish and sophistication over the course of the anthology,
though those early ones are not without charm and vigor....The
anthology offers a wide range of types of country house mysteries,
from horror to psychological puzzle, locked room to dying clue;
female writers as well as male, though male writers (and sleuths)
form the preponderance here. Some of these sleuths are posh, others
everyman; they range from two-fisted adventurers to plump bon
vivants, and of course there are the police and Scotland Yard
detectives....Altogether it's a winner of an anthology, even for
someone--like me--who doesn't read many mysteries. I found myself
intrigued by the variety as well as the introductory data (which
sent me looking up some promising reads that I never otherwise
would have heard of), and I enjoyed the bite-sized tales, suitable
for reading in a single evening when one is too tired, or too
distracted, to sink into the length of a novel....Because there was
an effort made to select lesser-known works by famous people, as
well as significant stories by lesser-known writers, I would say
that this anthology would appeal to the dedicated mystery reader as
well as to the now-and-then mystery reader like me.--
"Goodreads"
Here's another volume in the British Library Crime Classics series.
This time the stories have been chosen because they're set in
country houses, a classic mystery genre. The authors are not
forgotten or neglected; the very first story in the book is Conan
Doyle's The Copper Beeches, which must be very well known
indeed....I particularly liked The Mystery of Horne's Copse by
Anthony Berkeley, which was truly baffling. Then there's a very
amusing, tongue in cheek story by E V Knox, The Murder at the
Towers. Here's a flavour of it: ...The gathering consisted, as the
inspector had foreseen, of the usual types involved in a country
house murder, namely, a frightened stepsister of the deceased, a
young and beautiful niece, a major, a doctor, a chaperon, a friend,
Mr. Porlock himself, an old butler with a beard, a middle-aged
gardener with whiskers, an Irish cook, and two servants who had
only come to the place the week before....But whenever Scotland
Yard was unable to deal with a murder case--that is to say,
whenever a murder case happened at a country house--Bletherby Marge
was called in....Bletherby Marge, indeed!...For me, the most
frightening story is An Unlocked Window. It's by that interesting
writer Ethel Lina White, author of The Wheel Spins, which Alfred
Hitchcock filmed as The Lady Vanishes. Two nurses alone with their
patient in an isolated house, with a murderer on the loose, an
atmosphere of fear and terror and a great twist....I read this
courtesy of NetGalley and enjoyed it very much.-- "NetGalley"
I can't remember the last time I read a collection in which I loved
every story.--Tracey Stewart "Tracey's Reviews"
I do enjoy these collections of Golden Age mystery stories, in this
instance centered on incidents at British Manor Houses, subject of
innumerable novels and films for years. Martin Edwards discusses
the setting in his introduction and Arthur Conan Doyle addresses
the phenomenon in a story included in this collection, as Watson
and Holmes discuss a possible case in The Copper Beeches....'Good
heaven's!' I cried. 'Who would associate crime with these dear old
homesteads?...'They always fill me with a certain horror. It is my
belief, Watson, founded upon my experience, that the lowest and
vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of
sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside?...'You horrify
me!...But the reason is very obvious. The pressure of public
opinion can do in the town what the law cannot accomplish. There is
no lane so vile that the scream of a tortured child, or the thud of
a drunkard's blow does not beget sympathy...and then the whole
machinery of justice is ever so close ... and there is but a step
between the crime and the dock. But look at these lonely houses,
each in its own fields, filled for the most part with poor ignorant
folk who know little of the law. (loc 215)...I enjoyed virtually
all of these stories, with my lowest personal rating being a 3* for
three of the fifteen. My favorites are The Secret of Dunstan's
Tower by Ernest Bramah featuring his blind detective Max Carrados;
A Horror at Stavely Grange by J.S.Fletcher, a who and how done it;
The Mystery of Horne's Copse by Anthony Berkeley Cox; The Murder at
the Towers By E.V.Knox which I found very witty; and The Unlocked
Window by Ethel Lina White, an effective suspense story even if I
did guess a bit before the ending....I heartily recommend this
collection for those who enjoy traditional British mysteries or
want to give them a try. If you require hard action and lots of
gore, this may not be for you. If you've enjoyed some Christie or
Sayers or Doyle, etc., I suggest you give this and/or other of
Martin Edwards edited collections a try. Lots of fun and good leads
for future reading.-- "GoodReads"
I really enjoy anthologies when they contain grouping of murder
mysteries covering a single topic. Martin Edwards is a very good
editor of books of this type as he always writes a little history
and biography of the authors of the short stories. as with all
books of this type some are good whilst others not so much. I had
read quite a few stories before, but as a fan of mysteries from the
golden ages, how could I not. I really enjoyed revisiting with old
friends. A great book if your are pressed for time as most of the
stories are short but pack a punch nevertheless.-- "Goodreads"
It has to be my colonial history that makes me nostalgic for
manors, country lanes, country scenes and of course murders most
prolific. This was a joy to read as it dealt with all of them and
country characters as well. Lady and Lords abound, vicars and
curates, butlers, maids, parlour maids, groomsmen, stable hands the
lot. Downton Abbey in all its aspects combined with a hint of
mystery and murder. Fabulous collection of crime.-- "NetGalley"
Murder at the Manor is a collection of mystery stories. I am not
the short story type person, the only exceptions being Jeffrey
Archer's collections like Twelve Red Herrings or Twist in the Tale.
But after reading and enjoying a bunch of reprinted old mysteries
by Poisoned Pen press this year, I decided to give it a try....I
think Witness for the Prosecution may be the only short I have read
belonging to the mystery genre, that too long ago. As the name
suggests here, the setting is a British classic mystery setting.
And at least some mysteries must be in a manor house type
situation....According to me, the problem with mysteries in a short
story format is that there is not enough time or not enough words
to actually establish a background. What I enjoy about classic
mysteries is that the story begins slowly, we get to know the cast
of characters, form our own opinions about them. then the crime is
committed. Red herrings are strewn. Some investigator appears, and
our preconceived ideas are either trashed or proved right. either
way, we turn the pages frantically while chewing our nails. The
short story does not give much opportunity for all this....One of
the stories I liked was about the Druid Circle and the blood on the
steps. Then there is the one where a couple of apprentices come to
a shattering inference about the case they are
investigating....Overall, I think this is a good book to read when
you are on the go or in a hurry, when you want a slice of the
mystery story but cannot be immersed in a big book.--
"NetGalley"
Murder at the Manor is another high-quality collection of classic
British mystery stories, many of which have seldom, if ever, been
collected before. The book provides a spread of carefully
constructed puzzles, full of crazed killers, cunning planners,
rogues, and wit. There are locked room murders, hidden passages,
and strange poisons in play. As the title implies, all of the
mysteries take place in that familiar setting: the manor house. Set
in a world of its own and large enough to hold a number of family
members, servants, and guests, the house and grounds provide plenty
of room for murder and suspicion....In tone, the tales range from
the serious work of Anthony Berkely in The Mystery of Hornes Copse
and to the light-hearted parody of The Murder at the Towers where
E. V. Knox gleefully trots out every possibly mystery trope while
still constructing a solid puzzle. G. K. Chesterton is present as
well, though not with his familiar detective, Father Brown.
Instead, Dr. Adrian Hyde takes the role of sleuth in the wholly
unexpected The White Pillars Murder. The sleuths themselves range
from the respectable to the raffish, each clever and generally
accompanied by a sidekick who is slightly less so. The collection
is good for the detective fan to keep on hand for when reading time
is scarce and there is only time for a short story--or for gobbling
down at once because it is too good to wait....Fans of Agatha
Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and G. K. Chesterton will enjoy
this selection of mysteries from their peers and will find new
authors to treasure.-- "NetGalley"
The British stately home takes up a lot of territory in the popular
imagination, encompassing novels, movies, and TV serials. The
isolation of the countryside surrounding these splendid homes made
Sherlock Holmes think of "the impunity with which crime may be
committed there." This addition to the British Library Crime
Classics series brings together 16 country-house murder and crime
stories, spanning roughly 65 years from pre-WWI to post-WWII, from
Arthur Conan Doyle, E. F. W. Hornung, and G. K. Chesterton to
Margery Allingham, Nicholas Blake, and Michael Gilbert. Perhaps the
most exciting story is "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches," in
which Holmes uncovers a cunning deception and barely escapes with
his life. But the entire book is filled with country-house-mystery
wonders: the closed-circle puzzle, the dying-message clue, and the
sociopathic guest who invades the weekend house party. Edwards,
author of the Lake District mystery series, is series consultant
for the Crime Classics, and here he provides an absolutely
fascinating account of the country-house subgenre in his
introduction, as well as enlightening notes at the top of each
story.--Connie Fletcher "Booklist"
The 16 entries in this British Library crime classics anthology,
most dating to the golden age of detective fiction, between the two
world wars, will appeal to all lovers of English country house
mysteries. Edwards opens with an unsettling Sherlock Holmes story,
Arthur Conan Doyle's The Copper Beeches, about a governess whose
employers require her to perform some rather odd duties, such as
cutting off her long hair. Other notable authors of the last
century include E.W. Hornung, whose famed amateur cracksman Raffles
appears in Gentlemen and Players, and Anthony Berkeley, who shows
his ingenuity in The Mystery of Horne's Copse. Margery Allingham
surprises us with Same to Us, a short take on the country house
party, and Michael Gilbert unravels a past mystery to solve a
modern puzzle in Weekend at Wapentake. Those looking for comfort on
a dark and stormy night will be rewarded. (Feb.)-- "Publishers
Weekly"
There is something about these dark, late autumn evenings that are
perfect for a bit of old fashioned mystery and suspense. Murder at
the Manor edited by Martin Edwards brings together a fabulous
collection of short stories, mysteries that are set in that
favourite golden age setting of the country house. As Edwards
explains in his introduction, country house crime stories remain as
popular as ever. Their appeal is driven particularly by nostalgia
for a bygone era. The stories in this collection were written over
a period of approximately sixty-five years, and cover a period in
which society in Britain and life in those country houses was
changing. These stories therefore cover a period before, after and
naturally during that period typically referred to as the Golden
Age of crime fiction. There are some real gems in this collection,
with several well-known authors of these kinds of tales, including
Arthur Conan Doyle, E W Hornung, G K Chesterton, Margery Allingham,
Ethel Lina White and Nicholas Blake....It is always hard to review
an entire collection of stories, so rather than trying to talk
about each story I will endeavour to give just a flavour of this
superb collection, which I just loved. Each story is prefaced with
a short bio of the author, setting the story which follows in the
context of the author's body of work. Several of the authors were
new to me, some old friends....In this collection we are treated to
a glorious mixture of mystery story ingredients, country house
parties, poison, jealousy, strange inscriptions, bizarre and
unexplained phenomenon, wills, suspense, jewel theft, amateur
sleuths and ingenious policemen....conandoyleThere was only one
story in the collection that I had read before, The Copper Beeches
by Arthur Conan Doyle, which is the opening story. As a Sherlock
Holmes fan, I was happy to read it again. A young woman named
Violet Hunter consults Sherlock Holmes as to the wisdom in
accepting a position of governess which she desperately needs, the
job specifications are very odd her prospective employers requiring
her dress in a certain way when asked, and to cut off her hair.
Miss Hunter decides to take the position in Hampshire at a house
called The Copper Beeches, but it is agreed that Holmes and Watson
should be on standby in case needed. It is not long before Holmes
and Watson are travelling to Hampshire to meet with Miss Hunter
again, and hear the story of her peculiarly sinister
employment....The Mystery of Horne's Copse by Anthony Berkeley was
among my favourites (although that could be a fairly long list). As
anthony berkeleyMartin Edwards explains: ...The story features both
Sheringham and another regular Berkeley character, Chief Inspector
Moresby, and its twists and turns illustrate why Agatha Christie,
among others heaped praise on the ingenuity of Berkeley
mysteries....Anthony Berkeley is a writer I hadn't read before and
this mystery is absolutely brilliant true I had mostly worked out
what was going on, but I was desperate to know how it would all be
solved. The story revolves a young man, Hugh, who had suffered from
shell shock in the First World War. He is the owner of Ravendean,
and his cousin Frank who is abroad with his wife, is Hugh's heir.
Happily engaged to Sylvia, his future seems an assured one. Until
one night, following dinner with his fiancé and friends, Hugh finds
his car won't start and decides to walk through Horne's Copse. Half
way through the wood, Hugh stumbles upon the body of his cousin
Frank, with a bullet hole through his head. Shocked, supposing his
cousin to be in Italy Hugh races off for help, the doctor and the
police. On his return with the police and his friend the doctor,
Frank's body is gone, and all sign that Hugh was ever there
obliterated....J J Bell is another author who was new to me and his
story The message on the Sun Dial is superbly executed in which he
uses the plot device of the dying message. Philip Bolsover Wingard
(generally known by his middle name) is a man with debts. Bolsover
is heir to his more sensible and reliable cousin Philip Merivale
Wingard. When Bolsover's latest forgery of his cousin's name is
discovered by his furious cousin, Bolsover is driven to take
extreme action. Later that night, in the grounds of his cousin's
estate a knife is drawn, and a man is murdered. Behind him is left
a strange and inexplicable message on the edge of the sun dial. Can
anyone fathom what it means, and solve the mystery of the
attacker?...ethel lina whiteI recently read Fear Stalks the Village
by Ethel Lina White, so I was looking forward to reading The
Unlocked window which comes toward the end of this collection. I
wasn't disappointed; it's a fantastic story of suspense, set in a
country house where two nurses have care of a very sick patient.
The neighbourhood have been terrified by a series of recent
murders; nurses have been targeted by a medical student with a
grudge....Nurse Cherry hurried through her round of fastening the
windows. As she carried her candle from room to room of the upper
floors, she had the uneasy feeling that she was visible to any
watcher....Her mind kept wandering back to the bad business of the
forgotten oxygen cylinder. It had plunged her in depths of
self-distrust and shame. She was overtired, having nursed the
patient single-handed, until the arrival, three days ago, of the
second nurse. But that fact did not absolve her from blame. I'm not
fit to be a nurse, she told herself in bitter self-reproach....Will
the unprotected women in the house fall victim to the murderer on
the loose, are they really as vulnerable as Nurse Charry starts to
fear? I read that whole story with my heart in my mouth. Brilliant,
spine tingling stuff! I really must read more Ethel Lina
White....Murder at the Manor is a superb collection most especially
for fans of the Golden Age.-- "NetGalley"
4.5 stars Murder at the Manor is an anthology of short stories
celebrating the British country house mystery. This collection
gathers together stories written over a span of roughly sixty-five
years....The book starts with a short history of the use of country
houses in murder stories and also includes a brief background on
each of the authors....I loved this anthology of 16 neatly crafted,
traditional whodunit cosy mysteries. Some criminals were caught,
some got away with their crimes and yet others found themselves
with an untimely end. All the stories were clever, unpredictable
and carried along at a steady pace, unlike the fast paced thrillers
we are used to today, and usually had a clever twist at the
end....If you enjoy stories by the likes of Agatha Christie and
Arthur Conan Doyle you can't go past this intriguing anthology.--
"Goodreads"
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