The Murder at Sissingham Hall by Clara Benson

Whodunit?

The Murder at Sissingham Hall (2013), an e-book by Clara Benson, was an entertaining English country house mystery.

Charles Knox returns to 1920s, or maybe it is 1930s, England after eight years in South Africa where he made his fortune. His ex-fiance Rosamund is now married to the very wealthy, although older, Sir Neville. Rosamund has invited Charles to a weekend houseparty along with Bobs, Charles's long-time friend, and Bobs's sister Sylvia. Also on hand are Hugh MacMurray, a relative of Sir Neville's and his scheming wife, Gwen; Mrs. Marchmont a cousin of Rosamund's; Joan, Sir Neville's ward; and, Simon Gale, Sir Neville's secretary. 

Rumor circulates among the guests that Mr. Pomfret, the solicitor, is also coming for the weekend as Sir Neville wants to change his will. Well, there you have it. Now we know who will become 'the body in the study' and sure enough, poor Sir Neville gets hit over the head with a statue and dies.

The murderer takes great pains to make it look as if Sir Neville fell and hit his head, but the physician and the solicitor are not to be fooled and Scotland Yard arrives.

There are lots of clues and red-herrings and quite a few surprises before the murderer is revealed. I wish there had been more written about the house itself, but I used my imagination and created quite a lovely country estate.

A Rain-filled Weekend Made for Reading

It promises to be a rainy weekend and I have three books in the offing:

1776 by David McCullough - I picked this one off the shelf the morning of July 4th. How appropriate. It is the story of General George Washington and his army vs. British Commander William Howe in the year of the Declaration of Independence. As always, Mr. McCullough tells a rousing tale.

How to Do Everything and Be Happy by Peter Jones - Its bright yellow cover caught my eye on the New Non-Fiction display at the library last week. Every now and again I feel the need to try and Regain Control of Life. This is a funny book with a different spin on how to get things done - not just the laundry, but accomplishing the things in life that really make you smile. It involves Making Lists which I love to do.

The Murder at Sissingham Hall by Clara Benson - I haven't yet gotten to the murder in this fun mystery that takes place in an English country house, and I do love a story like this that has all the suspects thrown together for a weekend house party. This is a Kindle book (2013) that is described as a "1920s whodunit" but I can't find an original copyright date or any information about the author. Who knows if it is modern or not, it has all the characteristics of an entertaining puzzle.