
Series: Phyllida Bright Mystery #1
Published by Kensington Books on October 26, 2021
Genres: Historical Mystery
Pages: 304
Format: eBook
Source: Library
Goodreads
Amazon




Tucked away among Devon's rolling green hills, Mallowan Hall combines the best of English tradition with the modern conveniences of 1930. Housekeeper Phyllida Bright, as efficient as she is personable, manages the large household with an iron fist in her very elegant glove. In one respect, however, Mallowan Hall stands far apart from other picturesque country houses...
The manor is home to archaeologist Max Mallowan and his famous wife, Agatha Christie. Phyllida is both loyal to and protective of the crime writer, who is as much friend as employer. An aficionado of detective fiction, Phyllida has yet to find a gentleman in real life half as fascinating as Mrs. Agatha's Belgian hero, Hercule Poirot. But though accustomed to murder and its methods as frequent topics of conversation, Phyllida is unprepared for the sight of a very real, very dead body on the library floor...
A former Army nurse, Phyllida reacts with practical common sense--and a great deal of curiosity. It soon becomes clear that the victim arrived at Mallowan Hall under false pretenses during a weekend party. Now, Phyllida not only has a houseful of demanding guests on her hands--along with a distracted, anxious staff--but hordes of reporters camping outside. When another dead body is discovered--this time, one of her housemaids--Phyllida decides to follow in M. Poirot's footsteps to determine which of the Mallowans' guests is the killer. With help from the village's handsome physician, Dr. Bhatt, Mr. Dobble, the butler, along with other household staff, Phyllida assembles the clues. Yet, she is all too aware that the killer must still be close at hand and poised to strike again. And only Phyllida's wits will prevent her own story from coming to an abrupt end...
A middle-aged couple are hosting a country house party, a dead body is found on her library rug. Does this set up sound familiar? Oh, yes it does and that middle-aged couple? None other than Agatha Christie and her archeologist husband, Max Mallowan. Of course I had to read Colleen Cambridge’s mystery series set in the Agatha Christie world featuring her housekeeper in the role of amateur sleuth.
Murder at Mallowan Hall is the first of the Phyllida Bright historical cozy mysteries set in England of the 1930’s at the fictitious home and village where Agatha Christie and her second husband, Max, have set up housekeeping. Agatha and Max’s home is run by a well-ordered redoubtable if slightly young housekeeper who vies in a silent contest of one-upmanship with the butler.
Phyllida is something of an enigma to everyone, but Agatha. They became friends in the war when they both worked at a hospital dispensary before Phyllida became a nurse closer to the front lines in France. The reader, along with the rest of the staff, are left knowing she has secrets and wanting to learn them. I suspect this will be revealed slowly as the series progresses.
Meanwhile, Phyllida spots an incompetent village constable and newly-arrived Scotland Yard detective when she sees them. When she asks Agatha if she is planning to tackle this real life mystery dropped onto her hearth rug, Agatha waves it off because she has a house full of people and still has a writing deadline to meet. So, Phyllida steps into the breach and is determined to do a competent job of detecting knowing she’s at the least superior to the professionals. Phyllida goes in with a major advantage because this is her household and she knows the grounds, the staff, and something of the guests and hosts better than an outsider. This leads her to noticing the bits of evidence and the odd behaviors and things people say that the police don’t see as significant. She follows the trail learning more about the victim, possible connections in the household, and how the evidence fits in trying to emulate her secret crush her friend’s fictitious Hercule Poirot.
Murder at Mallowan Hall is light and definitely cozy. The 1930s country house setting and the upstairs-downstairs world of the house from the housekeeper’s perspective was well done. The mystery was nicely laid out and the characters all well written.
Phyllida is something of a know-it-all superior type that I didn’t warm up to, but she has her stumbles and missteps which humanized her. I really had a good time seeing the way the new chauffeur who was a friend of Max’s wasn’t overawed by her superior ways like the rest of the staff and often discombobulated her when she realized his observational powers and mental prowess were equal to her own. Of course, she won’t admit it and claims he’s got a lot of cheek. I suspect Phyllida will grow on me as the series continues.
All in all, this was a solid start and I’m eager to press forward into book two. Those who enjoy historical cozy mysteries that are set in a real life mystery novelist’s household should definitely give this a go.
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Sounds like a very fun mystery. I love that it’s Agatha Christie and her husband hosting the country party where the dead body is found. 😀
Yes, it was fun and particularly since it was Agatha’s house. 🙂
Hopefully the second book will be just as good as this one was.
I second that, Mary. 🙂
Oh, how fun… not going into her characters’ world but making AC into a character. Sounds fantastic.
Yeah, a little something different I enjoyed. 🙂
This sounds good and a little different. Thanks for letting us know it is on the cozy side.
Yes, fun that its the housekeeper who’s the detective. I thought knowing the tone of the mystery would help others decide. 🙂
What a fun premise! Being a big Agatha Christie fan, I love the sound of this one! Hopefully, Phyllida will become more likeable.
Oh yeah, lots of fun for Christie fans! And, I can attest, she grew on me as I worked my way through the series. 🙂
Is Mallowan Hall a play on Halloween? lol.
LOL, good one, Carole! Her real life estate was Greenlaws, I think, but this fictional one was named after her husband, Max Mallowan.