“Murder at Mallowan Hall”
Colleen Cambridge
(264 Pages, Historical Mystery, 2021)
It is 1930 in Devon, England. Phyllida Bright is the housekeeper at Mallowan Hall, the country residence of Agatha Christie and her husband Max Mallowan. Phyllida is the housekeeper, but she is also a friend of Agatha’s. They have chats about the household, and about mysteries. Phyllida is very competent and can be charming. But make no mistake – she runs a tight ship. Max and Agatha throw a house party and the unthinkable happens – Phyllida finds a guest murdered in the library! Wishing to keep Agatha’s name out of the newspapers, Phyllida steps in to try and solve the murder. The local constabulary needs all the help that she can give.
The victim came to Mallowan Hall with an ulterior motive. Phyllida searches out the backgrounds of the guests and their histories to see if they will shed some light on the case. She is helped by a handsome local doctor and an infuriating – but attractive – new chauffeur. It is not an easy feat to deal with privileged guests who are shocked and demanding to go home, and to also run a large household full of frightened staff.
I really like Phyllida’s character – she is resourceful and smart. She’s a former army nurse who can take care of herself, and she’s practical, curious and sympathetic. When there’s another murder at the hall, Phyllida knows that she must act quickly before the killer strikes again. She’s a great fan of Agatha Christie’s Belgian detective, and asks herself, “What would Poirot do?”
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