The Affair of the Christmas Card Killer by Jack MurrayMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Lord Arthur Cavendish has invited his grandson (and heir) Henry and Henry's mother Mrs Emily Cavendish to Cavendish Hall for Christmas. Henry's father, Robert (Lord Cavendish's second son) is dead. Mrs Cavendish and Lord Cavendish do not get on well together but he is determined to make more of an effort to be pleasant to her and to get to know his grandson better. For his part, Henry hates Cavendish Hall and feels like he is both bullied by his mother and made to feel unworthy by his grandfather because he is not sporty or interested in joining the army like the other men in his family.
Lord Cavendish's eldest son John and daughter-in-law Katherine are also both dead and his two nieces Esther and Mary now live with him at Cavendish Hall. Esther is a more classical beauty, but Mary is more lively, and they are the greatest of friends.
Lord Cavendish has also invited two single, eligible bachelors to the party in the hope that one or both of them might fall in love with his nieces and provide for their future. The two single gentlemen are Lord Kit Aston and an explorer called Eric Strangerson, who was in Robert's battalion in WW1.
Lord Kit Aston was an officer in WW1, he is rumoured to have done some intelligence work, and has had some success in solving the murder of a French diplomat - very Lord Peter Wimsey. Kit is assisted by his manservant Harry Miller, a former thief, who rescued him from No Man's Land during the war. Besides his suitability as a potential spouse for one of his nieces, Lord Cavendish also wants to consult Kit about a number of cards he has received over the years saying 'Happy Christmas, I've killed you', Lord Cavendish is worried that the card sender might succeed and he wants to reconcile with his grandson and see his granddaughters settled before he does (succeed).
The party gets snowed in, and a locum doctor appears at the door. He'd been visiting a patient nearby and was unable to get back to the village in the snow. Trapped in a remote country house with secrets swirling and no access to the outside world it's a surprise to no-one when Lord Cavendish is found dead in his room. While there is no evidence of foul play, Kit is concerned because of the threatening cards, and the girls ask him to investigate until the police can take over.
Overall I enjoyed this. However, it wasn't without its faults, others have commented that the author has almost consistently mis-titled all the characters, some even said he clearly hasn't even watched Downton Abbey to know that Emily should be called Mrs Cavendish, Kit's father is alive so he can't be Lord Kit etc, etc. Also, Lord Cavendish's death literally comes 50% into the book which is way too late in the book. (view spoiler)Generally there were way too many coincidences, which would only have worked if the characters had been deliberately invited because they were all connected by The Thing.
However, I have a weakness for Golden Age mysteries and aristocratic sleuths so I will definitely continue reading the series.
Read on my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
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