I received an audiobook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I has not affected my opinions.
Genre: mystery
Age Range: Adult
Star Rating: 4 stars
Series: standalone
Blurb:
The Cotswolds, 1924. At the Old Forge in the quiet village of Maybury-in-the-Marsh a cry of anguish rings lady of the house Amy Phelps has been discovered dead. But with all the windows and doors to her room locked from inside, how – and by whom – was she killed?
Arbuthnot ‘Arbie’ Swift finds himself in the unlikely position of detective. The celebrated author of The Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost-Hunting is staying at the Old Forge to investigate a suspected spectre, but now the more pressing matter of Amy’s murder falls to him too. With old friend Val, he soon uncovers a sorry tale of altered wills, secret love affairs and tragic losses – and plenty of motives for murder.
When events take another sinister turn, Arbie must find the killer, fast. And to do so will mean cracking a most perfectly plotted crime…
Blurb taken from Goodreads. Add to your shelves here.
Review:
MURDER BY CANDLELIGHT is a witty, clever murder mystery that draws on “Golden Age of crime” novels.
The book absolutely nails the upper class dialect of the 1920s, and narrator John Hopkins does the accents pitch perfect too. It immediately situates you in their world with its minor concerns – finding the right husband, being “so poor” you need to sell a painting.
There’s a lot of comedy brought out from the problems of the not-so-rich upper class and also Arbie. He has a healthy sense of self-preservation – and is aware of it – which is not quite what is expected of him. He wants an easy life but not to appear a coward in Val’s eyes. He is trying to avoid anything that might mean he needs to write another book (given the other was an accident he fell into because of a bet.) Val’s opinions of him and his responses to everything are equally amusing.
Arbie and Val are the main narrators, but various suspects and the inspector also have chapters to give a sense of the other goings on of the village, the wheel of gossip, and the various secrets being hid. I liked getting these glimpses and also how it gave the sense of an older novel about village life, a bit of a satire.
I loved the reveal of how it was all done. Arbie all “well I think I solved it, but I’d really like to be wrong and because everyone has such a low expectation of me, I suspect I’m about to be laughed out of the room” made for a very different atmosphere than usual. And also the manner of death! I loved that reveal so much.
I don’t know if there are going to be more books with these characters, making it a series, but I would love to spend some more time with Arbie and Val, particularly to see how their relationship develops as at least one is denying how they feel…
Sifa Elizabeth Reads 