Murder At Melrose Court: A 1920s Country House Murder (Heathcliff Lenox #1)
Karen Menuhin
A classic English mystery that hits all the notes. Major Heathcliff Lennox discovers the body of a fat man on his doorstep just as he’s about to leave to join some friends at their country house for the holidays. He has no idea who the man is or why he’s appeared on his doorstep. After being delayed in his departure while the police investigate, he embarks on his trip.
This is the first of three bodies that Major Lennox will encounter. The second is the Countess Sophia, a Russian émigré who is now the fiancé of his host, the uncle of his best friend, Edgar. Since she was shot with Major Lennox’s pistol, he’s the primary suspect, although he swears he had nothing to do with it.
Heavy snows keep the police from completing their investigation, so Lennox decides to solve the crime on his own. He collects evidence and questions everyone in the house, and, of course, discovers whodunnit. The weather clears enough for the police to arrive and hear his explanation.
A well-written story that I mostly enjoyed. There was a brief section in the middle where it did seem to drag a bit, but once I was through that, I was eager to read to the end.
There’s a second book in this series, which I’ve place on my to-read list.