The Red House Mystery by A. A. MILNE on January 1, 2021
Genres: Fiction / Crime, Fiction / General, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General
Pages: 294
Format: Paperback
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This is the same author who wrote Winne the Pooh. This is Milne’s whodunit. It’s short and easy to read locked room mystery. I originally wanted to read this because this one of the books pointed to in Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson. But this was sent to me by a postal book club member and what a great chance to read this interesting book.
The main character and his sidekick portray themselves, playfully, as a modern Holmes and Watson, modern, as in the 1920s, when this was written. MC, Anthony Gillingham, decides to visit his friend, Bill Beverley, who is staying at the quaint country house known as Red House.
Mark Ablett, the owner of Red House, comes to breakfast one morning and announces that his brother, whom he hasn’t spoken to for many years, is visiting the house that day. His brother, Robert Ablett, arrives and is taken to the office where he is discovered dead after an argument was heard between him and Mark. Tony arrives right as the body is being discovered. Did Mark kill his brother? What clues lead to the murderer?
Tony is asked to stay and give his statement along with Bill. The rest of the party are asked to leave so as not to disrupt the crime scene. Tony having no knowledge of the house or the people in it, does his best impression of private investigator and gathers clues to find out what really happened. Tony does a great impression of Holmes, while Bill is his Watson.
Although the story was short, it was full of quirky characters and little red herrings. I didn’t guess this one until almost the very end. I always love a book with a great library and one with a secret passage is fun. It surprised me that the same person who wrote Winnie-the-Pooh wrote this story. I think this is worth the read.