The Wintringham Mystery Review: A Classic Cosy Crime Novel That’s The Perfect Winter Comfort Read

If you’re looking to snuggle up with a good book now that the nights are getting longer and the weather colder, then the new Harper Collins edition of Anthony Berkley’s classic crime story The Wintringham Mystery could be the perfect winter read for you.

This printed edition of the complete story, which was initially serialised in the popular newspaper the Daily Mirror, is part of the the Collins Crime Club, a selection of classic crime stories. Many of these books are by members of the Detection Club, a group of 1930s Golden Age detective fiction writers, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ronald Knox, John Rhode, Jessie Rickard and many more.

In this edition, crime fiction expert Tony Medawar, the editor of the incredible Bodies From The Library, explains the popularity of the puzzle and how prizes were offered to anyone who guessed the explanation. Even Agatha Christie entered the competition, but she couldn’t even solve the mystery.

In the end, no one even came close to solving the puzzle, but the Daily Mirror awarded a share of the prize money to a selection of participants, including Christie, who gave the best guesses. The introduction allows readers to learn more about the story and the author.

Then, we dive right into the novel, which is so seamless that it doesn’t read like a serialised story at all. The Wintringham Mystery introduces readers to the feckless Stephen Munro, esquire, and his former army batman turned manservant Bridger. Stephen is lovesick over his former girlfriend, Pauline Mainwaring, and he’s also seriously running out of funds. In desperation, he pays Bridger his final month’s wages and sets out for his new job, as a footman at an illustrious country house he once might have been a guest at.

The ever-efficient Bridger, who’s very much the Bunter to Stephen’s Lord Peter Wimsey, has already predicted this unusual career path that his boss and friend is taking, and has gotten himself a job as a gardener at the same house to be close to him. Among the guests at Wintringham Hall, the sprawling estate of the curmudgeonly Lady Susan Carey, is Stephen’s former lady love Pauline and her new fiancé, a once prominent businessman who, as Stephen learns from his chauffeur, is in financial difficulties. Many of the other guests are former friends of Stephen’s, who struggle to adapt to his new status as a servant.

They invite him to join in on a seance, which they believe will allow them to converse with the spirit world. Their host sits in disdainful silence and many of the guests ignore them or try to get Freddie, Stephen’s former friend and nephew to their host, to stop his ridiculousness. However, Lady Susan’s live-in niece Millicent and her companion Cecily Rivers, agree to take part. Cecily was supposed to be elsewhere, but she mysteriously reappears to be part of the seance.

Despite learning lots of great gossip about the guests at the hall, Stephen very quickly gets on the wrong side of the butler, Martin, and is promptly sacked after the seance and invited by Lady Susan to stay on as her guest. Stephen works to uncover the truth behind the vanishing of Cecily and promptly discovers that many of the eclectic group of house guests had motives to plot to hide the girl or to do her harm. Convinced Cecily is in on the deception, Stephen teams up with Pauline and starts staking out the room in the hall where she was last seen, sneaking into secret passages and more.

After Cecily disappears, Lady Susan’s jewellery is stolen and a mysterious phone call is made claiming to be the missing girl, who’s apparently in limbo and needs another seance. Then, a member of the staff is killed under mysterious circumstances, leaving it up to Stephen and Pauline, with a little help from Bridger, to figure out what’s going on and restore order to the house party at the hall. Berkeley employs every trick in the book, from red herrings to false trails, to make the mystery tough to unravel.

At the same time, it’s still possible to follow the plot of The Wintringham Mystery. One of the biggest issues I and many other readers often face when reading crime fictions books that are designed to be puzzled out by the reader is that the story is, by necessity, too convoluted and complicated to be understood. The reader simply can’t solve the mystery because it doesn’t make any sense. However, in this book the story is clear and easy to follow, but still devilishly deceitful and tricky to unravel.

When the truth unfolds readers are left stunned and fascinated. The story features bold characters and many twists and turns to keep you on your toes, meaning you’ll struggle to put the book down- I know I did! It was amazing how often I’d tell myself I’d only read one more chapter, then find myself making the same promise 6 chapters down the line. The mystery draws you in then the compelling characters and witty dialogue, particularly between Stephen and Pauline, keeps you gripped.

Ultimately, I really love The Wintringham Mystery, and I think that this new version is a great gift for a classic Golden Age crime fiction lover. The cover art is stunning and the introduction is interesting and brings a new dimension to this intriguing story. So, if you know and love a crime fiction fan and you’re looking for a unique and inventive gift for them Christmas or a winter birthday, then this is a great book to consider. Or, if you want to get yourself a special little treat, then this is an amazing read that will help you to expand your knowledge of Golden Age crime novels, then I’d thoroughly recommend this cosy new edition of this intriguing mystery.

Why I Love Listening To Audiobooks While I Work

During the pandemic, many of us who used to work in offices were forced to work from home, which bought many challenges and changes.

One of the main changes that has occurred has been our ability to listen to our own music or podcasts while we work. It’s actually one of the few benefits of working from home. While I definitely feel isolated and find it hard to find a good work/ life balance, I do like the fact that I can listen to what I like.

After all, when you’re in an office, you have to listen to something that everyone likes, which means that many of us often end up with the radio or a playlist of generic pop music. No one wants to say anything or put their headphones in, and given the focus on collaborative work and the need to answer the phone, that’s often impossible.

At home, if you get to work alone then you can listen to your own sounds. Even if you share a workspace with a housemate or partner, then you can at least wear headphones. Or you could just turn the sound down- I live in a shared house and literally no one complains about the sound of my audiobooks coming out of the tiny speakers on my phone.

While I don’t think for a second that listening to audiobooks is the same as reading a physical novel, it is a useful way to enjoy literature while I’m doing other tasks. I’d also recommend checking out podcasts themed around literature, like Potterless, a brilliant show about an adult man who’s never read the Harry Potter book series. While I still don’t support J.K Rowling and her blatant transphobia, I do love listening to the hilarious ramblings of an American who’s experiencing the books for the first time.

There are also storytelling podcasts such as This American Life, which combines journalism with storytelling to provide a unique take on current events and real life in America. It’s another great way to learn more about the world and see it from a new perspective.

I used to think listening to audiobooks and other audio shows would be distracting, especially in my job as a writer. I always used to believe that, eventually, I’d start typing the words I was hearing. However, I’ve learned since I started listening to audiobooks online at work, that they actually help me to concentrate and manage my workload. Often, I bribe myself by telling myself I need to get something finished before the end of the next chapter or I’ll switch the story off! It’s a useful technique, particularly if you happen to have the mind of a hyperactive toddler.

All this doesn’t mean I no longer read books. I always thought it would, but, in fact, I’ve found that audiobooks and physical books help me to separate my work life from my home one. During work, I listen to audiobooks and podcasts, which I find more soothing than music. After work, while I’m out and about or just before bed, I read my physical novels.

As I say, audiobooks and literary-themed podcasts are soothing to me while I’m working, but only certain ones. I think a John Grisham or an Andy McNab audiobook might be a bit too intense for a working day, whereas an Agatha Christie or a Ngaio Marsh story is relaxing. It sometimes helps if I’ve already read the book and know the plot, particularly if I’m having a busy or stressful day, or I’m feeling particularly anxious.

In all, while I still love reading physical books, I’m enjoying listening to stories and podcasts and I think others might too. It probably sounds really obvious, and not worthy of a blog post, but I think it’s relevant, particularly for anyone who’s still working from home and feeling isolated. I know from experiencing working with my team that many remote workers are struggling right now, and even with connected technology, it’s easy to feel alone. That’s especially true if you live alone or the people you live with are out of the house all day. With audiobooks and podcasts, you can hear a person’s voice and become immersed in a story while keeping busy at the same time.

The Man Who Died Twice Review: Another Hilarious Instalment Of The Bestselling Series

In his long-awaited follow-up to his bestselling debut novel The Thursday Murder Club, quiz show host turned author Richard Osman brings back his unique flair for cosy crime fiction.

The plot of this latest novel sees readers return to Coopers Chase, the luxury retirement community where the four members of the Thursday Murder Club reside. The man mentioned in the title is the ex-husband of Elizabeth, one of the club’s founders who used to be in the secret service.

He uses the name of a man who’s already dead to tempt his ex-wife to come and speak to him. It turns out he ran a search on a renowned gangster’s home that went wrong. A cache of valuable diamonds went missing, and the gangster knows who led the raid. He’s now out for revenge and Elizabeth’s ex-husband wants protection.

Reluctantly, Elizabeth agrees, but before she and the other club members can start protecting her ex-husband a member of the criminal’s gang breaks into Coopers Chase and is killed by the young secret service agent charged with the official job of protecting him.

After this deadly incident Elizabeth’s ex is moved out of the residential home for the elderly, but his new safe house in Hove turns out to be less secure than expected. He and his young protection officer are murdered, leaving Elizabeth and her friends to uncover the truth. While the ‘who’ of the mystery doesn’t seem too difficult to understand, things are more complicated than they seem and the diamonds further complicate matters.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim, one of the club, is brutally attacked while walking back from a shopping trip outside of Coopers Chase. The group rallies around him but he’s left living in fear and stressed out about going outside of the senior residential community. Elizabeth and her other friends work with the police officers they befriended in the first book to find and punish the criminals responsible.

Osman deals with these sensitive subject with his usual panache and dry wit. His characters are remarkably funny and droll, with Joyce, the former nurse who is a first person narrator throughout the book, being the funniest of them all. Her ramblings are hilarious and make the book well worth a read for her witticism alone.

As well as being funny, the book is also suspenseful. Osman draws on many of the traditional tropes of the cosy crime fiction sub-genre and transforms his group of seemingly ordinary old age pensioners into a bunch of crime fighters. It has to be said, at times his characters are a little far fetched- his police characters are far more blasé with the law than actual coppers. The same goes for his secret service characters; I’ve met some policeman, no secret agents, but they don’t strike me as particularly realistic.

Still despite this minor issue, I really enjoyed the latest outing from the Thursday Murder Club team. They’re as witty and chaotic as ever. While the professional characters are un-relatable, the club members are brilliantly lifelike. I used to work in a care home and I can see similarities between the members, particularly Ron and Joyce, and some of the residents I used to work with.

In all, I enjoyed The Man Who Died Twice. Osman has found his niche in the cosy crime fiction space and created a memorable series that I think readers will enjoy for many years to come. I wouldn’t be surprised if the series doesn’t keep going and going; even though the characters are older, I definitely think there’s a few more books left in this phenomenal series.