Murder at Mallowan Hall (A Phyllida Bright Mystery)

Phyllida Bright, the housekeeper for the large country estate Mallowan Hall, finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery. Much like the ones written by her employer, Agatha Christie. With a house full of guests and staff it’s hard to decide who are or are not suspects. Feeling that the inspectors are inadequate she decides to take the investigation into her own hands. Following in the footsteps of the character she most admires, Hercule Poirot, she unravels the mystery bit by bit. With her employer’s approval and to the chagrin of the local and Scotland Yard investigators, she finally cracks the mystery with a riveting denouement.

This is a marvelous what-if scenario, with vibrant characters and wonderful details that bring you right into the 1930s English countryside. The author leaves breadcrumbs and red herrings throughout the story that keep you guessing until the very end. I love that there are still some mysteries to unravel about Phyllida, and hopefully, they will be revealed as this series progresses. I really enjoyed Phyllida’s spunky no-nonsense demeanor and look forward to reading more of this series.