This isn’t Berkeley’s best work or even close to it, but it’s still an entertaining classic mystery and worthy of a read.

The premise for this isn’t terribly original, but it’s mostly well-executed here. I wish this had been stronger in sense of place and less focused on procedural elements, but the story moves well enough.

The ending isn’t great and leaves the reader with a strong sense of injustice, mostly because it seems we’re being asked to reverse course in a “well actually” style pivot in which we’re suddenly supposed to at least partially excuse the murderer for his crime. Plenty of novels where that makes sense in circumstances the author creates, but this isn’t one of them.

As a lover of mystery novels, I was highly interested in this one. - And I wasn't disappointed. The murder case and solving it were highly enjoyable. I loved reading how detectives in novels even 100 years ago worked very similarly like today's. Moreover, I appreciated the character analyses by chief Inspector Moresby. Also the different story frames were very interesting.
The only thing I didn't like as much was that the language was a little wooden, although that might have been more because of popular writing styles at the time.
From today's point of view, the moral evaluation of some of the characters is also questionable.
Overall, I liked the book and am interested in the other novels in the series.

The discovery of a dead body buried in the basement of a rented house and its relationship with the staff of a posh boy school in South London are at the heart of this terrific and darkly humorous whodunit set in the early 30's.

A captivating romp full of delightful twists and turns, sparkling dialogues and blessed with a delicious cast of exquisitely drawn characters that kept me guessing until the very end..

A highly recommended read that deserves to be discovered and enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen and Netgalley for this fabulous ARC!

did enjoy this book. I did struggle too but I kept reading.
This book is different and I thought the ending was unusual.

3.5 stars
The big mystery in this newly returned to readers from obscurity classic is "who was the murder victim?" After a dead body is discovered in a cellar by the new tenants/owners of a home, Inspector Moresby and his team spent months trying to figure out who the dead woman was, and who wanted her dead? She was shot in the back of the head and buried, and after a postmortem, discovered to have been 5-months pregnant at the time of her death, so that gives Moresby motive, but nothing else.

The slow, painstaking searches through many types of information by the team is interesting, and once Moresby has enough to go on, he visits his old friend Sherringham who actually has a possible acquaintance with the dead woman. (Sherringham had actually worked, for a short time, at the same school that the dead woman had in order to get some background for a book he was contemplating writing.)

Sherringham shares the first few chapters of the abandoned book which actually lays out who the staff were and their various resentments and affairs, which enable Moresby to confirm his suspicions and began talking to suspects.

This was an interestingly structured mystery, and I enjoyed the sections of the story where the police had to figure out who the dead woman was. I did think that Anthony Berkeley didn't go where I wanted him to have gone, as far as the identity of the murderer was concerned. Perhaps it would have been too unpalatable for his readers of the time, but I think this would have been a more plausible resolution to the murder than the one the author provided.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Really enjoyed this one. The pacing is quick and there’s not much filler. The three sections of the novel have different focuses and styles so it kept the reading experience fresh. The first section focuses on identifying the victim post-murder through detective work, the second is about picking out the victim amongst a cast of characters in a pre-murder flashback (this was my favorite), and the final section is focused on identifying the murderer.

My only complaint was with the resolution of the mystery. Toward the end, I had begun to suspect what the twist would be, and although I was not entirely wrong, I was a bit off. But to be honest, I would have preferred the solution I came up with, as I think it would have been more satisfying and more original.

When an unidentified body is found in the basement of a house where a young couple has moved in, the hunt is on both to identify the body ad find the killer. The solution kept me guessing, but I found the conclusion unsatisfying.

Anthony Berkeley’s Murder in the Basement was first published in 1932, two years after he founded the Detection Club in London. Martin Edwards calls it “undeservedly underestimated” in his introduction and I think he’s absolutely right. This is the first full-length novel by Berkeley that I’ve read and I loved every page. It’s brimming with ebullience and I read the whole book with a smile of my face.

The novel starts with Reginald and Molly Dane moving into their house and the furniture men leave. “There is something so fateful about a furniture-van. Relentlessness urges it forward, and Destiny sits at the wheel.” Oscar Wilde would have admired that. Every so often, we get another eccentrically phrased description: of Miss Jevons, “[…] she used neither scent nor powder, and lipstick knew her not.” Miss Crimp had decided to fall in love with the Rev. Stanford and had dropped hints “less subtle than bludgeon-like” but the Reverend’s “delight had not been perceptible.”

Apart from the joy of the language, this is a very well-crafted whodunnit. The Danes find a body under the floor of their basement and Scotland Yard, through a painstaking process, identify the victim as a young woman from a boy’s school. Although we are introduced to the men and women of the school (teachers, matron, etc.) via an abandoned novel by Berkeley’s series character, Roger Sheringham, we are not told who the victim was until half-way through the novel. That allows Berkeley to mislead us about who the victim might be as well as the identity of the murderer. When Chief Inspector Moresby tackles the main suspect, we have the impression that Moresby knows he’s guilty; the suspect knows that Moresby knows; and all three of us know there’s no proof, thus the suspect will never be charged. Oh, it’s so very very good!

Once I finished, I instantly grabbed another book by the same author – Jumping Jenny – from my tbr pile. I’m half-way through it and it’s just as good.

Really liked the first half, but the second half, not so much…

Murder in the Basement is the eighth in Anthony Berkeley’s Roger Sheringham series. Originally published in the 1930s, it recently has been e-published by Poisoned Pen Press as part of their British Library Crime Classics series, and I received a review copy from them. I had not previously read any of Berkeley’s Sheringham books, but I had rather high expectations, given the prestige of this series, and Berkeley’s acknowledged status as a “Golden Age” mystery author. And, portions of Murder in the Basement lived up to my expectations. But portions also definitely didn’t.

The book is more-or-less split into two parts. The first part, which I liked a lot, was a traditional procedural: newlyweds move into new home, discover body in basement, police (Inspector Moresby) have to figure out who the body is before they can even really try to figure out whodunnit. This part was well written, and had some fun parts – I especially enjoyed the opening, with the newlyweds trying to figure out how much to tip the moving crew.

The second part, however, is a plot conceit that didn’t really work for me. Because once the police DO figure out where the victim is from (a posh boys’ school), we learn that the rather obnoxious Roger Sheringham had spent some time as a substitute teacher there, and has even written a draft of a novel set at the school. So, he shares the manuscript with Inspector Moresby, and we end up reading that for background? To understand the suspects? For some reason? In any case, this approach didn’t really work for me, and I was more frustrated than engaged.

I will probably try another book of Berkeley’s at some point, since the well-written intro by Martin Edwards implies that this book is somewhat atypical for the series, and I really did like the more traditional first half. But for now, Murder in the Basement gets three stars from me. (I wish I could have given it three-and-a-half stars, but in the end, I rounded down…) It’s worth reading if you like unusual literary devices, and/or if you just like an interesting mystery, which this was. But I suspect there may be better books in the series to start with. Finally, it’s worth noting that there is a bit of “blame the victim/misogyny” which didn’t wear well with time. Perhaps not significantly more than in many other books of its age, and not so much that it can’t be consciously overlooked as typical of the genre/era, but it’s there…

And my thanks to Poisoned Pen Press, and to NetGalley for the review copy!

1931 Lewisham. On returning from their honeymoon to their newly leased home the Danes discover a body buried in their basement. Months of investigation lead to a name of the victim. Fortuitously amateur investigator Roger Sheringham had spent several weeks at her place of employment incorporating his thoughts into an unfinished manuscript which he gives Chief Inspector Moresby to read. But who is the murderer.
An entertaining historical mystery with its varied and likeable characters. A good addition to this series which can easily be read as a standalone story
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't read a story-within-a-story and this one is really well done. The problems come when the solution is revealed and the apparent "reasons" for coming to this decision. It's a lot of "this person is icky so it must have been them."
A body is discovered in the basement of a house that some newlyweds have recently moved into. It is that of a woman, but who is she? The niece of the previous owner (now dead) has been found alive so there is no one else in the thirty to forty age range that they can obviously tie to the crime. Eventually, through a coincidence, Chief Inspector Moresby is able to determine that she came from a nearby school. However, she had told everyone she was moving to Australia to marry a sheep farmer. So what happened?
Luckily, Roger Sheringham, the writer, had been at the school in a previous term and had started writing a story about the people at the school that reveals their characters in a way that Chief Inspector wouldn't have been able to uncover.

Three stars
This book came out in 1932 and is being republished December 6, 2023
Follows Top Storey Murder
Followed by Jumping Jenny
ARC kindly provided by Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Interesting novel, the part I loved better was the first but overall I liked it.
I think I will look for other novel from Anthony Berkeley
Thanks to NetGalley and Poison Pen Press for the ARC.

*A big thank-you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
Another foray into Golden Age Classics and another author to discover.
Mr Berkeley offered several interesting ideas in this book, such as the change of the mood throughout the mystery to red herrings and a 'manuscript' in the book. These ideas are at present happily used by authors but Anthony Berkely was probably the pioneer regarding them.
The story itself kept me invested. This is a classic written decades ago and it was interesting to observe how the manners and the language have changed since then. The only actual problem for me was anything related to cricket discussion.
I am sure this will not be my last Berkeley's book.

I can understand why it wasn't a highly acclaimed success when it was published as there's plenty of elements which are very innovative.
It starts as a witty comedy of manners with a witty description of a newly married couple and it becomes a twisty and surprising mystery that kept me guessing till the end.
The book-in-the-book and the final twists are intriguing, the puzzle to be solve if quite tricky and the way it is solved it's very fascinating as it mixes psychology and classic police work.
I find the moral judgements on Sheringham's behaviour I read in some reviews a bit funny: what happens is not unusual for a Golden Age Mystery.
Berkley plays an intellectual game with his readers and I loved the game and the puzzle.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Murder In the Basement is witty, clever and is chock full of red herrings as is typical of brilliant author Anthony Berkeley, founder of the infamous Detection Club in London in 1930. Golden Age mysteries are my favourite for many reasons, one of which is the author himself. Though this is not his most complex or cunning work, it is a wonderful example of the era and ought to be on reading lists of Golden Age mystery readers. Every book he wrote is well worth searching for. Martin Edwards' introduction is, as always, thoughtful and informative.

In the throes of newlywed bliss, Molly and Reginald begin their move into rented house after their honeymoon. When exploring the house, Reginald shockingly discovers a very dead body in the basement. Local gossip Mabel's tongue wags and mysteries and conjectures swirl as the body's identity is unknown. What of the home owner, Miss Staples? How can the killer be brought to justice? Good thing Chief Inspector Moresby and amateur detective/author Roger Sheringham are persistent. But clues remain elusive. Until Sheringham's satirical novel is searched. This was not my first encounter with Sheringham and his fondness for psychology and wit add a dimension I enjoy so much. A manuscript, deceptions, body in the basement, colourful characters, reliance on old detecting techniques and twists equate to a satisfying read.

My sincere thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy and especially Poisoned Pen Press for re-publishing this fabulous book. The world would be less interesting without access to Golden Age books such as these.

Anthony Berkeley Cox (1893-1971) was an eminent member of the British Golden Age, writing primarily under the names Anthony Berkeley and Francis Iles as well as A. Monmouth Platts and A. B. Cox. He wrote about two amateur detectives using the Berkeley name, Roger Sheringham and Mr. Chitterwick. See Mystery Scene’s Holiday Issue #102 for an informative review of Berkeley and his work by crime fiction historian Martin Edwards. Edwards also wrote the introduction to the British Library’s re-issue of Sheringham’s eighth adventure, Murder in the Basement, first published in January 1932 by Collins and scheduled for release in December 2022.

Molly and Reginald Dane, newly married and the proud possessor of a semidetached house in Middlesex, have discovered an item not in their lease: a body buried in the basement. To Chief Inspector Moresby of Scotland Yard falls the largely impossible task of identifying a long-interred corpse. The clearly marked bullet wound on the back of the head explained the cause of death; it was certainly not suicide. But without a name to the victim police are stymied in their search for the killer.

After much floundering and managerial displeasure, a wisp of a hint of a clue takes the good inspector to Roger Sheringham, who filled an interim job at a boarding school the previous year to collect background for an academic mystery. His working draft is the next section of the book, which is a bit awkward as far as reading continuity goes but highly informative to the plot. It gives Inspector Moresby some tangible leads and I thought I could see the resolution of the crime but of course I didn’t. Not one surprise but two occur in the last few pages.

Berkeley had a devious mind or perhaps a wildly creative one; he could think of multiple solutions and couldn’t settle on just one, so he worked them all into the story. I was startled but decided the ending was quite clever if ethically dubious.

Did Berkeley perhaps have something against schoolteachers? None of them appear to advantage here. In fact, they are all dreadful, not the kind anyone would want forming young minds. On the other hand, the newly-wed couple are charming, tipping the movers a pound (£55 in 2022 or about $65) even though the movers painstakingly put all the furniture and boxes in the wrong rooms.

I believe I read other Sheringham books in the distant past but I have no strong recollection of them and now I want to find a few more as well as locate some of Mr. Chitterwick’s adventures. This highly readable if somewhat disjointed title is an excellent addition to what is becoming a formidable collection of classic crime writing from the British Library.

https://happinessisabook.com/fridays-forgotten-book-murder-in-the-basement-by-anthony-berkeley/

Clues And Suspects…
Newlyweds with a body in the basement leads to an investigation and eventually, in turn, to amateur sleuth Roger Sheringham. A subsequent examination of clues and suspects amidst gentle humour and plenty of red herrings ensues although also leads to a denouement which, in this instance, is less than satisfying. Classic crime reissue with the usual interesting and illuminating introduction from Martin Edwards.

I've read a few of Anthony Berkeley's detective novels now, and I rather enjoy the way he plays with the formula. In this one, a body is discovered buried in a basement, and chief Inspector Moresby has to find out who the victim is in order to discover the culprit. When he manages to trace the body to Roland House, a boys prep school, he catches up with his old friend Roger Sherringham, who had worked there for a time in order to gain local colour for his novel. In part two, the manuscript Sherringham wrote is handed over as he has based it on the teachers working in the school; this is the clue Moresby has been looking for, and is supposed to lead him to the identity of both the victim and murderer.

The structure is interesting, and it was an entertaining read, but the ending left a particularly bad taste. Roger Sherringham comes across in the novels I've read with him as a morally bankrupt character. Never the less, I will probably carry on reading these books when I get the opportunity, and just bare in mind that the ending may be less than satisfactory.

*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.*

Continuing my tear through the British Library Crime Classic reissues, we have “Murder in the Basement” by Anthony Berkeley. Like my other recent mystery featuring Roger Sheringham, I was perplexed and disappointed in the ending of what was a solid mystery.

The set up is quite interesting – a young couple returns from their honeymoon to a newly rented house, where the husband finds a body hidden in the basement. Enter Chief Inspector Moseley, trying to determine the identity of the corpse and how she got buried in the basement during the previous tenant’s (an old lady who has passed) occupation. No clothes, no jewelry, only a pair of gloves.

The path eventually leads to Roland House, a boy’s prep school not far away. In one of those coincidences that tend to pop up in golden age mysteries, Moresby’s author and amateur detective friend Roger Sheringham happened to have worked there around the time of the murder, using the experience as the basis for one of his future novels. Although nothing came of the book idea, Roger shares the manuscript to give Moresby the insight to what was happening at that time, the backstabbing, the factions, the simmering hatreds and jealousies. Using the characterizations from the story, we finally determine the identity of the victim but still have no definite murderer, although Moresby definitely has a suspect. Sheringham once again gets involved and we find out what exactly happened.

A pleasant surprise for me was the inclusion of the “manuscript” that Sheringham supposedly wrote. I have recently finished “Magpie Murders” and its sequel by Anthony Horowitz and thought it was clever to include a manuscript as part of the story, here Mr. Berkeley does the same thing decades earlier. However, as with the previous Sheringham book, it seems that the mystery is solved by Sheringham as an intellectual exercise and he has no moral qualms about the murderer going unpunished, that some murders are justified. I know it’s dangerous to apply our morality to the past, but some things just seem wrong.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

Murder in the Basement is a classic mystery novel. The reader follows along with the inspectors as they take on what seems to be insurmountable tasks - who did it, why did they do it and (before all of that), who was done. Readers will enjoy the inspector's classic forensic investigation techniques in a world before DNA evidence was known.

At the beginning of this publication of Murder in the Basement, there is an introduction by Martin Edwards which gives context as to why this specific story is important to the history of crime fiction. It was the perfect way to launch a great story.