It took me a while to finally read this one but I’m glad I did because I did enjoy it. I did have a few issues with it but nothing major. This book was first published in 1933 so ofcourse it’s very different from the world today but I did find the story entertaining even though I didn’t like most of the characters .

I typically enjoy the British Library Crime Classic Books but, in this one, the meddling of amateur criminologist Roger Sheringham was not believable to me. As a result, I enjoyed the beginning, namely the events at the murder-themed costume party, as well as the ultimate solution. However, I cringed a bit and carried on during much of the middle portion.

Nonetheless, I'd say that I enjoyed it, even so, and would recommend it to those who enjoy "Golden Age" mysteries.

These reprints have opened a whole new world of reading for me, and I continue to enjoy the experience. That said, I am becoming particular about what I think of any one of them because, having read quite a few in the past couple of years, I have developed a taste for a particular style and know what I like versus that which I do not.
This particular narrative is a more in-depth exploration of social interactions than any Agatha Christie that I remember reading. The entire social event is a mix of characters with different personalities and ambitions at the party.
The guests are all dressed up as some known characters, none of whom I knew about. I could have googled to verify the facts behind the names thrown about, but I did not have the will at the time, and it passed me by. This is not something that is really necessary, but being a visual reader and not being able to add this to my own thought process might have been one of the reasons for me rating the book the way I am.
The host is a gregarious individual who is in the process of being divorced, and both his ex and future wife are at the party. His sister-in-law (the future victim) is the centre of everyone's ire, and we are told by everyone what they think of her. She seemed more like a caricature than a real person, even after she made her own appearance in the scene.
A good part of the book talks of all the people, the talks they had, and our lead investigator/protagonist, and it is quite surprising that very little of this would change when describing parties in the current day and age.
Finally, when the victim is found, everyone seems to scramble, and I think for me, the highlight was the very ending. The final reveal and the implications that it had on everything we had seen up to this point were fascinating.
There are some books that hold me captive throughout. This was the other kind. The one that the ending makes the read worthwhile. The author laid a good plan for the reader, catching them unaware while also not leaving out anything important.
I think other people who read this genre will enjoy this even more than I did. I think I will have to try out more books by the author before I can be sure if I like his books as much as some others I have from that era.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This Golden Age British mystery, recently published again by British Library Crime Classics and Poisoned Pen Press, has many of the grand, classic elements of mysteries from that era - a "murder party" in a country house setting, an unsympathetic victim, and a plethora of suspects tying themselves in knots trying to avoid being implicated. First among these is Roger Sheringham, Berkley's series character across ten novels, an amateur detective attending the party who messes with the case and seemingly views the police investigator as his nemesis. While I found Sheringham, with his know-it-all attitude, to be as unlikable as the victim, the twists and turns of the investigation kept me glued to the story. This is ultimately more of a "whydunit" than a "whodunit," because the perpetrator is seemingly revealed early in the action, but the reader should be prepared for surprises that won't disappoint. The reprints in this excellent series continue to delight.

Note: I was pleased to receive an advance review copy from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.

Although there is a twist at the very end, this mystery is more concerned with attempts by the protagonist to construct a case for suicide than with finding the murderer. It's a unique spin on a mystery, as one would expect from Berkeley.

What started out as a party in costume - everyone had to come as some sort of criminal
or a detective. It was meant to be a fun evening of camaraderie amongst a closely linked
bunch of friends. All of whom knew each other. One was a famous writer of what else - mystery murders and the party got off very well.

One woman however was not happy. She wanted attentiin, she was unhappy if others were happy
and she felt unimportant. Everyone was very aware that she was spoiling for a fight and talking
to all that she wanted to kill herself, going on and on and it was hardly a surprise
when she turned up dead, hanging at the end of a rope on the top balcony of the house.


Our famous author however at the onset knew this was murder but was determined that the
initial verdict of suicide be upheld. The woman was vicious and created misery around her
so a joint effort had to be made to keep their stories straight with the Police. Each person
suspected another , all declaring themselves innocent.

Funny in parts, really laughable at the very end, this was planning at its best

Roger Sheringham is back in this brilliantly weird and utterly unconventional whodunit centered around the welcomed death of a truly detestable young lady during a hilarious themed party where many guests get merrily boozed up and most of them would love to see the despicable young woman dead. What ensues is a really darkly funny romp where various disingenuous and rather cynical suspects end up running around the crime scene like headless chickens while collectively concocting an outrageous story of intentional death by suicide....

I simply loved this twisted mystery with its dazzling dialogues and its terrific cast of exquisitely drawn characters! A delicious British head-scratcher that deserves to be discovered and enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!

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

This wasn't quiet as much of a murder mystery than I thought it would be, but more a story about a moral dilemma: Can murder be justified? The novel was originally written in the 30s, where people were still hanged for commiting murder and since the victim of the story was objectively a terrible person, the question is whether or not someone should be hanged for "doing the world a favor". The murderer gets revealed relatively early on into the story, but they're also clearly not the worst person in the story. Also, the story is by no means boring after that inital reveal and the ending was definitely unexpected by me.

A party of morally derelict friends and acquaintances meet to enjoy an evening of murderous remembrances. Then – they are faced with the real thing. What will they do?
It’s unique, in my reading experience anyway. The author casts his hero very conventionally. Then promptly pulls all sorts of nasty little tricks on him. It gives you an enjoyable feeling of superiority through the whole book. Be careful, though, you might just be the subject of one of those nasty little tricks yourself. It was also funny in a macabre Wodehousian sort of way. All the characters, the hero particularly, seem intent on complicating matters for themselves and the poor police by lying continually. All the characters actively approve of the various affairs going on, lie, and condone much worse. They give you the feeling that just about anything is permissible or probably in this little party of murder enthusiasts.
Still, for a book in which no-one does anything laudable, it was enjoyable. There were a couple curse words.
I received this as a free ARC from Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley. No favorable review was required. It was my pleasure to provide my honest opinions.

Oooh, such a great classic mystery!! This is that perfect curl-up under a blanket in front of a fire book. The mystery itself is phenomenal. This is an absolute slam dunk for my next mystery book club pick. The library will be purchasing a copy.

When Roger Sheringham attends a 'murder' party in the country, as a criminal fiction writer he finds the pretend gallows rather 'charming'! He enjoys himself watching all the different characters there in costume as murderers or victims. However, everyone finds Ena Stratton either irritating or 'nuts' or both, and when she is murdered, Roger wants to study the investigation. However, he begins to find himself at the centre of it...

This may be a bit macabre for the liking of some readers, but Roger is a sympathetic, likeable character, and it's a clever and fast-paced murder mystery, which keeps you interested. Some of the author's attitudes to women won't go down well with today's readers. One character, a doctor, even wishes that he could put Ena into an asylu,m, and others think that she needs a 'good beating' fr,om her husband! You have to keep in mind that this was published in 1933.. It's modern in some other respects, though - the author was understanding towards divorce, for example.

I will certainly read more of Anthony Berkeley's novels. I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Jumping Jenny, like jumping jack, pops out of a box to surprise everyone. In this case, Mrs. Stratton surprises everyone by being murdered at a murder party. This is the ninth mystery for Anthony Blakeley’s supersleuth Roger Sheringham. In honor of Sheringham’s Holmesian talents, his friend Ronald Stratton hosted a murder party where everyone came dressed as famous murderers and victims. To add to the sense of the macabre, he had a gallows placed on the roof terrace with three straw characters, two men and one woman, two Jacks and a Jenny.

During the party, Ena Stratton, wife of the host’s brother, insists on being the center of attention, casually dropping extortionate threats and generally being an awful woman. Her husband wants desperately to divorce her and anyone with a heart would want the same for him. And then she was murdered, hanging where the straw Jenny had been. And when the police come, they find a house full of murderers – at least in costume.



Jumping Jenny is a satisfying mystery and scrupulously fair and yet, I was surprised in the end. It’s rare when I am surprised when the mystery is fair. Surprises usually come with a few of those reports of results from some outside inquiry that the detective reads, says aha, and goes on without readers learning of them until the climax when the detective uses the results to solve the murder. That does not happen.

I liked Jumping Jenny. It works as a comedy of manners as much as a mystery. The party guests were so determined to be arch and sophisticated, even in the face of murder. It was a sight to see, or rather, to read. I should point out, though, the Berkeley paints the scene with his words so well, that readers will be able to see the scene perfectly well. I definitely want to read more in this series.

Jumping Jenny will be published January 17th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

Jumping Jenny at ABE Books from Poisoned Pen Press at Sourcebooks
Anthony Berkeley on Wikipedia

Anthony Berkeley was a popular and well-known author in the Gold Age of Mysteries. His detective was Roger Sheringham and this is the ninth installment of the series. It is a bit dated, but it was published ninety years ago, so that is understandable and expected.

This mystery is unusual in that the reader knows the killer before the characters in the story do. The fun in this book is watching the police and Sheringham try to figure out "whodunit." I enjoyed seeing Sheringham make a fool of himself trying to make the murder of a highly unpleasant woman into what would look like a suicide, thus ending up throwing suspicion on himself.

This was a fun book to read. I usually enjoy Golden Age books; they were before my time, but not so very long before that I did not know the sorts of people one finds in them. I am glad of the many reissues these days, including this one, and I recommend it to all mystery lovers.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Written in 1933 this Golden Age Classic is #9 of 10 in the series featuring Roger Sheringham. Keep that in mind as you read a very well done inverted murder mystery. Ena is the victim and as the victim none of her fellow party goers as sorry she's dead. She came to a fancy dress party with a homicidal theme - come as a famous murderer (Jack the Ripper, Crippin, etc) or a murder victim. She ended up as the "jumping Jenny" next to a pair of "jumping Jacks" hanging from the specially erected gallows, a strange party decoration, certainly.
The reader knows who did the deed but the story revolves around the fact that the party attendees are all known to Roger and he wants this to be ruled a suicide so none of his friends will hang for the crime. His moral compass is out of whack and he sets out to tamper with evidence to fit his theory of suicide. But, in doing so, he messes it up to the extent that he becomes a prime suspect. It would serve him right to be hauled away by the coppers.
This is a very entertaining read but with this warning - it was written in 1933 and the male attitude towards poor Ena is offensive by our standards today. The men felt sorry for her husband (who was having an affair and wanted her committed) and sone even thought that a sound thrashing by said husband would do the trick. Set that aside and enjoy the twists and turns thanks to Roger. It is a book of its time and a very good mystery.
My thanks to the publisher Poisoned Pen Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

"A mystery dinner theater party thrown by local author with a taste "for rather gruesome humor" requires guests come dressed as infamous killers - Jack the Ripper, Dr. Crippen, and the like. Whatever could go wrong?

Know-it-all amateur criminologist Roger Sheringham settles in for an evening of beer, small talk, and analyzing his companions. Ena Stratton, the host's sister-in-law, catches his attention. Her erratic mood swings and loud, gossipy talk is winning her more than a few enemies amongst the guests. When she's found dead, it's clear that one of the partygoers helped her to an early grave.

Noticing a key detail that could implicate a friend in the crime, Sheringham decides to meddle with the scene and unwittingly makes himself a suspect.

Tightly paced and cleverly defying the conventions of the classic detective story, Anthony Berkeley's dark sense of humor and taste for the macabre drive this 1933 classic.

This edition includes an introduction by CWA Diamond Dagger and Edgar ® Award-winning author Martin Edwards."

I read the first two Roger Sheringham mysteries years ago when I was on a Golden Age kick and I simply adored them. I love that Poisoned Pen Press is re-releasing these classics with lovely covers. I want them all!

Looking at the date this book was first published I see that it is celebrating its ninetieth anniversary this year, a very good year for it to be republished!

This is my second book by this author featuring Roger Sheringham who is famous for his detecting skills. Unfortunately for him his skills do not show up well in this story where he makes quite a few wrong assumptions, knowingly destroys evidence, and almost gets himself arrested for committing the crime. The reader on the other hand knows who dunnit and can afford to smile while Sheringham digs himself deeper and deeper into trouble.

After all the debating and rushing around trying to make the evidence match the crime, most of this revolving around a certain chair, the author manages to surprise both Sheringham and the reader right at the end. Classic Golden Age crime, beautifully written, the book is dated of course but still charming and fun to read.

I find reading these republished Golden Age mysteries a bit of a crapshoot. Some are terrific, others just okay, and still other pretty awful. Jumping Jenny falls between terrific and okay.

The story is inflated with too many characters, many having the same or similar names, which requires the reader to really pay attention. The language is a bit too “I say, old boy” for me and the book is mostly dialogue versus description, which can be hard to follow, especially when there are similar character names.

Depsite that, the surprising twist at the end makes the time spent in reading this worthwhile.

This will appeal to mystery readers who like their stories complicated and chatty.

A classic mystery that starts out as a party that is a bit odd. I mean, who hangs scarecrows from gallows as decorations. Anyways, later on, one is no longer just a scarecrow, but a body.

I liked the layout and flow of this mystery in a sense that it looked at many of the characters individually on how they may be the murderer. In the end, it really came down to being suicide or not.

The struggle I had with this book was keeping track of all of the characters. Many had similar names to others, so I kept getting confused. This book is also mostly dialog, but I think it could have used more scene descriptions in some parts to be more effective.

I enjoyed it overall including the fun little twist explained at the end.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ebook for my honest review.

Anthony Berkeley’s Jumping Jenny was first published in 1933. Ena Stratton is a horrible mean drunkard of a woman. She lies and she’s spiteful. It’s no wonder, really, that she is found hanged when she attends a party that has a gibbet on the roof with three straw-filled dummy corpses. The question is: who did it? No one who knew Ena really thinks she killed herself, even though that is the apparent situation as seen by the police.

Berkeley’s series investigator, Roger Sheringham, thinks that her husband, David, did it and tries to protect him, unfortunately digging a deeper and deeper hole as he does so. There are thus two strands to the novel: the humorous one that makes us cringe as we see what Roger tries to do next; and Berkeley’s very clever one as we’re gently allowed to catch one red herring after another. The beautiful thing is that we know what happened: Berkeley shows us in Chapter IV… Or do we? We shout at Sheringham “That’s it! They did it!”, yet the very last sentence of the book caught me unawares. That’s the great thing about Berkeley: he wanted to experiment. The reader seizes the comfortable solution because that’s what we humans do: we opt to believe things that reinforce what we think we know. We might be wildly, wildly wrong but we will believe anything and anybody that reinforces our opinions, rather than carefully listening to an alternative point of view. And yes, there probably are lessons for us there, regarding our political beliefs over the last ten years.

The book is not an unalloyed pleasure because Berkeley makes Sheringham annoy us (because then we’re wound up and so we don’t carefully consider the evidence). Yes, I got annoyed; no, I didn’t think about it carefully; yes, I was staggered by the ending. Did Berkeley play by the rules and show us everything? Hmmm… Did he hide anything? No, I’m pretty sure he didn’t.

This is such a well-written book!

I love the books fro this era, and I enjoy book by Anthony Berkeley - they really have a sense of unraveling a great mystery through the characters within the book. This book has all that, but I found it a little hard to get involved in the story - my investment was muddled and a little repetitive. But I loved the ending, it was definitely well worth the investment.
Thanks you NetGalley and the publishers for the DRC