The book was archived before our group could download it. We are sure that we would have enjoyed the book judging from the reviews it has received.

Interesting tale set in a country estate in England. I must admit that the author, J Jefferson Farjeon, was unknown to me, but I liked the story a lot. Typical style of the 20s and 30s, with a wide variety of characters, a sinister event or two or three, and the police detectives. I enjoy reading these books by authors less known today, and a style different as well. Highly recommend the story, and look forward to reading more by this author.

A fun example of the 1930s country house murder mystery. There was an entertaining range of characters among the thirteen guests and things rattled along nicely. A good addition to the series.

A bracing and non-stereotypical country house murder additionally enlivened by some truly fantastic writing. On the minus side there's a bit of vagueness and stilted dialogue in the central, or central-ish, love story which is irritating (and the usual nonsense of falling in love after interacting for a smooth 45 minutes spread over 3 days) and some serious fiddly-bits with regard to the crime timeline that I still don't fully buy. On the whole, however, this is a strong recommend, especially for "weekend party" genre fans.

A complex story with many characters. loved this. Took a while to get into it but then it was fun.

An excellent example of classic British crime fiction especially the country house mystery filled with posh guests and fantastic meals.

Farjeon Enjoyed A "...Deserved Popularity for Ingenious and Entertaining Plots and Characterization".

That little bit above, quoted from Farjeon's 1955 Times obituary, sums up quite nicely the impression with which one is left after reading this classic. The author of over 80 books, and brother of beloved children's author Eleanor, Farjeon had a special and memorable touch with characters and dialogue, and his role in introducing romance to the detective/crime genre should not be overlooked.

This book is a fine introduction to Farjeon's style and method. Great care is taken at the outset to introduce us, one by one, to the guests who have gathered at Bagley Court. There are conflicts, secrets, confrontations, tensions, and then...murder. From there we meet Inspector Kendall, a shrewd Columbo style inspector, who questions the guests and pieces together the puzzle. Finally, in the form of Kendall's report, we get the big reveal, and then some supplemental reveals. There are mysteries within mysteries, and the resolution is satisfying, if not earthshaking.

There is a bit of romance between accidental guest John Foss and an attractive and dangerous female guest. There are numerous funny, pointed, or ironic conversations among the guests, and exactly the proper country house atmosphere. Inspector Kendall is a subtle and observant interrogator and his clever handling of individual guests is particularly entertaining.

Lots of these "classic" crime books are distinguished only by their convoluted plots, or only by some signature character or investigator. To me, the appeal of this book is that across the board Farjeon delivers - the early scenes by which the guests are introduced are just as interesting, (if you like a lot of setup), as the actual mystery. The jousting between the two romancers is a bit prim, but still clever and engaging. As a consequence, the entire read ends up satisfying and enjoyable. A nice find.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)