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A review by lavanda4
A Trace of Poison by Colleen Cambridge
5.0
The second in the Golden Era Phyllida Bright series, upstairs/downstairs A Trace of Poison brims with wit, fun, banter and delectable murder. It is every bit as delightful as the first...what a pleasure to get lost in! The mystery itself is bendy but the mostly eccentric characters are equally interesting. There are quite a few but author Colleen Cambridge lists them in the front.
Atmospheric Mallowan Hall is Agatha Christie's home where she resides with her husband Max and the setting for much of the story. Her cunning housekeeper Phyllida Bright has been her friend since they served together in the war and is now housekeeper and amateur sleuth with an eye for detail, a healthy interest in murder and clever inveigling skills. Her medical knowledge and sharp intelligence place her in good stead to investigate a poisoning, along with Christie's uncanny quiet brilliance and pharmaceutical background. However, not all the staff feel the same way.
Detection Club members including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, G. K. Chesterton and Anthony Berkeley as well as a plethora of others were startled (well, most of them were) to be on hand during a murder during a fundraiser cocktail party. Quick-thinking Phyllida snaps into sleuth mode immediately but encounters red herrings and obstacles as not everything is as it seems. Some characters are shadowy and mysterious, others are in the forefront and honest. Or are they?
Intrigued? Fans of Historical Fiction, Golden Era Mysteries and especially Agatha Christie, it would be a shame to miss this arresting series. I am besotted with the historical Detection Club and most of my favourite authors were part of it at some point. This book is a beautiful nod to them. I love how the authors all felt their fictional detectives were wonderful and real. My imagination pictures fictional characters, too, and Poirot, Marple, Wimsey and Holmes (and scores of others) are very real.
My sincere thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this refreshingly bright book. I am very curious about the third in the series. And the fourth...and the fifth...
Atmospheric Mallowan Hall is Agatha Christie's home where she resides with her husband Max and the setting for much of the story. Her cunning housekeeper Phyllida Bright has been her friend since they served together in the war and is now housekeeper and amateur sleuth with an eye for detail, a healthy interest in murder and clever inveigling skills. Her medical knowledge and sharp intelligence place her in good stead to investigate a poisoning, along with Christie's uncanny quiet brilliance and pharmaceutical background. However, not all the staff feel the same way.
Detection Club members including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, G. K. Chesterton and Anthony Berkeley as well as a plethora of others were startled (well, most of them were) to be on hand during a murder during a fundraiser cocktail party. Quick-thinking Phyllida snaps into sleuth mode immediately but encounters red herrings and obstacles as not everything is as it seems. Some characters are shadowy and mysterious, others are in the forefront and honest. Or are they?
Intrigued? Fans of Historical Fiction, Golden Era Mysteries and especially Agatha Christie, it would be a shame to miss this arresting series. I am besotted with the historical Detection Club and most of my favourite authors were part of it at some point. This book is a beautiful nod to them. I love how the authors all felt their fictional detectives were wonderful and real. My imagination pictures fictional characters, too, and Poirot, Marple, Wimsey and Holmes (and scores of others) are very real.
My sincere thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this refreshingly bright book. I am very curious about the third in the series. And the fourth...and the fifth...