by Benedict Brown (Author), George Blagden (Narrator), Heathdene Books (Publisher)

An Audiobook Review by Jackie Houchin

   As with the other 4 Lord Edgington Investigates books I’ve read, I loved THE MYSTERY OF MISTLETOE HALL. The characters are great, of course – 75 year old L. Edgington and his grandson, the now 17 year old Christopher (often called Chrissy to his dismay), as well as other family members and the serving staff. I look forward to the scenes that include the chauffeur, butler, footman, maid, and cook!  The mystery is as tangled as ever,  .

This book is like Agatha Christy’s “And Then There Were None” in that Edgington, his family and staff, and 8 (surprising) others are invited to Mistletoe Hall for a Christmas holiday. Problem is, the house, though warm and ready for guests, is empty and the old gent is dead. With a record snow and more storms coming they are all basically stuck inside with a killer among them.

Edgington and Chrissy struggle to find the murderous villain before they are all picked off. It’s a tough task – most of the guests are lying!  If only they could come up with the reason why these particular people were invited…

Among the clues and actions, Benedict Brown “decorates” the story with food, songs, famous books, and traditions from the 1920’s, Glimpses of real places and celebrations are woven into the plot too. The result is a rich, fun read that leaves me immediately searching for the next in the series.

And finally, Brown adds an Author’s Note at the end of his books that is easily a chapter in length. I’ve come to look forward to these “here’s how and why it happened” additions almost as much as the story’s denouement. Keep them coming!

Four solid stars

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