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The Curse of Braeburn Castle

2019, Karen Baugh Menuhin

4.8/5

This is the third in what I hope will be an extended mystery series. The main character is a delight, the other characters, recurring or one-time ones, are quirky and fun to read about, the writing is good, the tone is wryly humorous, and the overall coziness of each book makes for a lovely, satisfying read.These books have been described as being "Agatha Christie meets P.G. Wodehouse" in style and that is an apt description. They take place in the 1920s just a year or so after the end of the Great War and are little slice-of-life stories, somewhat like a comedy of manners with murders, shall we say. The main character, Major Heathcliff Lennox (but do not call him Heathcliff, please) was a pilot in the war and his butler Greggs, with whom he has an entertaining and humorous relationship, was his batman then.Now back home, Lennox is having a bit of an adjustment to civilian life, preferring solitary activities such as fishing or walking his dog, Mr. Fogg (aka Foggy) in the countryside around his slowly declining estate. He does bestir himself to attend family functions and, beginning with Book 1, in which he visits his uncle, encounters several dead bodies, and is suspected of being a murderer, soon finds that solving mysteries is something that interests him.That's fortunate, because dead bodies seem to follow him around wherever he goes. And I've been following Lennox around ever since that first book. This third one begins with his newly-married friend, ex-detective Swift (the man who suspected him of murder in Book #1) asking him to come to Braeburn Castle to help with the discovery of a centuries-old skeleton. The skeleton had been wearing a gold crown embedded with jewels, but that crown, along with the skeleton's head, has gone missing.Where is the crown? Did the group of archaeologists who arrived after learning of the skeleton's discovery have anything to do with its theft? So Lennox shows up to help Swift out, and wouldn't you know it but fresh dead bodies start appearing.This review is actually a review of the three-book (so far) series by Menuhin: Murder at Melrose Court: A Country House Christmas Murder, The Black Cat Murders: A Cotswolds Country House Murder, and this one. I have enjoyed all three. They are the coziest cozies I've ever read, I believe. The hero Lennox (do NOT call him Heathcliff) is quite an appealing guy. Especially appealing is his relationship with his dog Mr. Fogg, with his newly-adopted kitten (in Book #2) Mr. Tubbs, and with his batman-butler Greggs.Lennox is not, at times, very socially adept, especially around women, but anyone who is so loving to his animals (Mr. Tubbs goes on the walks with Mr. Fogg in Lennox's pocket) deserves to find some peace and happiness after his service in the Great War. Too bad so many bodies end up in his way, but then he seems to enjoy solving the mysteries. And there's a hint of romance for him in this third book, to be continued in the upcoming fourth installment.
Picture of a book: The Curse of Braeburn Castle

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