Mostly Murders

A True Crime Podcast-style Book Review

Early morning, Warmsley Parva village in England. Edwina Davenport sits in front of her typewriter, fingers poised right above the keys. The house is quiet around her, a rare bliss in a household consisting of an American adventuress, a nosy gardener, a stern housekeeper, Crumpet the dog, and Edwina herself. Edwina sighs, stretches, and places her hands on the keys of the typewriter once more, waiting for inspiration to strike.

Welcome to Mostlymurders, the bookstagram account where we look at fictional murders and ask ourselves a very important question: is this worth reading? I am your host Mostly, and I am joined here by my good friend Book. Today we are looking at Murder in an English Glade, book 5 in the Beryl and Edwina Mystery series.

Mostly: This one begins with a bit of domestic trouble at the Beeches, home of Edwina and Beryl. The household has recently been expanded to include Beddoes, a most efficient and conservative housekeeper who holds to strict norms for proper conduct and is mortally offended by Beryl’s unconventional ideas of wanting to help with the housework.

Book: Seems like a silly thing to get mad about. I would love it if people wanted to do my job for me!

Mostly: We probably all would, but things were different back in the early nineteen twenties. To Beddoes, the idea of someone helping her, seems like a not very subtle form of critique. In her mind, a member of the household would never stoop to helping a servant, unless that servant was absolutely terrible at their job. Anyway, Beryl accidentally offends Beddoes, and as a result, Edwina and Beryl jump at the chance when they are commissioned by Constance Maitland to come and stay at Maitland Park while the manor is hosting both an artist’s colony for painters and a local group of Girl Guides earning badges in sewing, first aid, jam making, etc.

Book: It is a bit of a strange commission, isn’t it?

Mostly: It is. Constance is asking them to pretend to investigate her sister-in-law, Ursula, as her cousin Cressida, a member of the Maitland household, is convinced that Ursula is having an affair. Constance is convinced of Ursula’s innocence but feels that nothing short of an investigation will convince Cressida.

Book: And that is when the fun begins! Edwina and Beryl have to come up with undercover stories, so Edwina ends up having to pose as an artist’s model, and Beryl has to pretend to be a Girl Guides expert!

Mostly: Yes, both of our intrepid sleuths are quite out of their comfort zones with this one. Edwina would normally never dream of putting herself forward like that, and dealing with children is one of the few things that can shake Beryl’s normally rock-solid confidence.

Book: And it’s not just any artist Edwina has to pose for! It’s Charles! Boring, predictable, stable Charles has been invited to the artist colony and is experimenting with new colours and styles!

Mostly: He is, and this means that Edwina gets to see a new side of him. Unfortunately, she also gets to see an example of plein air nude painting as she arrives at Maitland Park, greatly shocking her delicate and somewhat prim sensibilities. And then, a murder occurs, Constable Gibbs shows up, and Edwina and Beryl are hired to conduct a real murder investigation instead of the sham infidelity case they originally agreed to.

Book: Phew, it gets a bit complicated there with the fake investigation of something turned into a real investigation of something else.

Mostly: True, but not too complicated, I don’t think. I actually quite liked the setup of this one. I’ve read lots of historical mysteries set in a rich mansion, and the problem with that scenario is that you end up with a rather limited and often very similar cast of characters. Hosting an artist’s colony and Girl Guides at the manor opens up for a much wider range of potential suspects and witnesses and adds variety to the story.

Book: My favourite part of this one is the relationship between Edwina and Beryl. They really are best friends and complement each other perfectly.

Mostly: They really do! Their personalities are quite different, and because of that, they have different strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to divide and conquer in a way that two very similar characters or one single sleuth, simply wouldn’t be able to. Edwina is perfectly equipped to handle situations and people who require tact and subtlety, and Beryl is perfect whenever boldness and directness are needed.

Book: It’s like you and me, Mostly! I’m Beryl, fun and fabulous, and you’re…

Mostly: Careful now, Book…

Book:… You’re the clever and responsible one.

Mostly: Okay, I can live with that! And that is all we have time for today. Thank you so much for tuning in, and we’ll see you next time for more murders and reviews!

Cozy mystery – Historical mystery – Historical fiction