He was one of those fortunate people who are able to take life lightly, who never worry over the future and who have a sense of humor sufficiently developed to enable them to look the present in the face and laugh at it. - Anthony Berkeley, The Wintringham Mystery
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The Wintringham Mystery is full of some of the most delightful characters I’ve come across yet. Stephen Munro has run out of money and is forced to take a job as a footman. His valet takes a job as gardener at the same house, and the exchange between them when Stephen finds out is quite funny.
As you’d expect, Stephen comes across people he knew in his old life almost immediately upon employment at the beginning of a house party. He meets a friend, but also Pauline, the woman he loves whom he hasn’t spoken to in some time, who is now engaged to someone else. This, of course, causes some instant friction as his friend wants to include him and his love is ignoring him.And then, Cicely disappears. Stephen and Pauline end up investigating the disappearance. And the ensuing murder. It’s twisty and confusing. The house full of people is both helpful and annoying. There are secrets, hidden spaces, connections between people… all the things you want in a great mystery.
The thing I loved best wasn’t anything to do with the mystery at all. In Chapter 11, there is the most glorious about-face I’ve ever read. I was laughing out loud and re-read the exchange between Stephen and his employer about half a dozen times. While the book was funny prior to that point, it just gets better afterward.
This was my first Berkely and what an introduction! When The Wintringham Mystery was first published, it was serialized as a contest to see who could solve the mystery. Famously, Agatha Christie did not. I, of course, didn’t either, but that’s no surprise.
In addition to the great, twisty mystery with all the country house party tropes, there are the wonderful characters which add quite a bit to the mystery. The humor is fantastic and definitely has a bit of a Wodehouse feel in some places.
Berkeley is excellent and I cannot wait to find some more of his books and dig in. He founded the Detection Club and wrote under his own name and an alias. He was a big name in the Golden Age of detective fiction and well worth reading if you can find him.
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