Murder in the Falling Snow: Ten Classic Crime Stories (Vintage Murders)

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Another entry in the entertaining Lady Eleanor Swift series. Ellie was a worldwide adventuress and traveler before inheriting her uncle's estate and settling down in the British countryside. She doesn't much conform to society's idea of a Lady, but she is smart and good-hearted and determined and she is easy to like. Assisted by her late uncle's servant/friend Clifford, she keeps getting embroiled in mysterious murders. For his part, the deceptively astute Father Brown teams up with gentleman thief Flambeau and attempts to unravel the truth behind the death of General Sir Arthur St Clare in GK Chesterton’s The Sign of the Broken Sword. While the fact that the general met his death in Brazil during his regiment’s infamous last stand against the forces of President Olivier is well known, Father Brown suspects there was something more to it. The motivation behind his decision to dig up the past is never really made clear, but his wordy recitation of the gathered evidence to Flambeau allows a sense to dread and intrigue to build throughout what is otherwise a fairly passive investigation. As we progress through the mystery though, the stakes get higher for this one than for any of the other mysteries that Eleanor's solved so far--and yes, that is apparently possible, considering that Eleanor herself was a suspect earlier on, and you'd think that that's the highest that stakes could be, but N-O-P-E!--and therefore by the end everything is WAYYYYY more compelling at the beginning. I also adore the supporting cast of charaters who surround Lady Swift. Especially Clifford the loyal butler, but all the people at the estate Elena's inherited from her uncle are fun and likable. And Gladstone the bulldog, well I just adore him!! The dog has some absolutely adorable scenes in every book and since my family had a bulldog too, that is one of my favourite things about this series. With Clifford by her side, Lady Swift set to with her trusty notebook and pen, and the two bounced theories, questions and ideas off one another while travelling in the Rolls as well as drinking tea at the Hall. But was it too difficult this time around? Was the murderer too clever? After all, Lady Swift had been embroiled in three previous murders – she was slightly over the horrors of murder.

Other famous folk popping up here include Dorothy L Sayers, Julian Symons, Arthur Conan Doyle (yes, it’s a Holmes and Watson story, ‘The Adventure of the Abbey Grange’) and GK Chesterton. But this was minor. The plot was interesting and the pace was adequate. There was a substantial amount of local colour, from archaeology through to joining the local hunt, and enough action to keep my attention. It’s only the afternoon, but dusk is already falling and a log fire burning in the grate. Outside, frost coats the tree branches and snow sparkles on the ground. And somewhere in the darkness, a murderer is making plans …Here are ten classic crime stories for the winter months, from the greatest minds of the mystery genre. So bundle up, grab a glass of mulled wine, and get ready to be puzzled, astonished and entertained by these festive stories of murder and mayhem. Murder in the Falling Snow: Ten Stories by Dorothy L. Sayers – eBook Details It probably will be,’ said the Chief Constable, who, beneath a curmudgeonly manner, cherished an affection for Mrs Bradley’s gifts and was rather put out of countenance at what seemed to be her negative results in this particular case.

Born in Cowley, Oxford, in 1901, Gladys Maude Winifred Mitchell was the daughter of market gardener James Mitchell, and his wife, Annie. Perfect for a trivia night or a long trip, #TrainTeasers will both test your knowledge of this country`s rail system and enlighten you on the most colourful aspects of its long history. Meet trunk murderers, trainspotters, haters of railways, railway writers, Ministers for Transport good and bad, railway cats, dogs and a railway penguin. This is NOT a book for number-crunching nerds. Many of the answers are guessable by the intelligent reader. It is a quiz, yes, but also a cavalcade of historical incident and colour relating to a system that was the making of modern Britain.

And, not to mention, the ending pretty much leaves it open for another important mystery to be solved, though of course the mystery in question might either be solved in the next book or over the course of several of the next books in the series.

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I enjoyed reading about Eleanor's yuletide activities along with her amateur sleuthing. She and Clifford are a great pair and their interaction is often hilarious. She's a fun character and I had no problems following along even though I missed the third in the series. I am looking forward to the next installment. May your holidays be merry and bright -- and healthy. The real pleasure in the novel comes from Lady Eleanor’s character and her relationship with her butler, Clifford as he’s more minder and mentor than butler. It is a fun relationship with amusing dialogue and situations. Those eyes could melt a nun trapped in a glacier… I just meant that I can see why Canning did so well with the ladies, if all the stories are true. Not my type, but I can imagine in his day, Canning was quite the fox women would have howled at the moon over. Unlike with the British Library books, there are no short profiles of each author here which, although I do find those interesting, I didn’t particularly miss. I would, however, have liked to have known when each tale was originally published, which seems like a simple thing to have been added. If that that bears all things bears thee,’ quoted Mrs Bradley in solemn and sonorous Greek, ‘bear thou and be borne.’

This tome contains 10 titles by some great names. I’m particularly pleased to see Edgar Wallace among them. Although a massive, bestselling author at one point, with a series of 47 rather good B movies adapted from his books between 1960 and 1965, he’s since fallen out of favour. “Impressive” PDF / EPUB File Name: Murder_in_the_Falling_Snow_-_Cecily_Gayford.pdf, Murder_in_the_Falling_Snow_-_Cecily_Gayford.epub Mr. Canning is a curmudgeon, he's mean, nasty, selfish and doesn't give a care about anyone or what anyone else thinks. His actions in the past have been horrendous, yet he didn't deserve to be murdered. He's not quite a two-dimensional character. Something Ellie said resonated with him and made him pause to think. It also gave me an idea of what happened.Next the vicar is taken ill with what looks like poison and Eleanor starts to wonder if the two cases are linked. When someone tries to frame her by planting poisoned berries in her own kitchen, she knows speed is of the essence. But the entire village was at Henley Hall for the festivities and Eleanor has enough suspects to stuff a town full of turkeys. Can she nail the true killer and clear her name in time for Christmas? It's a bit difficult to judge what time period this book is set in, though I would probably have to say the late 1940s or early 1950s. The style of writing is also very much of this period, and it took some getting used to, I have to admit.

Returning characters include Lord and Lady Langham and Lancelot. I do not like Lancelot. He's still too childish for Ellie and as she notes, he doesn't understand why she was so offended by his behavior at the debate. His parents are nice but I think they wouldn't understand either. They spoil him. Their friends are also there at their New Year's party. The Dowager Countess is still nasty, Cora seems OK, Baron Ashley and his wife are sweet but the other couple are still sour. There wasn't much of them in this book. I liked seeing more of the villagers instead. There is much to like about Murder in the Snow (originally published as Groaning Spinney), most of all I loved the scene setting: Mrs Bradley visits her nephew and his new wife for the Christmas holidays in the Cotswolds and just as they settle in, the snow begins to fall. And keeps on falling, cutting off the village community from the outside world. As the snowfall stops and roads begin to clear, a body is discovered. I had no idea Christmas Day could be so exhausting… And I thought being a Lady of the Manor was all about languishing on chaise lounges and chiding the tradesmen! Ellie’s character just keeps getting better and better. She’s strong, intelligent, helpful, down to earth and with a clever sense of humor. Now she’s more mature than when we first met her but without losing an ounce of charm. Her relationship with Clifford is one of love and mutual respect and they make a formidable team, both in and out of the investigation. It was nice to see how the other members of the household had a more important role in the story and I loved the little glimpse into her uncle’s past and how it linked with the current investigation. Lady Swift is wonderful. She's smart and spunky, kind and determined, and I love that she is also independant. She gets herself into trouble, but she very often also gets herself OUT of trouble too. The fact that she's a strong woman who can take care of herself is a big draw for me.

Collections of such tales featuring authors from the Golden Age of Crime are not uncommon. The British Library’s Crime Classics series includes a variety of novels as well as a couple of short story collections edited by Martin Edwards. Renowned editor, literary researcher and anthologist Richard Dalby also released his take on the genre with 1991’s Crime for Christmas. She earned an external diploma in European history from University College in 1926, beginning to write her novels at this point. Mitchell went on to teach at a number of other schools, including the Brentford Senior Girls School (1941-50), and the Matthew Arnold School, Staines (1953-61). She retired to Corfe Mullen, Dorset in 1961, where she lived until her death in 1983. Also, on a non-mystery related note in terms of the story, I'm surprised that Eleanor is already starting to move more towards a relationship with DCI Seldon this early on in the series, but, as I'm rooting for them regardless, I can't say that I'm disappointed with this decision!. I decided to try one last time, with a much later book, the twenty-third in the series, originally published as "Groaning Spinney" but cleverly re-titled as "Murder In The Snow - a Cotswold Christmas Mystery", which points it firmly at the Christmas cosy mystery market.