Description from the back of the book:
Duchlan Castle is a gloomy, forbidding place in the Scottish Highlands. Late one night the body of Mary Gregor, sister of the laird of Duchlan, is found in the castle. She has been stabbed to death in her bedroom -- but the room is locked from within and the windows are barred. The only tiny clue to the culprit is a silver fish's scale, left on the floor next to Mary's body. Inspector Dundas is dispatched to Duchlan to investigate the case. The Gregor family and their servants are quick -- perhaps too quick -- to explain that Mary was a kind and charitable woman.
An amateur sleuth, Dr. Eustace Hailey, is visiting in the area, and because of his reputation with solving crimes, was called in before Inspector Dundas arrived to check out the body and the scene of the crime. Dundas is not happy with that situation and does not wish to work on the crime with anyone else. Yet he doesn't make much progress with his investigation, and irritates the family and the people who live in the surrounding area. Eventually he changes his mind and asks Dr. Hailey for his help.
From the first, the victim is presented as a saintly woman who was always trying to help people and was loved by all. Eventually this is debunked as the depth of the toxic family relationship between the laird of Duchlan and his sister Mary, and the younger members of the family, the Laird's son, his wife, and their young son, is revealed bit by bit.
Most of the book focuses on the locked-room aspect, which is one of the problems I have with some locked-room stories. The search for the answer to who could have done the crime and who had the motivation, plus how the murderer could get into and out of the locked room, seemed very repetitive.
Although I had a negative attitude about reading this book when I found out that it was a locked-room mystery, I did not regret reading it. I would even read another in the Aubrey Heiling series if I could find one. There were some good points. I enjoyed the setting in a castle in Scotland in the early 1930s. The solution at the end was a big surprise to me and there was more variety than I realized because of the contrasting of the varied approaches and the skills used by the sleuths, both from the police and the amateur sleuth. Also, it has a gorgeous cover.
16 comments:
There have been so many locked room mysteries and I am always more interested in who the killer is and why they did it rather than how they got out of the locked room. But this book sounds like its worth a try.
It's too bad there is much repetition over the locked room aspect. Repetition can drive readers like me a bit nuts. But it's good it has other things to offer -- like the woman wasn't too saintly after all .... and that cover is very alluring.
That really is a beautiful cover, Tracy. And I like the Scottish setting. The house itself seems eerie, maybe because of the dysfunction, and I've found that that sort of setting is effective for building tension. The locked room aspect isn't for everyone, and you're right that authors can spend too much time on it. But it does sound like an interesting mystery.
Most of these BL crime releases do have wonderful covers. (I like the sci-fi ones, too) This one is especially nice. I've enjoyed many locked room mysteries, but so often they feel contrived in order to solve the crime. I'd still be willing to give this one a shot.
This sounds fun and I love the cover although doubt a ship that size could be so close to the castle!
Kathy, I do think that this book is worth a try. I read a lot of reviews where the book was praised highly, and even readers with some negative thoughts on the book said it was worth reading.
I do love that castle on the cover! And I'm always drawn to books set in Scotland. I think I'll see if my library has a copy. :D
Susan, it seems to be mostly in early mystery novels where the focus of the locked-room aspect, if it exists, gets too much of the focus (for me). A lot of readers then (and now) like the puzzle in the mystery plot to be primary. I like more emphasis on the characters. And the more current locked-room mysteries usually give an equal amount of attention to characters, motivation, and the puzzle.
Margot, I wish the author had spent more time on describing the inside of the castle, other than the bedroom that the woman was killed in. I learned some new words; in Scotland, a "burn" is a small river or stream. The castle was near to a small river which used to provide income for the surrounding area. There definitely was a spooky feeling.
Kelly, that is a good point, the solutions often seem contrived, after the sleuth(s) have spent so much time trying to figure them out. But the more I think about the book, appreciate the other points about the book and I don't regret reading it.
Constance, I did look at that cover a lot and I wondered how a boat of that size could be so close to the castle. I did try to find more information about the painting on the cover but could find nothing specific.
Lark, that castle is impressive. And so is the scenery. The setting in Scotland around that time was a plus.
I hope you have success in finding a copy.
I don’t really read mysteries to try and figure out who the killer is before the author makes their big reveal at the end. I suppose that’s why locked room mysteries have never really appealed to me. I more enjoy getting into the characters and their the various backstories as the author reveals them. Gotta say, though, this one does have a great cover. (Can’t remember the last time I figured out who the killer was before it was revealed, even though I’m much more aware now of how mystery writers construct their stories.)
Sam, I don't care that much about solving the mystery either; the characters and the setting are more interesting. But I always have the puzzle in mind because I like to figure out how the author is trying to fool the reader.
I love the setting of this one, so I'm going to see if my library has it.
Ryan, the setting is the best part of this book and I learned a good deal about Scotland at the time it was written. I hope your library has a copy. I have found another book on Kindle by this author to try.
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