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The Affair of the 39 Cufflinks

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39 is a strangely provocative number. One of the great mystery/suspense classics of all time is "The Thirty-Nine Steps" by John Buchan. And then, one must also consider the great comedian, Jack Benny, who, having arrived at the age of 39, liked it so much, he stayed there for the next 39+ years, bless his heart.

James Anderson has once again adroitly combined mystery with comedy in his newest British country houseparty mystery novel, "The Affair of the 39 Cufflinks". Even after such a long hiatus from the first two books in the series-some twenty years or so-this one never misses a beat, picking up where the others left off-at Alderley, of course.

Alderley is a 17th Century Westshire stately home in the days when a stately home was still the family home; in this case the Earl and Countess of Burford (George and Lavinia) and their rather flapperish and head-strong daughter, Gerry.

Having suffered from 'unfortunate incidents' during two previous houseparties, the Earl is understandably hesitant to host any more such gatherings, but the death of an elderly cousin-by-marriage-the Honourable Mrs. Florrie Saunders-forces his hand. She is to be buried at Alderley, and as all the principal mourners are mentioned in her will, there is almost no way for them not to be invited to the house for a brief time afterwards.

Of course, plans are always made to go astray, and so they do. Clara, daughter-in-law of the deceased takes exception to the will, and declares her intention to reveal the secrets she knows about those present. She has, after all, been making a tidy living for herself using such tactics for some time now. Before she can do so, however, she is found in her bed. Murdered. Scattered around the floor of her room are-39 cufflinks. Why are they there? What do they mean? And why 39?

Fortunately for the Earl (and for the readers) Detective Chief Inspector Wilkins is assigned to the case, and carefully, painstakingly, he and his minions set out to resolve the riddle of the cufflinks. In the best tradition of the country house murder, each guest is thought to be the guilty one, only to be declared 'improbable' or 'incapable' or 'otherwise occupied' at the time in question, in spite of the finally-revealed 'secrets'.

Among the guests (a wonderfully eccentric stereotypical gathering) are Agatha and Dorothy, the step-daughters of the murdered Clara, and granddaughters of Florrie, plus four great nephews, one great niece and two great-great nieces. Among them are an MP, a King's Counsel and his empty-headed but beautiful blonde daughter, a Jeevesian type young man about town, reduced to selling motorcars to earn a living, a fashion editor from New York, come home to London to make her way, and of course-the Burfords, complete with butler, Merryweather.

Gracefully written, this intricately plotted homage to the two great doyennes of British mystery-Christie and Sayers-will tickle your funny-bone while engaging your little grey cells in this entertaining romp. We can but hope that the author will not make us wait so many years for our next visit to the wonderful Alderley.

The Earl and the Lady are cultured . . . and evidently cursed. Each time they have a house party, a house guest is murdered. The rumor stems from the Eighth Earl and the words of an angry gypsy. Curse or not, having guests in Alderley, his 17th-century county home, is far from the Earl's mind, until Aunt Florrie dies. With the funeral taking place on the property, the lawyer requests the use of Alderley to read the will. Much against the Earl's approval, a will reading turns into a stayover, and soon, a murder.

Aunt Florrie likes talking about her funeral plans with her companion, Jean. She has changed her will and knows her time is most likely near; after all, she's ninety-six. Florrie promises that everyone will be remembered in her will, in some way or another. Florrie also warns Jean not to conjure her up in a séance . . . although she believes it wouldn't take one for her to reappear at Alderley. It was one of the most exciting places she's visited. Someone who does reappear at Alderley is Detective Chief Inspector Wilkins, once a victim is found.

Anderson seems to be a perfectionist when it comes to setting up a mystery. In the first nine chapters, family members are brought up by the aunt, then the reader is updated on each member's life. It's an entertaining overview of Florrie's relatives, and just the beginning of the layers and twists.

I read and enjoyed Anderson's last two British mysteries. They were hard to solve and carried that wonderful 1930's flair. Anderson has a wonderful gift of conjuring up the Thirties era in his characters and their surroundings. However, for me, The _Affair of the 39 Cufflinks_ didn't quite have that locked-door effect that Anderson's first two mysteries did, but the mystery was still complicated enough. _The Affair of the 39 Cufflinks_ is definitely another entertaining read. I highly recommended it, as well as _The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cozy_ and _The Affair of the Mutilated Mink_.

Brenda @ MyShelf.Com

Every time the Earl and Countess throw a house party, somebody prominent gets murdered and the whole affair becomes a media event. Lord and Lady Burford have not sponsored a social event in their Carolean mansion Alderley in over six months, but when a distant relative asks, they agree to have the reading of a will read in their home and have the heirs stay overnight.

When the will is read Clara Saunders is furious that she is left with only 100 pounds and she believes that the other beneficiaries conspired against her. She threatens to reveal their dark secrets before retiring for the night. Hours later, she screams; when the houseguests go to investigate, they find Claire smothered to death. Since the alarm was already set, and there is no evidence of an intruder, the killer must be one of the guests. The police have to discover who had a secret they would kill to keep quiet.

James Anderson has written another fantastic who-done-it that takes readers in Great Depression England inside a comedy of manners who-done-it. The characters (police, suspects, and servants) are eccentric in an endearing way and readers will hope that the killer is not somebody they like. Fans of British closed door cozies will want to read this delightfully funny historical mystery.

For fans of old fashioned British murder mysteries, James Anderson's Affair novels are a rare find and a real treat. Set in England in the 1930's, these clever mysteries combine tongue-in-cheek humor with ingeniously complicated plots.

For those that haven't read Anderson's first two novels in this series, I highly recommend The Affair of the Blood Stained Egg Cozy and The Affair of the Mutilated Mink Coat.

More than 20 years passed between Mink Coat and 39 Cuff Links (I'm not sure why Anderson deprived us for so long). As welcome as it was to discover 39 Cuff Links, I have to admit it does fall a little short of the first two novels (although it is still very good). The plot isn't nearly as complicated (no jewel thefts or international spies this time around). As a result, I found this mystery a little too easy to solve. While this may be good for my self esteem, I would have preferred a solution that was a little more `over-the-top' like those in Cozy and Mink Coat.

39 Cuff Links doesn't have quite as much tongue-in-cheek humor as the first two novels. Chief Inspector Wilkins, while an amusing presence (he schedules his investigation around meal times to ensure he is invited to dine) was more entertaining in the first two novels. His frequent laments about his ineptitude at crime solving provided humor to the first two novels but given his success in solving the previous two murders, everyone quite a bit more confident in his abilities this time around.

The Affair of the 39 Cuff Links isn't as strong as the first two Affair novels, but that shouldn't been seen as harsh criticism. It's just that the first two were so good. The Affair of the 39 Cuff Links is a clever mystery and an enormously entertaining read, a rare treat for fans of a good old fashioned who-dun-it.

Hopefully, Anderson won't make us wait another 20 years for the next one!

Assorted relatives gather at Alderly, the Earl of Burford's country home, for the reading of Great-Aunt Florrie's will. Of course, someone gets murdered in the night and Inspector Wilkins arrives to investigate.
This is yet another charming cozy mystery in the Alderly Affairs series.

I loved this book. It is the first book I have read by James Anderson and the third in a triology of books with the same detective. Unfortunately, the author has passed away so there won't be any more. I don't usually read the third book first, but I didn't realize immediately that it was part of a trilogy. Anyway, the story takes place in England during the 1930s back when they kept the telephone in a separate closet and everyone smoked. Most of the action takes place in the country mansion of an Earl and centers around the death of a distant relative, the reading of the will and the eccentric family members who gather and murder one of their own. Despite the fact that there is a murder, the action is light and, at times, humorous and the people are interesting and quirky. I did actually guess the murderer before it was revealed, which is very unusual for me as I am normally extremely dense! Another interesting facet of this book, for me, was that there was really no romance in it at all. Usually I like even a touch of romance to add interest but in this case I never missed it. I found the characters so engaging and the action so interesting and fun that before I knew it the book was over. And of course, now that I read and enjoyed this third book of the triology, I had to immediately go online and order the first two. What else could I do?(less)

My wife loves crime mysteries. (She introduced me to Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, etc.) She also travels a lot, and that means she always has a book or two with her. I bought three books by James Anderson, including The Affair of the 39 Cufflinks, and she loved them all. She said that it gave her the "escapism" she needed.

Why am I writing this review instead of her? It's because she's traveling, reading, or both.

Way back in the 1980s, I read THE AFFAIR OF THE BLOODSTAINED EGG COSY and THE AFFAIR OF THE MUTILATED MINK, two confectionary revisits to the world of 1930s English house party murders. Poisoned Pen reissued these amusing titles a few years ago, and Anderson was inspired to write this third in the series.

We return to Alderley, the estate of George Saunders, 12th Earl of Burford, and his wife, Lavinia. The occasion is the funeral reception and will-reading for Lord Burford's ancient cousin, Florrie Saunders. Given that Alderley was the scene of the murders in EGG COSY and MUTILATED MINK, Lord Burford was extremely reluctant to have anyone stay at Alderley ever again, but he is persuaded to host his extended family of cousins for one night.

Florrie's will is an entertainment in itself, for us and the family, as she has instructed her solicitor to lighten the mood before the reading by insisting everyone sing "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain." She has inserted editorial comments to several of her bequests and even one practical joke. The family has relaxed and all seems well until we get to the measly 100 pounds Florrie leaves to her daughter-in-law Clara. A terrible scene ensues, and that night one of the guests is murdered. Inspector Wilkins returns to solve the case.

This entry in the series wasn't quite up to the standard of the earlier two titles, but it was still a lot of fun and it was a pleasure to meet Lord and Lady Burford and Inspector Wilkins again. I highly recommend this series; ideally to be read in order.

I've just discovered this author and have read all three Inspector Wilkins books in a row. We are seriously overdue for another - it's been six years since the last. These are pure fun; classic mysteries with a lot of clues, lot of twists, and the lovely Inspector Wilkins, who is "not sanguine, not sanguine at all" about his ability to solve these multi-layered puzzles. Truly a find - I am keeping my fingers crossed for more.

I am so pleased Poisoned Pen published Mr. Anderson's 3rd book and have reprinted the first two books. I'd waited a long time for this book and was not disappointed. Although written last year, it is a classic 1930's style British manor-house mystery, right down to the gathering in the library. This was absolutely delightful.