Customer Reviews

An Unmentionable Murder (A Manor House Mystery)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Manor House Mystery series was an entertaining romp through the life of a small English village during the Second World War. An Unmentionable Murder draws everything to a conclusion with the same typical, not so difficult to solve murder mystery that has made up the rest of the series. What really makes this series enjoyable is the detail with which it portrays life during that era.

The mystery portion of this particular installment centers around the death of a not very likable man, Clyde Morgan, who, as usual, Lady Elizabeth finds reason to believe died of foul play rather than the suicide the local police are ready to write it off as. In addition, there's the sub-storyline of who's been stealing the ladies' underwear off the clotheslines around the village, Elizabeth's ongoing romance with an American Air Corp Major, and a mystery surrounding Martin, Elizabeth's sometimes senile butler.

To sum it up, if you've been following the series you'll definitely want to pick this book up to see how things end for all the residents of the Manor House. It's still okay as a stand alone story, but you'll really be lost when it comes to references of characters and/or events from previous stories.

This delightful cozy mystery, set in World War II rural England, is the latest in the author's Manor House series. Elizabeth Compton, lady of the village manor house, has a heavy burden of responsibility. Not only does she have the duty of running the great house under trying wartime conditions, but the residents of Sitting Marsh depend on her for everything from a cheerful visit to solving crimes. If that wasn't enough, her elderly butler goes missing, her American pilot friend is on a dangerous mission, and there's that thief that makes off with women's knickers from the village's clotheslines. Soon, a body is discovered....

This is great entertainment: charming, at times amusing, but with a dose of reality that is just enough to emotionally involve the reader. It also stands as a marvelous look into the lives of ordinary English villagers, thrust into a new reality by the intrusion of the war. However, lest one grow too nostalgic for those days, the author reprints the actual wartime recipe for Lord Woolton Pie, a most abominable concoction even by the standards of English cuisine.

Highly recommended for all mystery lovers.

Lady Elizabeth Hartleigh Compton has her hands full watching over the residents of Sitting Marsh, England, during World War II. She is worried about American Major Earl Monroe who, as a pilot, is fighting the war in the air. Elizabeth has other problems - her elderly butler, Martin, keeps disappearing for hours at a time and someone is stealing ladies knickers from clotheslines all over the village. Elizabeth soon has a bigger problem; a dead body is found when a munitions factory is torn down. Although the police and his widow insist that Clyde Morgan committed suicide, Elizabeth is convinced it was murder and decides to investigate. Little does she realize that someone will do anything to prevent Elizabeth from finding out the truth.

Although I've enjoyed the entire Manor House mystery series, I found "An Unmentionable Murder", the last book in the series, to be a bit of a disappointment. The mystery itself was fine, with a poignant twist at the end. But the book felt rushed, as Kate Kingsbury tried to tie everything up neatly at the end. The last chapter especially felt rushed, I would have liked a few more pages wrapping things up. The subplot about Martin's disappearance was somewhat amusing, if unbelievable. The explanation of who was stealing the knickers was also a bit disappointing. And Kingsbury failed to even mention the "three musketeers", a serious oversight since she had built up that particular mystery over the course of several books.

Fans of this series will want to read "An Unmentionable Murder" if only to find out what happens to Elizabeth and Earl at the end, but it's not one of the better books in the series.

I always look forward to a new Manor House mystery and was so sorry to hear (via the other reviews) that this would be the last in the series. I finished the book last night and was very disappointed with the ending -- the series did not have a resolution. I did read the author's website today and found out she didn't know it would not be the last in the series until after this book went to print. She said she would have definitely changed the book had she known. She also lets you know what happens to all the characters.

I loved every one of the Manorhouse Series books and was sad to learn this wonderful series was ending. I had high hopes for the last book, but was sorely disappointed with the unbelievable ending. Some of the characters' endings are tied up too neatly to the point of not being believable, while other characters' fates are left hanging as the war is still going on. I was also disappointed that one of the characters was not reunited with a long-lost love as I thought she would be. This series ends with a whimper rather than a bang. :(

Kate Kingsbury's books are a delight to read. They held my interest all the way through. I believe a key for their success as far as I'm concerned is that the author has passion which comes through in her books.