Murder at Mallowan Hall (2021) by Colleen Cambridge

✒️ Have you ever imagined what would happened if Agatha Christie were to deal with a real murder? Would she be as shrewd as the detectives she had penned, Poirot or Miss Marple? Well, this new series from Colleen Cambridge were to be as close as you can have to answer that. In this first book we were brought to Mallowan Hall, the fictional mansion of the Mallowans (Max and Agatha), and introduced to their housekeeper and amateur sleuth, Phyllida Bright, who was portrayed as shrewd and organized like Hercule Poirot. In fact, Poirot is Phyllida's hero. And of course, the first murder she's got to solve had taken place at Mallowan Hall.

✒️ The Mallowans was having a house party, and after a storm came just at the first night, another guest is gatecrashing the party: a journalist called Charles Waring. He was accepted upon the Mallowan's benevolence only, what with the storm and it's being late in the night. However, the next morning, when Phyllida entered the library, she found Waring's dead body, stabbed in the neck with a fountain pen (of all the weapon-to-be on the desk: letter opener, marble paper weight). The tragedy creates a havoc among the guests upstairs, and certainly among the staffs downstairs. And Phyllida, who hates disorder, believes it was down to her to solve the murder, without waiting for the Police Inspector to do so, so that everything could be soon back to normal, for her own, as much as for Agatha Christie's sake (she needed peace and order to finish her current book). ✒️ If you are fan to Agatha Christie, you would enjoy this book (and series). Not only that Phyllida Bright has passion of order and little grey cells almost as good as Hercule Poirot's, the sleuthing style itself is a homage to Agatha Christie's. I loved the building suspense before the second murder was about to happen, just like how Agatha Christie had often wrote. I loved also the Hercule-Poirot-denouement style - you know when he pointed finger to one suspect to make he or she squirmed, only to say next that he or she isn't the murder, until dramatically pointed to the real murder? Although Phyllida lacks Poirot's confidence and eloquent, it was amusing to follow nonetheless. But the greatest amuse for me, is perhaps how Cambridge made this murder as an inspiration for the Agatha Christie in the story to write her next book - you know, the body of a stranger found dead in one's library. If you're Christie's fan you would certainly know which book I'm referring to - hint: it's Miss Marple story. Another one is from Agatha Christie's conversation with Phyllida:
"After all, it was you who suggested a story with a victim who everyone thought was an accidental murder, but turned out she was really the actual target and had been killed by the supposed victim as a way to hide her villainy. That is still one of my favorite twist."

Now, I ask you, Agatha Christie fans, do you know which book that is?? No title, please, in case people have not read it!

✒️ I liked all the characters in this book. Phyllida is the most interesting; she lives up to her name: Bright. She has bright hair (fiery red?) and likes to wear bright-coloured clothes while out of work. Her relationship with Agatha Christie is similar to that of Florence Armstrong and Lady Hardcastle's in Lady Hardcastle series (another charming historical cozy mystery). Their friendship dated from their working together during the war. And so, to the outside world they are employer and servant, but in Agatha Christie's closed room, they are friends - although theirs aren't as liberal as Lady Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong's teasing and bantering, it's more of companionship of two people in the same level (they are Phyllie and Agatha between themselves). Phyllida and Christie usually talks about the case, and a little about Poirot and her books. It's not very surprising that Phyllida solved the murder all by herself, without any suggestion from Christie. ✒️ Another interesting character is Bradford, the chauffeur, a sardonic and surly man whose snorts on what Phyllida's saying annoys her greatly, but who had helped her a few times during the investigation. I'm excited to see where their relationship would go from here, and therefore cannot wait to dig into the next books in the series. All in all, this has been a delightful read - a cozy mystery with interesting characters, good portrayal of the downstairs lives of a manor house (imagine Downton Abbey), a nice plot twist with enough red herring, sprinkled with quite a racy motive, and styled similar to Christie's (which I believe, she would even have approved). If you love Agatha Christie, you'll certainly enjoy this series!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026 hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook