Murder Most Malicious

Murder Most Malicious is a lighthearted murder mystery set at one of England's great manor houses just as the first World War has drawn to a close. It's not often that I would describe a murder mystery as "lighthearted" but Alyssa Maxwell writes with a breeziness that seems to convey to the reader to not become too overwrought.

So. It's Christmas, 1918, the war has finally ended, the men are finally home - those who do not lie in Flanders field, at least - and all is merry and bright. The Renshaws - Lord and Lady and the like - are hosting a large gathering at their estate, Foxwood Hall, when one of the guests is discovered missing in a most unpleasant manner. The local constable believes he has the case sewn up neatly, but 19-year-old Lady Phoebe is certain he has the wrong man. It's up to her and her ladies maid, Anna...er, Eva, to catch the real culprit before anyone else is hurt.

As you may have guessed from the paragraph above, Murder Most Malicious put me in the Downton Abbey frame of mind almost from the opening page. The Renshaws, like the Crawleys, have three daughters, the oldest of whom is a bit of a cold fish. The middle daughter, Lady Phoebe, is the most sympathetic, so she's no Edith, but Mr. Giles could easily be Mr. Carson. In many ways, the similarities are not surprising, given that M3 was published in late 2015, well into Downton's run as the definitive source on Britain's WWI experience. I should add, too, that the similarities with Downton in no way take away from Maxwell's writing or the mystery at the heart of the book.

Murder Most Malicious is no Agatha Christie, where the reader is blindsided by the developments and can rarely guess the outcome. It's in the same class as the Kalorama Shakedown or M.C. Beaton: good, fun, quick, and certainly not too dark.