A. A. Milne

The Red House mystery

Sarah Sammis

It is one of my all time favorite mysteries and I wished I owned a copy.

A.A. Milne

Read this Murder Mystery Novel set in an English Country House “Of course it's very hampering being a detective, when you don't know anything about detecting, and when nobody knows that you're doing detection, and you can't have people up to cross-examine them, and you have neither the energy nor the means to make proper inquiries; and, in short, when you're doing the whole thing in a thoroughly amateur, haphazard way.” ― A.A. Milne, The Red House Mystery A house party in the county turns into a crime scene when one the host is murdered. A.A. Milne's delightful mystery novel takes the reader on twists and turns and ultimately arrives at a logical solution to the case This Xist Classics edition has been professionally formatted for e-readers with a linked table of contents. This eBook also contains a bonus book club leadership guide and discussion questions. We hope you’ll share this book with your friends, neighbors and colleagues and can’t wait to hear what you have to say about it. Xist Publishing is a digital-first publisher. Xist Publishing creates books for the touchscreen generation and is dedicated to helping everyone develop a lifetime love of reading, no matter what form it takes

The Red House Mystery

Colleen

4 Stars

*A charming classic mystery that doesn’t take itself too seriously*


I had no idea that Milne had adult fiction left alone a mystery novel. So when I heard this mentioned, I had to check it out. It may not be a popular opinion, but I like when authors dabble in different genres. Too much of the industry is driven by the commercial view that being a successful author means sticking to one recognized genre. It turns out that Milne's father was a mystery buff, so he wrote and dedicated The Red House Mystery to him which was endearing.

The story has many hallmarks of the classic English murder mystery. It is a locked room murder mystery at an English country house with an intelligent amateur sleuth trying to solve the crime. Milne had a bit of fun poking at the traditions of detective fiction, and it was entertaining to read.


  “Of course it's very hampering being a detective, when you don't know anything about detecting, and when nobody knows that you're doing detection, and you can't have people up to cross-examine them, and you have neither the energy nor the means to make proper inquiries; and, in short, when you're doing the whole thing in a thoroughly amateur, haphazard way.”

There wasn't anything highly original or mind-blowing about The Red House Mystery. Nevertheless, it was a solid story, and the plot did keep me guessing. And it was not as problematic as some classics; instead, it provided a nostalgic charm with a dash of murder. It’s a shame Milne didn’t write more in this genre.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

Ipek

I read this because Raymond Chandler was being scathing about it in "The Simple Art of Murder", and using it as an example of what detective novels shouldn't be like, but I felt like I couldn't really trust his judgment because I'm suspicious about American writers passing judgment on English writers and culture ever since Mark Twain dissed Jane Austen. Anyway, Chandler is right that the logic of the murder and its detection is not airtight, but he is wrong in believing that the reader wouldn't extend that much of a suspension of disbelief in order to enjoy the story anyway. I did, and it was a fun story. Get over yourself, hardboiled guys.

Riah Forbes 

1920s British murder mystery is one of my favourite escapist genres, so I really liked this book. 

In the introduction, A.A. Milne grumbles about how so many mystery books are badly written and says, "It is, to me, a distressing thought that in nine-tenths of the detective stories of the world murderers are continually effecting egresses when they might just as easily go out." SOLD. 

(view spoiler)[ 
- I liked that the mystery element was not who the killer was, but what actually happened. After growing up with Agatha Christie, my brain is still trained to jump to the least likely suspect and immediately went to "DID ELSIE DO IT". It was really satisfying to have the most likely person be the murderer after all. 
- The whole "Robert was Mark all along" was vaguely unbelievable (it just took some face paint and raggedy fingernails? I mean, maybe, for a gentleman of leisure in Britain, but it seems like your nearest and dearest might see through it) but I'm so fond of the book that I forgive it. 
- Mark's secret booze closet in the underground passageway sounds extremely fun, if it didn't spell ruin and alcoholism. 
- 100% agree with Emily (the human treasure who recommended this book to me) that the best parts are the 1920s bits. The drama over the Clean Collar was excellent, and also that Australia is apparently the land of wastrels. 
 (hide spoiler)]

Anna Adams

I enjoyed. There was one facet that was particularly interesting to my English major mind. Oh, wait--I was going to say I can't talk about it without spoiling, but there were two characters, who made nice mirrors, but they both have pretty serious flaws. (Don't know if that's an English degree reading into it.) Wish there had been more of this series. And my only complaint is that it wasn't as gently humorous as Poo.

The Red House mystery

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