"Merlin's Furlong"

Have you met Mrs. Bradley? Beatrice Adela Lestrange Bradley is a (fictional) psychiatrist, with a laugh frequently described as a cackle and a face that her author calls "reptilian." Mrs. Bradley, still not very well known in the United States, was the central figure in 66 novels written by Gladys Mitchell between 1929 and 1983. One of the most enjoyable, I think, was "Merlin's Furlong," originally published in 1953. It is the subject of this week's review on the Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to the full review here.

If you're going to enjoy Gladys Mitchell, it requires a fair amount of tolerance for English eccentricity, for Mitchell's characters are both unique and memorable. Mrs. Bradley is a delight, and - at least in "Merlin's Furlong" - she is less cryptic about her discoveries and theories than she is in many of Mitchell's other books.

The plot is a wonderfully complex mixture of excesses. A malevolent old man keeps changing his will, in order to keep his numerous heirs on their toes. Readers will realize that is a dangerous game to play. Meanwhile, a group of students goes off on what they believe is a combination errand and practical joke. They get lost along the way - looking for a house called "Merlin's Furlong," they are distracted by side ventures to "Merlin's Castle" and "Merlin's Fort," among other places. But when they do reach their destination...that's when the bodies begin turning up. So the police, and Mrs. Bradley, must juggle too many suspects, too many heirs, too many bodies. And, just to keep things moving, there's a bit of witchcraft as well.

It all makes for a thoroughly entertaining mix, with a great deal of eccentric humor, and I do think it's one of the most accessible of the Mrs. Bradley mysteries. For a long time, Gladys Mitchell was considered by many English readers to be the equal of the other "crime queens," such as Agatha Christie. "Merlin's Furlong" may help the American reader understand why.

"Merlin's Furlong" is another of my entries in the Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge going on over at the My Reader's Block blog.

Comments

[Bev]

Yes, I've met Mrs. Bradley--both in print and on the screen with Dame Diana Rigg playing her (and doing a right good job of it too!). In print, I find that Gladys Mitchell is hit-and-miss for me. I either really like the book or I really don't--nothing in between. From your review this sounds like one that I might really like. I'm off to add another to my TBR list....

[Les Blatt]

I have a feeling that Diana Rigg - who is a wonderful actress - could never have looked as reptilian as Mrs. Bradley. I recall her smile being described in one novel as something like a crocodile welcoming a rather plump and wayward child. There's no question that Mrs. Bradley is an acquired taste - but now that I've read several of Mitchell's novel, I do think I'm acquiring it.

[Bev]

True, I don't think Diana Rigg could look reptilian...but she does get the eccentic behaviour down.

[J F Norris]

Definitely my favorite out of all the Mitchell books I've managed to read all the way through. A few I abandoned midstream (Faintley Speaking, for example) never to return again.

I tend to like her plots that involve folklore, supernatural legends, ghosts and witchcraft. There are quite a lot of them which got me interested in her in the first place. Merlin's Furlong has one of the many witchcraft plots as you mentioned.

Those BBC adaptations of the Mitchell books mangled them - rewritten plots, changed the killer in several stories. Irritates me. Just like plopping Miss Marple in a Christie book that never had her in it just to get more mileage out of their TV series. I watched the TV version of Mitchell's The Rising of the Moon (which is my second favorite of her books so far) and liked most of it until the ending was completely changed. Why? I just don't understand that.

Rigg is a wonderful actress but not at all the Mrs. Bradley that Mitchell created. I would have loved to see the eccentric and wacky British character actress Liz Smith play her...uh maybe back in the 1980s. She's probably far too old now. If she's even still alive.