Gladys Mitchell's eccentric psychiatrist-sleuth, Mrs. Beatrice Bradley, is surely one of the more unusual mystery heroines. I can think of very few besides Mrs. Bradley who can claim a nephew who is an English pig farmer - a fact which gets Mrs. Bradley quite deeply involved in murder and mayhem in "Dead Men's Morris." The book is the subject of this week's review on the Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to the full review by clicking here.
"Dead Men's Morris" was first published in Britain in 1936, a fairly early entry in the Mrs. Bradley series which eventually numbered 67 books. In this one, Mrs. Bradley goes to spend the Christmas holidays with her pig farming nephew. It isn't long before a local lawyer turns up dead - quite possibly frightened into a heart attack by chasing or being chased by a ghost. Then another man dies, apparently having been gored by a prize pig. It all somehow ties into the folk art known as Morris dancing, and Mrs. Bradley unmasks the murderer during one of the dances. There are a lot of fascinating and memorable characters, and Mitchell's wry sense of humor helps to keep the reader interested.
Gladys Mitchell is not nearly as well known in the United States as some of her Golden Age contemporaries, including Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, but her British audiences loved her, and some of her books are making their way into print in the U. S. She may be an acquired taste, but for lovers of vintage, Golden Age mysteries, she is a character who really has to be encountered and enjoyed.
Thanks for highlighting another Mitchell book, Les. I picked up a couple more of hers at the Red Cross Book Sale this year (they're currently teetering atop Mount TBR)...but I hadn't heard of this one before. Another to look for.
Posted by: Bev Hankins | November 24, 2011 at 09:05 PM