"A Hearse on May-Day"

“No maiden be safe, except under lock and key, at the Mayering of Seven Wells.”

That extremely odd, and rather ominous, warning is given to a young woman named Fenella Lestrange. Her car having broken down in the tiny English village of Seven Wells on the afternoon before May Day - the festival the locals call "Mayering" - she has no choice but to spend the night at the local pub. But the locals warn her to stay locked in her room, for her own safety.

Fenella, not being one to pay attention to efforts to restrict her freedom, rather naturally refuses to stay locked up. That, in turn, leads to a number of very bizarre adventures which, eventually, will involve Fenella's great-aunt, Dame Beatrice Bradley, in an investigation of a local murder. And that's really just the beginning of "A Hearse on May-Day," by Gladys Mitchell, featuring one of England's more eccentric detective characters, Mrs. Bradley, a woman of amazingly keen intellect, reptilian appearance and a truly appalling sense of fashion. "A Hearse on May-Day" is the subject of today's audio review on the Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to the entire review by clicking here.

Fenella is a strong-willed young woman, and she is determined to find out what is going on in Seven Wells. What she discovers, among other things, is some distinctly odd fertility rites, an odd gathering of people wearing face masks and costumes based on the signs of the zodiac, and a number of local residents who are muttering ominously about a decided shortage of skeletons. She also hears about the murder of the local squire, who is to be buried on May Day. When Fenella leaves the village the next morning, she travels to nearby relatives and gets a visit from her great-aunt, Mrs. Bradley, who has been asked to investigate that murder. Among the many questions to be answered: Why would anyone kill the popular squire? Who are the people hiding behind those Zodiac masks? Why did the original hosts and servants at the pub in Seven Wells disappear suddenly, to be replaced by an entirely new staff? What is the real story behind some newly-uncovered skeletons? And are the very odd activities observed by Fenella on Mayering Eve connected in some way with the murder?

Gladys Mitchell is not as well known in the US as the other "crime queens" of the English "Golden Age," but her mysteries can be thoroughly enjoyable, filled as they are with eccentric (and occasionally downright insane) characters, odd situations, a great deal of very dry and, sometimes, very dark humor and the wonderful personality of Mrs. Bradley. "A Hearse on May-Day" is one of Mitchell's later books, first published in 1972; this edition, from the invaluable Rue Morgue Press, is the book's first American publication. I think it's one of the most accessible (to an American audience) of Mrs. Bradley's appearances. By all means, give it a try.

My thanks again to Sally Powers, of the "I Love a Mystery" newsletter, for letting me use portions of the review which I originally wrote for that publication and for providing me with a copy of the book for review.

Comments

[Curt Evans]

I have this but have never gotten around to reading. I always thought the English folklore elements sounded interesting.

[Margot Kinberg]

Les - Oooh, a Mrs. Bradley story! The nice thing about a series of 66 books is that there's always one that one hasn't read yet, or in a long time. So it often feels like exploring a new series. I'm glad you pointed us to this one. I do like that unique touch of the otherworldy-that-isn't-otherworldly' that we see in Mitchell's books and I'm glad you highlighted it.

[TracyK]

Thanks for this detailed review. I want to try a mystery by Gladys Mitchell, and it is nice to have specific novels to try. Not sure about the humor and odd characters, but I won't know until I try one.

[Les Blatt]

Curt, there are folklore elements in several of the Mitchells that I've tried and they're very well done. Some of them may seem strange to a non-English audience, but they are important parts of her stories.

[Les Blatt]

Margot, some of the Mrs. Bradley books do have elements that come very close to the line between "normal" and "supernatural" - Mrs. Bradley does say that she's descended from some famous or infamous witches. But often it's more a matter of atmosphere and detail, and I think that thread does add to the overall storytelling.

[Les Blatt]

Tracy, I do think this one is a book that American audiences may find less daunting in terms of strictly-British eccentricities - even though some of the activities are certainly bizarre. Mitchell's writing, with its frequently dark humor, makes this one thoroughly enjoyable for me, and Mrs. Bradley doesn't seem to display all the personality quirks that she does in some of the other books. This might be a good one to try, particularly since it's now available in a good trade paperback edition from the Rue Morgue Press.

[mysterygirl]

Hi Les, I've just come across your blog and I think it is great. I am a big fan of mystery novels, which I think stems from having read a lot of Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie when I was young. I've started reading Gladys Mitchell but I haven't got to A Hearse on May-Day yet. I've read 9 of her Mrs Bradley books so far and I'd like to read them all. They are a challenge to find in print in the UK at the moment.

I've also taken an interest in reading some of the early detective fiction. I've just finished reading The Woman in White (1860) by Wilkie Collins and I've recently bought The Rector of Veilbye (1829) by Steen Steensten Bilcher. Are there any early detective books that you would recommend I add to my list?

Thanks for your help :)

[Les Blatt]

Welcome, mysterygirl, and I'm glad you're enjoying the blog. Mitchell books can be a challenge in the US as well, although the Rue Morgue Press has been reprinting some over here, and there are also some new ebook editions. I really have only read a handful of hers so far, and I'm looking forward to expanding my list.

As far as suggestions for early detective fiction, another Collins, The Moonstone, is certainly worth reading. Some of Mary Roberts Rinehart's early books, especially "The Man in Lower Ten," are enjoyable; so are a lot of Edgar Wallace potboilers. I'm assuming you've already been through Sherlock Holmes. Chesterton's "Father Brown" stories, to be sure, should be on the list. You might want to chek the "backlist" page (which you'll find in the right-hand column, near the top) for other suggestions. Again, welcome!