| Title | : | Mortmain Hall (Rachel Savernake Golden Age Mysteries, 2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1464214050 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781464214059 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 368 |
| Publication | : | First published August 19, 2019 |
Framed for murder and with nowhere to go, Jacob Flint turns to an eclectic group of people on a remote estate to save him...
1930. A chilling encounter on London's Necropolis Railway leads to murder and a man escapes the gallows after a witness gives sensational evidence. After this string of strange, fatal events, journalist Jacob Flint discovers that he has been framed for murder. To save himself, he flees to Mortmain Hall, a remote estate on the northern coast. There, an eccentric female criminologist hosts a gathering of eclectic people who have all escaped miscarriages of cruel justice. This strange group puts Jacob a little on edge, but they may be his only hope to clear his name.
When a body is found beneath the cliffs near the house, it seems this gathering might be an ingenious plot to get away with murder. Are these eccentrics victims or are they orchestrators of the great deception? Jacob must now set out to uncover the labyrinthine of secrets within Mortmain Hall, alongside Rachel Savernake, woman whose relentless quest for the truth might just bring down the British establishment...
Other books in the Rachel Savernake Golden Age Mysteries Series:
Gallows Court (Book 1)
Mortmain Hall (Book 2)
Mortmain Hall (Rachel Savernake Golden Age Mysteries, 2) Reviews
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Martin Edwards writes a golden age of crime style historical mystery series featuring the enigmatic and reclusive Rachel Savernake, introduced in Gallows Court, following it up with this complex and intriguing tale. It begins with Rachel hoping to prevent the murder of a ghost when she boards the London Necropolis Company's funeral train. However, having returned from Tangiers for the funeral of his mother, Gilbert Payne, posing as Bertram Jones, refuses Rachel's offer of help, all too resigned to his fate. The Clarion reporter Jacob Flint has been attending the murder trial of door-to-door salesman, Clive Danskin, the verdict assumed to be a foregone conclusion and the media salivating over the upcoming guilty verdict and the hanging that will surely follow. However, the defence pull a rabbit out of the hat with a last minute alibi and witness turning up to save Danskin.
Rachel lives in the large house, Gaunt House, in London with the loyal Truelove family, Cliff, Martha and Hetty, they are far more than servants, their long history together ensures they are more like family. Flint encounters the criminologist Leonora Dobell, obsessed with murderers, trials and miscarriages of justice, asking to meet Rachel, she wishes to talk of murder with Rachel. Reggie Vickers who had gone to Rachel hoping she could save Gilbert, is now running scared, unwilling to divulge more information. As Flint acquaints himself with Leonora Dobell's books on crime and murderers, he is warned off his line of investigations by Inspector Oakes. He is curious about the exclusive den of vice and iniquities, The Clandestine, which leads to him being framed for murder. Rachel finds herself invited to the strange gathering of those who had just managed to escape the gallows by the skin of their teeth at Mortmain Hall.
As further murder takes place at Mortmain, Rachel has her work cut out to get to the bottom of what connects a string of murders, Flint finds himself with the biggest story of his life but unable to write about it. Unusually, at the end of the novel, Martin Edwards writes up the details present in the story that gives clues to the truth of what occurs, although it is all rather too twisted at times for me, some might say too far fetched! However, this is an entertaining historical crime mystery that hints of a shadowy organisation acting with impunity, with their own agenda for the nation. This is for those who love their historical mysteries written in the style of classic golden age of crime. Many thanks to Head of Zeus for an ARC. -
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Come to dinner, we’ll solve a murder.
Shortest Summary Ever: Rachel Savernake is into crime as a hobby (eh I don’t judge), so she invites some folks over who were acquitted for their crimes. Are they innocent? There’s a body and The Who-done-it revs on up.
Thoughts: I didn’t read the first book - this appears to be 2nd in a series, but no issues there. This mystery took me a while for a solid “click” but then it was full speed ahead. The plot was involved and it took me a sec to catch the groove of the prose, but then it was off and running and I thought the narrative was engaging and well-paced, definitely one with some turns I didn’t see coming down the road. It’s many mysteries in a mystery that wrap themselves up neatly in the end - which was enjoyable. Solidly good read!
Rachel - the protagonist was a bit tough for me to like. I like that she’s an enigma but I lacked much feelings of depth in her character to feel positively. In fact I thought Jacob Flint, the young eager reporter was the more interesting character. But I have to reserve judgement for one more book
All my reviews available at scrappymags.com around time of publication.
Genre: Mystery/Historical Fiction
Recommend to: It has an Agatha Christy feel to it... classy murder lol.
Not recommended to: If you’re looking for a dark more modern mystery.
Thank you to the author, Poisoned Pen Press, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my always-honest review and making me avoid any English getaways for the time being. -
“Mortmain Hall” is the second in established author Martin Edwards’ mysterious Rachel Savernake series. Rachel is the daughter of a notorious hanging judge and is an enigmatic, ruthless but attractive, elegant and intelligent female amateur crime sleuth based in London during the 1930’s. This book is one of those stories that definitely benefit from reading the first in the series -“Gallows Court” - which I’ve just read and loved. By reading this first, you become fully immersed in Rachel’s back story, which to me is imperative to understanding her dark character, her ‘team’ of servants, her connection to crime reporter Jacob Flint and the reasons she does what she does. I too was recommended to do this and I’m very pleased I did, as it certainly made my enjoyment of the story so much more entertaining.
“Mortmain Hall” may seem to have a quite complex storyline to it, with another cast of well portrayed characters to get your head around but it does all come to a satisfying (and exciting) denouement. I like the way Rachel attempted to explain what may have happened with the murders and crimes committed, in a typical Agatha Christie style fashion and it was a very clever addition by the author to include a distinctive 1930’s attribute to books of the day, by detailing ‘Clue Finders’, which to my dismay, I missed spotting them completely throughout the story.
This time Rachel sets out to uncover the labyrinthine secrets of the remote Mortmain Hall situated on the North East Yorkshire Coast beside crumbling cliffs and pointing out to the North Sea. We also visit the atmospheric Clandestine Club in London with its musical, sultry and evocative ambience. The author has a very talented way of transporting the reader to the golden age of suspense and I for one felt I was personally with Jacob and Rachel every step of the way throughout the story.
I do hope we see all of these characters again in the future. Each one is unique and endearing and I’d love to read more of Martin’s convincing and wholly entertaining thrillers following Miss Savernake et al.
4.5 stars -
A lot of things I wanted to like including enigmatic hard nut lady detective and a creepy remote house and sinister scheming, but didn't do much with any of them. For some can't-put-my-finger-on-it reason we hear far more about the characterless but male Watson journalist than about the lady detective, including how all the women in the book fancy him. And over multiple queer characters, queerness was exclusively presented as creepy, predatory, a sign of weak character, and murder-adjacent. (Don't bother to reply with 'but 1930s attitudes', reply person: we've had that argument and you lost.) Disappointing on multiple levels.
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An ingenious, intricate and atmospheric Golden Age thriller with a classic whodunnit element..
Martin Edwards marvellous opener, Gallows Court, marked the start of a series of Golden Age thrillers which pay homage to classic crime novels and combine this with the darkness and psychological suspense of a contemporary novel. The series introduced twenty-five-year-old heiress Rachel Savernake, daughter of a notoriously draconian hanging judge, following her arrival in London. Reclusive and fiercely private following an austere upbringing on the island of Gaunt, Rachel’s servants as a child have become her family and she has an fanatical obsession with murder and her own very clear notions of justice. Something of an amateur detective she solved a murder for Scotland Yard in Gallows Court and once again, following a tip-off, she is meddling in unsavoury pastimes which send her on a labyrinthine journey from the vice dens of Soho to the remote estate of Mortmain Hall situated on the North Yorkshire coast.
The novel opens with Rachel boarding London’s Necropolis Railway, the so called ‘funeral train’ with a man who faked him own death four years earlier and fled the country. With his return to the country guaranteed to see him pay with his life and the man having returned only for his mother’s funeral, Rachel offers him a way out.. but failing to heed her warning he pays with his life. Meanwhile chief crime correspondent for the Clarion and Leeds born and bred, Jacob Flint, is attending the Old Bailey capital trail of a surprisingly composed travelling salesman, Clive Danskin, only for a last minute witness to secure his unexpected acquittal. Watching proceedings alongside Jacob is Mrs Leonora Dobell, the country’s foremost criminologist and a respected author whose obsession with the criminal mind is on a par with Rachel’s and whom recruits him to pass on her desire for a meeting. Advised by Rachel to read Mrs Dobell’s books, especially those that focus on potential miscarriages of justice with profound consequences, it becomes clear to both that she is a woman with her own agenda. But as events culminate with a dinner party at Mrs Dobell’s remote coastal North Yorkshire estate, tragedy intervenes and Rachel is determined to prove it is no simple accident but a cold-blooded murder.
Despite the set-up sounding convoluted as the narrative unfolds the story is intuitively easy to follow although admittedly the plot is elaborate with several strands and a large cast of characters for readers to keep track of. For this reason I would advise reading at a clip in order to keep a handle of how each piece of the puzzle fits together and appreciate just how tightly-plotted the book is. There are twists aplenty and the plot is meaty but it rewards reader investment in spades and is undoubtedly worth persevering with even though things might feel a little left field on occasions.
To my mind I felt Mortmain Hall was superior to Gallows Court and the fact that there is a cracking whodunnit puzzle and a mesmerising Christie-esque reveal is central to this. Having met the formidable Rachel Savernake previously in Gallows Court I also had the benefit of understanding her motivation for involving herself in the dark arts of murder and a much clearer idea of which side she was in. Having become fascinated by the extraordinarily self-possessed, unforgiving and ruthless Rachel in the first book where she remained an enigma right into the close I was thrilled to see her characterisation deepened and her relationship with Jacob elaborated on. Seeing Rachel at closer quarters did nothing to reduce my fascination with her however and she remains an impenetrable anti-hero whom I still feel has plenty more to reveal. Indeed her characterisation is central to the novel exuding a palpably tense atmosphere and keeping the reader on edge and invested as she is never less than full throttle and admirably tenacious with crime reporter, Jacob Flint, far less green but still just as gauche second time around! Somewhat in the thrall of Rachel and drawn to her like a butterfly to a flame, Jacob’s willingness to do her bidding is evidence of where the power lies in their relationship, but in Mortmain Hall there are signs that a rapport akin to a brother and sister might just be developing.
I was kicking myself for missing the breadcrumbs along the way as all was revealed in a pulsating denoument and Martin’s decision to include a throwback to the 1930s with a ‘Cluefinder’ confirms the whodunnit is a genuine ‘fair play’ puzzle. This series is now on my favourites list and it comes highly recommended for readers keen for a darker spin on a Golden Age mystery with a meaty thriller component. As a lover of the 1930s it was a joy to encounter an entirely more realistic depiction of the era than the usual romanticism with evocative period detail and dialogue. -
This is the second book in a contemporary series patterned after Golden Age mysteries. The story is complex, and I think I might have enjoyed it more if I had started with the first book in the series,
GallowsCourt. That would have given me some understanding Rachel Savernake, the central character, and I would have been less at sea in the first few chapters.
There are two threads to this book. One involves the murders of a number of young men for reasons that are unclear, except that they seem to have been indiscreet about something. The other is an exploration of several murder cases where it is possible that the wrong person was found guilty. Eventually all of the pieces come together in a vintage scene set in a crumbling mansion during a devastating coastal storm.
Frankly, I can’t quite decide how to rate this. I think I wanted to like it more than I actually did. There were elements that brought to mind Dorothy Sayers’ Peter Wimsey novels, and others that were reminiscent of a couple of different Agatha Christie Poirot stories. The originals were better.
3.5 stars rounded up. It’s the holidays after all! -
Book Reviewed by
www.whisperingstories.com
Rachel Savernake is a criminologist enthusiast, she is also the daughter of a now-deceased judge who ended up losing his mind after he sentenced a man to death for a crime he didn’t commit. Rachel lives in a large house with her trusted staff and helpers the Trueman’s.
The book opens with Rachel trying to save a man she calls a ghost. Author Gilbert Payne, who faked his death a few years ago and is now pretending to be Bertram Jones, is on the funeral train having returned from Tangiers for his mother’s funeral. Rachel warns him that there are people on the train looking to kill him and that she will protect him but she wants to know why he faked his death and why someone wants to kill him.
Gibert Payne refuses to heed her advice and help and is found dead on the train tracks later that day. Civil servant Reggie Vickers was the one who told Rachel about Gilbert as he was his friend and had hoped to save his life. Reggie is now running scared from not only people warning him to keep his mouth shut but from Rachel and her questions as she believes he knows more than he is telling.
Journalist Jacob Flint has been following the case of Clive Danskin, accused of murder, the case seems to be open and shut with the verdict set to be guilty, that is until a witness comes forward at last minute and he is set free. Criminologist Leonora Dobell is at the trial and talks to Jacob. She knows that he is on friendly terms with Rachel and wants him to pass on a message to her, she would like a meet to discuss a murder. Leonora lives in Mortmain Hall.
Mortmain Hall is a mystery/sleuth book set in 1930s England. Rachel Savernake is quite a reclusive young woman who spent most of her time in a big house in the country looking after her sick father. Now he has deceased she has decided to use the skills that she has learned over the last few years following the books on criminology written by Leonora Dobell.
The book features many subplots from different cases that all come together in a kind of murder mystery weekend setting at Mortmain Hall. The book is completely fascinating and I just couldn’t put it down. Rachel is a phenomenal woman who is headstrong and is a match for any man of the time period. She is exceptionally wise, ruthless, and quite scary to some.
I love historical detective books and this is up there with the best. The plot draws you in and has you trying to analyse everything that is happening and wondering how they are all joined together and the writing is sublime. I was completely gripped from the opening chapter to the last. If you love sleuth books then this is a must-read. -
This is another fun romp from Edwards following his
Gallows Court which first introduced the series characters. I think they're more thrillers than traditional 1930s murder mysteries and are more bloodthirsty though not graphic. There's a lot of gathering of the strings before the mystery becomes clear, and a definite homage to a Christie plot once we're finally at Mortmain Hall . Beneath all the intricate window-dressing is a dastardly plot . Rachel is less camp in this outing: no running on her basement treadmill or showing off her ju-jitsu in stilettos! Don't expect it all to make sense by the end but a delicious little amuse-bouche between more serious reading. -
2024 review
So with reading book 1 and knowing more about Rachel and Jacob I found I enjoyed this a whole heap more.
Not so much a whodunnit but a whydunnit and a fast paced one at that.
Taking you from the seedy underbelly of London, to the wilds of the Yorkshire coast you're never sure who will die next and in what way!!
A cracking read and a lesson to always start a series with book 1.
2020 - 3 star review.
I listened to this book and I don't know if that's why I couldn't get my head around it.
It just starts (which is an odd thing to say I know) but usually in these type of books there is a slight build to the opening caper!
I realised once I'd finished it though that this is number 2 of the series of books and I should have started with number 1 as the author seems to assume you know all about the characters.
I didn't dislike it, I just didn't really like it! I shall try reading it maybe in the future and see if I change my mind! -
Totally gripping, twisty and written in the style of the Golden Age of mysteries, this book kept me guessing till the end. Set in the 1930s, the plot involves a series of murders and a cunning criminologist Leonora Dobell who has written about murderers who have gotten away with their crimes in the past. At first, the murders (both recent and old) seem random but a connection is made between all of them which points to the involvement of a shadow group who will do anything to make sure some secrets remain buried.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Poisoned Pen Press and the author Martin Edwards for the e-Arc of the book. This is the second book in the Rachel Savernake series but can easily be read as a standalone and was published on 22nd September 2020. -
1930s Golden Age mystery set in LONDON and YORKSHIRE
It is 1930’s England and Rachel Savernake, dressed in mourning gear, boards a train on London’s Necropolis Railway. But Rachel is not bound for the funeral of a relative; instead she hopes to prevent a murder. The man she is following, Gilbert Payne or “the ghost” as she calls him, is supposed to be long dead, but has returned from hiding in Tangier to attend his mother’s funeral. Having failed to persuade Gilbert to accept her help, his killing spurs Rachel on to investigate a series of bizarre mysteries – a death in a burning car, a murder in a seaside bungalow and a tragic drowning. All these cases seem to be connected in some manner and Rachel sets about discovering how, with the help of her trusted helpers and friends, the Truemans. In addition to the loyal and efficient Trueman family, she is aided by her friend, the impetuous and often hapless journalist, Jacob Flint.
Mortmain Hall is the second book by Martin Edwards featuring Rachel Savernake and she makes an unusual protagonist and an even more unusual detective and her relationship with sidekick Jacob is different too. In such a popular genre it is easy to end up churning out the same old stuff so this makes a welcome change. Rachel is an anti-heroine, ruthless in her determination and cold-blooded to the point of callousness whereas Jacob is somewhat gung-ho and careless, providing some welcome light relief from the intense and scary Rachel.
Martin Edwards is the winner of this years Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger and is a very experienced crime writer, which is clearly evidenced in this novel. In Mortmain Hall he gives us a wonderful Golden Age mystery, a modern spin on the traditional whodunnit, packed with twists and cliffhangers and ending with a denoument that is sure to surprise. This is brilliant writing with some extremely memorable and sometimes disturbing scenes, such as the scrape that Jacob gets himself in after his visit to the Clandestine club.
Edwards has clearly done a lot of research and the 1930’s settings are perfectly recreated – the London private station of the Necropolis Company, the interior of the crumbling Mortmain Hall in Yorkshire, the deliciously seedy Clandestine Club are accurate in every detail. Court procedures, manners, morals and speech are faultlessly recreated without a single jarring note.
This wonderful evocation of a bygone age would make Mortmain Hall worth reading on its own but when you combine it with a cracking story and original and engaging characters, you’ve got a real winner. -
Historical murder mystery
1930's murder mystery thriller with the enigmatic Rachel Savernake looking to prevent a murder. Journalist Jacob Flint finds himself being pursued as the culprit and looks to proving his innocence.
A house party at the remote Mortmain hall might hold the key. Rachel Saversnake is in the thick of things looking to solve mysteries on several fronts. Events become even more complex as the story races towards its conclusion.
I found myself somewhat confused along the way. I put the story down several times wondering if I'd actually finish. Fortunately the storyline sorted out for me and I became more involved. I feel reading the first in the series, "Gallows Court", would have grounded me more in who Rachel is. I will be rectifying that omission.
Still in the end, an interesting read set in somewhat climactic surroundings as the various arms of the mystery track towards their collective conclusion.
A Poisoned Pen ARC via NetGalley -
What a disappointing read! I'm kicking myself for not having set this aside at 50% when I knew it wasn't working for me. It would have saved me another five hours of listening to a book that felt like eating a supermarket ready meal, it filled me up but it failed to excite me or energise me and left me wishing I'd eaten something else. I won't be adding 'Blackstone Fell', the third book in the series, to my TBR pile.
'Mortmain Hall' is the second book in the Rachel Savernake series. I enjoyed the first book. 'Gallows Court'. I was looking forward to spending more time in Rachel Savernake's world. Sadly, although 'Mortmain Hall' had many of the same ingredients as 'Gallows Court' but the balance was off and the flavour was lost.
Two things spoiled my enjoyment of 'Mortmain Hall'. The first thing that marred my enjoyment was that the narrative died under the weight of the complex but not compelling plot. So much time was spent on exposition that I felt like I was being fed legal briefs so that I could work out who did what to whom and why. The ideas in the plot were fine. All the pieces were intricately connected and how they were connected didn't become clear until almost the end of the novel. I'd normally admire that but this time I just found it frustrating. Sticking with the food analogies, this was a cake that didn't rise. The pace of the exposition was too slow and had little or no emotional impact. I felt like I was being invited to solve a crossword or complete a jigsaw puzzle rather than immerse myself in a thriller.
The second thing that got in my way was that I struggled to care about any of the characters. For the first half of the book, I couldn't figure out why Rachel Savernake was so engaged in solving this puzzle. In 'the first 'Gallows Court', Rachel's involvement was personal. I could almost taste her need for revenge. That was absent the second 'Mortmain Hall'. By the end of the book, I'd understood that Savernake was someone I had little sympath for: a rich, bored hobbyist who was willing to mess with the lives of the people around her not to seek justice or even vengeance but purely to satisfy her curiosity.
I quite liked the newspaperman Jacob Flint in 'Gallows Court'. I saw him as someone who was "... apart from his insatiable curiosity, an ordinary sort of man, still capable of empathy and kindness and still vulnerable enough to be shaken by violence and death when he encountered it. Jacob kept the story human and real and provided a filter for assessing Rachel Savernake." Jacob's were some of the best scenes in 'Mortmain Hall' yet I found myself becoming impatient with his naivety and his inability not just to see the big picture to remember that there was one. I was put off by how shocked he was by the denizens of the demimonde, how easily he was deceived and how unthinkingly he ran along the path that Rachel Savernake set him on.
When I look back on the book, I can see that it ought to have been more fun. It has the Necropolis Railway Company, a man-eating lion, a spooky old house by the sea, a storm that turns into a natural disaster, a ruthless retired English Army officer with a metal claw where his hand should be and it tells the story of five murders.
So why wasn't it fun? I've tried to answer that by sharing below the notes I made as I read.
50%
This isn't up to the first book's standard. The narrative plods along, almost staggering under the plot's weight.
So far, very little has happened. Most of the time has been spent on effortful exposition of the various, I assume linked, cold cases.
The narrator, Leighton Pugh, is doing his best but he's not holding my attention. I've twice had to go back over sections because my attention wandered onto a more interesting line of thought.
58%
Well, something finally happened and quite a dramatic something. Even so, the pace still feels glacial.
I don't get the fascination with Jacob Flint. He's boring and incredibly naive. His role seems to be to make the poor decision the plot depends on. I'd rather the focus was on Rachel Savernake. I have no idea why she is doing what she's doing.
It jars with me that the gay/bi people in the story are shown as either weak, decadent or dangerous. I know that the laws of the time forced them into an unsafe demimonde but the way the people are drawn feels off.
80%
I'm going to finish this because I'm eight hours into a ten-hour novel but it's really not gripping me. It should be exciting. Blood is being split. There's even a death by lion but, for me at least, there's no emotional involvement.
100%
I wish I'd set this aside at 50%. Rachel Savernake's big reveal had all the drama of an after-lunch PowerPoint presentation. No wonder Martin Edwards decided to add a big storm to make things exciting.
Now I know how everything works, I can admire the design of the puzzle and the placement of the clues but it wasn't a puzzle I believed in or cared about. -
When I'd finished the first book in the series, GALLOWS COURT, I'd doubted that I would continue with further adventures. I had enjoyed the experience overall, and I believe that I literally completed the final 25% in one excited rush. Still, it was quite an over-the-top melodramatic thriller that reminded me of the Vincent Price 'vengeance horror" movies like THEATRE OF BLOOD and THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES.
Well, I was attending a Road Scholar course this past week called "The Art of the English Murder Mystery" (an excellent program that I highly recommend), and the second book in the series was recommended as a pre-reading. It turns out that a pre-reading wasn't necessary, but I'm very pleased that I read it. MORTMAIN HALL is distinctly different from GALLOWS COURT in that it has less melodrama and more mystery elements. In fact, like a number of the Golden Age of Mystery classics that I enjoy, it even resolves with a gathering of suspects for the revelation of the killer! That was fun!
The Reader may begin with MORTMAIN HALL, but those with a background of the first book will immediately pick-up on various "insider" references. I did enjoy that aspect. Being the second book in the series, it also features less exposition of featured characters than the first one. That kept things moving at an engaging pace.
And the crime is a whopper! Best of all, the writer "plays fair" with a resolution of what has happened before without trotting out last-minute information that hadn't been hinted at or mentioned earlier. Now, I must admit that I can't imagine Readers sorting out the background details. The explanation is convoluted, and I had to read the explanation three times to firmly plant it in my mind. Again, it did fit what had gone before. Also, the careful Reader may have a very good idea of "whodunit" based on behavioral aspects and some legal details that at first seemed like "a bit too much information." Still, I would be surprised if a Reader will put all of the elements together as to "whydunit."
I had much more enjoyment and engagement with the characters in this second book. There are many period references (songs, products, food, clothing, etc.) that are mentioned without notations. While I knew most of them in the first book, I had to look up more of them in this second one ... and they are often worth taking the time to reference (especially the details of an alcoholic drink I'd never heard of before). It was also fun to have my personal digital assistant, Alexa, play songs that were unknown to me. That really added to the atmosphere.
A surprising inclusion after the adventure has completed is a reference source of the Clues found within the tale. Apparently, this had been a device experimented with during the Golden Age of Crime Fiction. For the Reader who wants some help in resolving the mystery while reading ... including why certain things were done ... it can be consulted while the initial reading occurs. It doesn't give too much away. Instead, it points out certain elements as being important. For the rest of us, it proves that the writer was fair in following the rules of the game.
During the course that I attended, I learned that there will soon be a third book in the series. Having read the first two (and especially this second one), I will be along for the ride. -
Martin Edwards has another hit on his hands with this second Rachel Savernake, a Golden Age style mystery set in 1930.
More review will follow. -
The drawing is an optical illusion Clever artists delight in them. Your eyes are drawn to a picture. But on a second viewing, you realize that you're looking at something else entirely. That's the way I feel about this gathering here at Mortmain Hall. We're seeing one thing, but something very different is going on, without us even realising. Right in front of our eyes. [Rachel Savernake]
The theme of this book is "the perfect crime." We're clued in to that from the very beginning--in the unusually placed excerpt from the Epilogue where an unknown (at least at this point) man is dying and Rachel Savernake is speaking with him. He knows that she has discovered the truth about what he thought was a perfect crime. And now she wants him to fill in and/or confirm details.
Then we're whisked back to the beginning. Rachel Savernake prepares to board the Necropolis Railway, but she is not a mourner. Her mission is an attempt to save a life--the life of a man who is supposed to be dead. But the man is too afraid to admit his identity and won't take the lifeline she offers him. And he winds up dead (again) on the railway tracks. Her interest in the forces that sought to silence Gilbert Payne lead her to investigate a series of murders: the death of a tramp in a blazing car; a woman strangled in seaside bungalow; and a husband drowned in a freezing lake. In each case the most obvious suspect is proven not guilty through a last-minute witness or someone else conveniently commits suicide, leaving an apparent confession or a hostile judge prejudices the jury in the suspects favor. Rachel is convinced that these cases have a connection--but what can it possibly be?
Jacob Flint, crime reporter, is in attendance at the blazing car trial and he--like everyone in the court--is amazed when an eleventh-hour witness comes forward to clear the accused. But his reporter's sense tells him there's more to this than meets the eye and when Rachel invites him to her house and suggests he also take a look at the write-ups of the other deaths, he starts an investigation of his own. His questions put a few noses out of joint and soon he's warned off by Inspector Oakes of Scotland Yard. Oakes has received word through mysterious channels leading to his superior. He doesn't really expect Flint to heed the warning...and he's right. Flint keeps on and finds himself framed up for murder. It's only through quick thinking on both his and Rachel Savernake's part that keeps the frame from sticking.
Also on the scent of mystery surrounding these deaths is Leonora Dobell, an eccentric female criminologist, who lives at Mortmain Hall on a secluded coastal estate in the north. She decides to invite those who have recently escaped the clutches of the law--as well as Rachel Savernake--for a weekend house party. She presents them with an audacious conclusion to her researches and then the house party ends abruptly when death strikes once again and their hostess disappears. Was the death the accident it appears or is part of a plan to commit the perfect murder?
This is the second of Edwards' Golden Age historical mysteries and I enjoyed it every bit as much as Gallows Court. Perhaps even more--because as I mentioned in my review of the previous book, the one slight quibble I had was a bit of a deficiency in fair-play cluing. I can't complain about that this time. The clues are all there for those who can catch them. And for those of us who can't, he has provided a "Clue Finder" section (as appeared in numerous mysteries written during the Golden Age) that shows us exactly what clues we missed. It was good to visit with Rachel and the Truebloods (her loyal servants/friends) and Jacob again. Rachel has her own style of investigations and justice which may not suit everyone, but I do appreciate her strength of character. And don't think that I've given anything away by mentioning the perfect crime--twice. The perfect crimes just may not be exactly what you think. A very fine addition to the series.
First posted on my blog
My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks. -
I received a free digital review copy, via Netgalley
In this followup to Gallows Court, amateur detective Rachel Savernake once again takes an interest in multiple crimes and figuring out the dark forces that connect them. On her heels is young journalist Jacob Flint, whose job seems to be to stumble onto clues, usual at the risk of his life.
As with Gallows Court, multiple characters are introduced with different stories, seemingly unrelated. Eventually the reader gets an idea of what might be a connection between them, but it’s not until the end of the book that Rachel puts it all together—in this case, in a classic gather-the-suspects scene.
Though this and Gallows Court are described as Golden Age mysteries, I think they are on the fringe of what is usually understood as the conventions of Golden Age mysteries. The Rachel Savernake books feature multiple crimes, not the usual single whodunnit, the elements of the crime are not revealed early on in the book (it usually takes at least half the book for Savernake crimes to be revealed), and there are not enough clues provided to allow the reader to solve the crime(s). In this book. Edwards provides “clue finders” at the end, but most of these are the merest hints.
To me, the Savernake books read more like Victorian mystery novels, just set in the between-the-wars period. The end of Mortmain Hall has a real flavor of the overheated gothic novel climax.
So I quibble with the Golden Age description, but the real question is whether the book is a good read. I’d strongly recommend you read Gallows Court before Mortmain Hall so that you can understand Rachel Savernake and several other prominent characters. Then be prepared to possibly be overwhelmed with many characters and their stories. You have to just go along with the ride and wait for the story to come together. Though I prefer a more “fair play” approach to mysteries, I thought the climax of Mortmain Hall was a hoot. -
This was an enjoyable enough book. The middle was great... but it took a while for me to wrap my mind around it at the start, and conclusion was fairly unsatisfying. Some of my confusion might come from this being the second book in its series, and me not having read the first one. The plots don't seem connected apart from the main characters though, and their relationship and history was flashed back to for clarifications. But I just couldn't figure out what the case was till about 50% in. There were several chapter dedicated to already solved cases, and I didn't see their significance for this story till very late. And the way these cases were presented were very high on the tell instead of show level, making them just not all that interesting for the current plot (which I couldn't find).
And the solution of the mystery had a very high 'seriously?' level for me. Though I do like a case I cannot crack myself, I do want the solution to make sense and the clues to be obvious to see in retrospect. This wasn't that. The clues actually needed to be explained in an appendix, which I feel shouldn't be necessary.
The action, detectiving and murders that take place in the middle of the book are very so superb though, the the main character is quite something as well, making this still an enjoyable and fun read. I am in no hurry to pick up the first book though, or a sequel if that were to come out. -
I found the book truly did not stand on its own, strongly recommending one read
Gallows Court first! So, my review is squarely aimed at folks who've done so, wondering if they should read the sequel?
Yes, though keep in mind that here the tone is less grim/dark. A slight spoiler that mention is made in the blurb regarding Jacob's being framed for murder, which is true, but not the "spotlight" focus as implied. Also, Rachel is playing amateur sleuth in the story; she has a minor, tangential really, connection to the events, which leads to her coming across more like Poirot than the "action figure" of the first book. Mortmain Hall as a setting only appears in the final part of the book; I'd definitely classify it as a London-based read. Along with the significant change of tone, the publishers have switched to a male narrator. I found that decision a lateral move, neither better nor worse, just different. I was hovering between three and four stars, but the convoluted plot kept me from the more generous option.
As of this writing, there doesn't appear to be a third book in the works. If one appears, I'd be interested to see where Jacob's relationship with Rachel heads, as the author makes it clear they haven't seen the last of each other. -
Phah! Hair like chiffon?! What? Really?! Soooo disappointing.
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This was a great read! I enjoyed book 2 in this series as much as book 1. I think I've found a new favourite series.
This author really knows how to write a cracking good story! The way he rolls out the plot and builds unexpected plot twists and surprising tidbits I found so clever and engaging.
I should say I never try to figure out the ending of a mystery story. I enjoy going along for the ride with the characters and getting the ending at the end, so I can't say whether the outcome here was obvious or "figure-out-able" but I loved how the story played out with Rachel our very unorthodox but intriguing main character pulling everyone's strings and making them do her bidding.
I absolutely love the character of Rachel! She is rich enough to thumb her nose at the role society wants her to fit into and live her life exactly as she pleases, which makes her a very interesting character.
I am happy there are a number of additional books in this series. I definitely plan to continue visiting with Rachel and friends and going along on their continuing adventures. -
I finally tried one of Martin Edwards' own books, which is the second book in a series, but I only realised this once I started.
This was rather interesting. Did I love it? No. But I did like it.
The story absolutely had that Vintage Mystery feel that I love, and there so, so many tips of the hat to Christie and other writers I admire.
There was even a potential reference to the Penge Bungalow Murders that Rumpole refers to throughout Mortimer's series. I can't confirm that it is a Rumpole reference of course, but whenever the Wirral Bungalow Murder was mentioned I had to smile.
There really was a lot to like in the book, including Edwards' mix of characters and his choice of main character. Rachel, who is some kind of supersleuth - think a mix between Miss Marple and Emma Peel.
And yet, the setup of the plot was confusing. We first get to meet the main guests to a house party when Edwards introduces them each by writing in their background story. As I had the audiobook (still decorating etc.), it was confusing to skip from one story to the next unrelated story with no explanation.
Also, by doing this, the main myster didn't really start until very late in the book, it felt.
Once the main mystery started, it was really good - the impossible murder, the house party cut off from the world by a storm, the impending collapse of a building - all of these were well done and atmospheric.
Where the mystery fell flat for me was in the solution. Edwards does not play fair - I don't think I had a change at all to get to the solution by gathering clues in the book. Not only that, but the solution is presented in such "rabbit out of the hat" way that I felt cheated.
I also had a hard time figuring out when this story was set, but in the end of the book there are some references to dates, which helped. The problem I had was that one of the characters has a backstory that involves him standing trial. The trial is referred to as R v. Danskin, which the audiobook narrator erroneously read as "Regina v." and which led me to believe the story was set much earlier than it was and which made no sense when viewed with the rest of the story. Having looked up the text and confirming it was "R v. Danskin" it became clear that the error was with the audiobook, not the text. It was all very confusing. The paint fumes did not help.
Anyway, I look forward to reading more of Edwards' own mysteries. -
I found this good, and a lot better and easier to read than the previous book. But I have to say Rachel Savernake and her group of thuggish co-horts are a bit um cold and lacking in any human warmth. I couldn’t take to them again and found them at times more disturbing than the actual murderer who btw is still pretty cold but the main characters are just awful. I am hoping that at some point she gets her comeuppance (as in Rachel) because I really do not like her, it’s not the fact that she’s beautiful granted an immediate eye roll or even clever or whatever it’s her psychotic personality and no feeling at all whatsoever I just find her smug arrogant and just disappointed because the golden age Crime novels didn’t just have detectives or amateurs that were cold or unfeeling they had warmth and an understanding of the human faults and flaws, whereas rachel feels too modern and unforgiving. I really cannot stand her.
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First things first - this is the SECOND book in the series which I didn't know going into it lol. The beginning was a little confusing but honestly I was able to read and enjoy the story without the first book!
This is a mystery set in 1930 about murder, justice, and a house party that goes wrong!
I found the characters (especially Rachel) to be very compelling and mysterious throughout. Loved that! I enjoyed the setting and how well the author portrayed society during that time.
The mystery itself was well done. There was SO MUCH to it. It was like 3 mysteries in 1 and then the twist at the end I sure did not see coming!
I would recommend this book but would also say maybe read the first one if you can 😂 -
A really great l read. Very well researched, a book steeped in the the 1930's. A classic whodunnit. I have always loved Agatha Christie and this is one of the few books that has matched them.I loved the character of Rachel Saverneck. a great read, highly recommend x
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3,5 stars
Too bad Goodreads doesn't allow for half stars as this is exactly the kind of books that is neither bad (hence the 3 stars), neither as good as it could and should be (that would get 4 stars in my view). Still, it's getting there, it's verging on 4 stars, just a lil' more work and it'd have deserved them entirely.
The first thing I must confess about Mortmain Hall is that I got attracted by its cover, didn't do any research whatsoever and just bought it on a whim. Had I been thorough, I would have found out about Gallows Court and my review would be far more encompassing. So, sorry if some of the stuff that I'm about to bash are actually explained in the 1st Rachel Savernake story!
So, the good points first:
Martin Edwards relies heavily on the “book within the book” trick, or the "mise en abîme" and as far as I'm concerned it works great. It's a very efficient way of titillating our interest in so many crime stories (the book contains at least 4 or 5) and keeping our mind racing for clues and guesses and whatnot. Plus, it provides all the info without appearing to dump it, so great!
Second, the time setting is perfectly rendered. We're really in the 30s within the snap of a finger.
Then, the murders themselves. I loved the hot trails, the red herrings, the fact there were so many murders occurring at a different time and in very different conditions to take into account, the narratives of the books Jacob devoured throughout his actual inquest, the way Edwards made my mind think (I actually typed my notes to try and guess the whole thing out and managed to find out about 75% of the solution).
But, but... There are 4 points that made the book lean more towards the 3 stars mark for me:
1. In terms of actual writing and especially as far as dialogues are concerned, Edwards couldn't find the proper pace for his fiction. There was a noted lack of gestures and character embodiment, almost as if they were thinking subjects only. They didn't move much abount the rooms, they didn't alight with pleasure or feel any sort of strong emotions. They were just a bit blah, if you see what I mean. I think Edwards had so many things to do in this book that he went very often straight to the point and didn't spend enough time setting up his characters in a nice, sweet way for his readers. But then again, I haven't read Gallows Court, so maybe that's where most of the main cast gets fully developed. Here, though, the main cast felt paper thin, and especially as regards the Gaunt House party. In all scenes involving Rachel, Martha, Cliff and his wife whose name I momentarily forgot, the dialogues are vague and completely flat. Supposedly, there’s some humour in them but I failed to see it and these scenes completely failed to appeal. And this is mainly due to point 2.
2. Rachel, Rachel, Rachel. I've rarely disliked a character quite as much, but then again I'm only judging her on the basis of this book. But, I mean, could there be a female character more perfect, irreproachable, classy, beautiful, rich, brilliant, etc. etc. in the whole history of crime fiction?! She's insufferably perfect and cold and distant and arrogant and favoured by nature and people alike and constantly put on a freaking pedestal by the other characters. Most dialogues involving Rachel are spent telling the reader how great she is and mentioning matter-of-factly a little detail about the murders, which of course must come from Rachel. Every time she appears, we're told how she's dressed and how good it makes her look. In this, Edwards' writing reminded me instantly of all the 80s British authors who wrote romance novels featuring an unbelievable heroine whose chief credit was to have had a hard life. I'm sorry, but I didn't buy Rachel at all. What's the point of telling us she plunged in the pool in a new (insert adjectives here) swimsuit and did 30 laps easily because she's so fit, before sitting down to a cocktail served by her servants whom she affectionately treat as family because they've been through so much together. But they also play chauffeurs/thugs and cook for her. They carry out her messages and partake in her dangerous life while she makes people wait for 30 min. and appears entirely bored for the whole of the book. And, forgive me, entirely boring!
There's nothing interesting at all about Rachel, if only because she's made to be superhuman to no avail. Take Reggie or Jacob, by comparison, and you have yourself two very real and developed characters whose thoughts and stories are far more interesting. Yet, Reggie will be Reggie and Jacob spends most of his time lusting after Rachel so that's that. Couldn't he have made Jacob gay or sth? What is the point of focusing so much on a one-sided romance if the adored side spends all her time lording it over the adoring side? I just didn't get why Edwards crafted so many interesting background characters and worked with such a silly, cliché and flat main cast. It felt as though Rachel was an answer to his own ideal female type (and a very backwards, paternalistic one at that) rather than the most interesting female character he could produce.
3. This stands out especially as Rachel doesn't actually investigate. You only see her when she has found out the result. The lack of on-page investigations on her part means we (the readers) cannot piece out together the key pieces of the puzzle since we have no means of accessing them. And tell me, what's the point of a whodunnit if the reader is not invited to find out who's done it?! At first, no problem, we're in there, tracking down all the clues and figuring out a few scenarios, but that last quarter of the trail which is crucial to the solution is delivered by Rachel straight out of a magic hat! God, I hate it when writers do that! We don't need the solution before the last chapter but we do need all the pieces of the puzzle laid out before us, even if we can't guess the pattern yet. That wasn't the case at all towards the end of Mortmain Hall. All of this, of course, notwithstanding the very silly storm at the end that just solves everything out or the fact that there are 3 sleuths in the story and we only truly access Jacob’s investigation.
4. The party. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry but this was the worst part of the book. The much-anticipated party did nothing to add to the story and was terribly executed. What’s more, it came at the very end which means the title of the book is also very deceptive.
Conclusion: Mortmain Hall was a nice book to read, an interesting mind exercise with a plot apparently extremely complex but in fact quite simple. If you pay attention you can guess out the general story and the murderers before the second half of the book, but the key little elements are delivered like a hair in the soup. All in all, less spreading all over the place, less murders maybe (though they were good!) and more focus on the interaction between the characters and their investigation, as well as between the characters and the soon-to-be-victims they attempt to save might have made everyone a little more human and the book a warmer affair. As it is, reading Mortmain Hall is more of a cerebral exercise than a passionate whodunnit adventure with colourful sleuths. -
An intricately woven plot set in the 1930s
Mortmain Hall continues the adventures of Rachel Savernake and Jacob Flint, begun in the novel Gallows Court. Rachel and her trusted staff are again embroiled in a murder mystery, this time centring around a group of people who have ‘got away with murder’, with the help of the crime reporter Jacob Flint, they leave London for the dramatic east coast of Yorkshire to uncover the truth.
I felt that the plot took a little time to come together, we begin in the middle of the drama, where the opening character’s life is at stake. I did love the use of the Necropolis Railway as a setting for this, however I was confused for the first few chapters. Once the action truly began and I was confident with the characters, the plot moved swiftly and logically.
The book uses multiple points of view within each chapter, which again can be a little disconcerting, especially if the book is put down and then taken up again at a later time. The characters themselves are very well described and well rounded. The writing is a touch flowery for my taste; I am quite well read in Golden Age Crime, which I felt this was an homage to, but there were several occasions where I had to look up a term or reference used to describe a character or scene.
I very much enjoyed the plot and the denouement was especially dramatic; I also like that Martin Edwards gives you a guide to the clues, which makes a second reading very enjoyable – as with many Golden Age Crime novels, a rereading once you know what to look for provides a very different experience and view of the story. Martin Edwards gives the reader the full benefit of his knowledge and passion for crime novels of this era.
If you are a fan of historical crime fiction, with a bent for Agatha Christie, Francis Iles, Dorothy L. Sayers et al this is a very enjoyable second book, in what I hope will become an extended series. -
Mortmain Hall is the second Rachel Savernake book. Although Rachel is a main character in these stories and one around whom much of the action takes place, I think that they could just as easily be called the Jacob Flint series. While Rachel sits in almost God-like observation of the action, Jacob blunders through along with us, trying to understand what is actually happening. He's not exactly a Watson to Rachel's Holmes, although he does fill much of that role, it is certainly through his eyes that we see more of the action and mystery.
This second story is again set in the golden again of crime, although as with the first book, there is a much darker edge that is absent from books that were actually written in the period, or at least missing from those that I have read so far.
Mortmain Hall is a complex mystery, not simply a case of a couple of murders and lots of suspects. In fact, it would be more than fair to say that it's not immediately apparent what the crime that we are trying to get to the bottom of is. There is more than one mystery to solve here. It's not as simple as the good guys work out who done it and the bad guys get punished.
I have to admit that while I'd figured out some of the solutions to this, but there were other aspects that I missed entirely. At the end of the book are a number of 'clues' that signposted who was behind various aspects and why, all in the style of some books from the golden age. I spotted some, but missed most.
Overall this was another gripping read from Martin Edwards. I'm looking forward to hearing more from Rachel and Jacob in the future.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
