Murder at the Spring Ball: A 1920s Mystery by Benedict Brown

Murder at the Spring Ball: A 1920s Mystery Reviews

• 
  Kathy

  I think this is the second book from the "1920s Mystery" series I have read. It was mildly humorous and easy reading during another night of no sleep. Just right for the circumstances, in fact, and I will load another from the selection for next time.
  I enjoy the relationship between the grandfather and the young man housed in a large country house in the 1920's. The grandfather decides to fix up the crumbling mansion and open it up for a large party where family members are targeted with poison. The boy and his grandfather work together to solve the crimes.
  
  Kindle Unlimited
• 
  Lady Wesley

  Review of the audiobook narrated by George Blagden
  
  I do love a good old English country house mystery, and this historical mystery, set in 1925, was lots of fun. I enjoyed getting to know the family, almost all of whom were suspects, particularly the Marquess of Edgington and his grandson Christopher. I did not figure out whodunnit, which is fine with me; nor did I entirely accept that whodunnit was believable. Still, I enjoyed it and likely will listen to more.
  
  George Blagdon, who I had not encountered before, did a fine job narrating.
  
  Even though this book was just published in March 2021, there are already five more books in the Lord Edgington Investigates series, along with one novella. The novella is free on the author's website,
  Benedict Brown's Readers' Club.
• 
  Anja Peerdeman

  In this first novel of a new series, we get to meet Lord Edgington and his grandson Christopher.
  They are splendid characters, brimming with intelligence, drive and heart.
  I enjoyed this well-written novel very, very much.
  It keeps you guessing, almost all the way to the final page.
  And there is lots of subtle humour to be found.
  Looking forward to the next novel in the series, Mr. Brown!
  
• 
  Bev

  Set in England, 1925. After his beloved wife's death, Christopher Prentiss's grandfather and former Scotland Yard detective, Lord Edgington of Cranley Hall, had secluded himself from the world. He saw no one, not even the grandson who spends weekends at his home, and rarely ever left his rooms. At his seventy-fifth birthday celebration, a rare gathering of his entire family--from his dotty sister-in-law, Clementine, to his children, Christopher's mother, Belinda, and Maitland, to his grandchildren and great-niece--he suddenly announces that all that is in the past, Cranley Hall is to be refurbished and made ready for a grand Spring Ball in the style of past events. Even more astounding--he will need an assistant to help him get everything ready and he has chosen, of all people, Christopher.
  
  The Cranley family (and extended relations) aren't the most loving of clans and immediately everyone is suspicious of Edgington's motives. Is he grooming Christopher to be his heir? What has that sneaky little teenager been up to on his weekends at Cranley Hall? Sucking up to old man, apparently. Christopher is just as astounded as the rest. As he tells them, he hasn't spoken one word to his grandfather since the time of his grandmother's death. And even as he begins to help Edgington with his celebration, he's still not clear why his grandfather chose him.
  
  But Christopher proves an able assistant and everything comes together splendidly. The band is up-to-date, the food isn't too bizarre (given the Cranley Hall cook's penchant for strange pairings--like honey & haddock sandwiches), and everyone is having a good time. It's all going well until until Lord Edgington has the cork popped on a fifty year-old bottle of champagne presented to him (and his wife) on his wedding day. The bubbly is poured out for the family and he prepares to offer a toast. One of his greedy children can't wait for the speech, drinks their champagne, and promptly dies of of poison. If Belinda hadn't provided the warning, most--if not all--of the Edgington's family would have followed the same fate. The retired Scotland Yard Superintendent takes his grandson on as assistant detective and the duo set out to find the culprit before the family numbers are drastically reduced.
  
  This was a fun, light historical mystery. Nicely clued in the Golden Age tradition and I enjoyed the duo of grandfather and grandson working together to solve the crime. They have an interesting relationship and, as there are more books in the series, it will be fund to watch it develop. Christopher is a shy, bookish young man who has been bullied at school and derided in the family. It was nice to watch him begin to blossom in his grandfather's company.
  
  The story is told from Christopher's point of view--which is something to keep in mind as you read. He is observant, but doesn't always see things from the proper perspective. He's also prone to jumping to conclusions and several times he comes across a new clue, spins a whole theory, and declares "Case closed!" only to go through the same process when the next clue comes along. But he does get a bit better at interpretation as the case moves along. Overall, a nice debut to what looks like a good series. ★★★ and 1/2. (rounded up)
  
  First posted on my blog
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• 
  Don Drewniak

  Dating back to August 1, 2021, I have read 102 Golden Age mysteries. All but five written by authors of the time: Christie, Allingham, Hammett, Van Dine, Sayers, Crofts, Carr, Fletcher, Connington... Perhaps I've been spoiled by the genius of these authors and have come to expect too much from modern-day authors who venture into writing mysteries set in the 20s and 30s. Be that as it may, Murder at the Spring Ball required total suspension of disbelief. The characters lacked believability and by the end of the book I didn't care if the whole lot of them were murdered. The plot strained the bounds of believability. Particularly irksome was the author's continuous penchant for listing the names of and describing automobiles owned by the rich ex-Scotland Yard Superintendent who, after ten years of self-isolation, spearheads an investigation into two murders committed at his manor.
• 
  Pat

  I’ve been on a streak of reading English country house mysteries set in the 1920s. This was unreadable - a little eccentricity is welcome, but this was ridiculously over the top. Stopped after 2 chapters.
• 
  Lulu

  "Todd Looked at me like I was a knife, fork and a spoon short of a place setting. His quietly judgmental manner reminded me why i'de come"
  
  Story: 8
  Writing: 8
  First MC: 8
  Second MC:
  Secondary characters: 7
  Mystery: 7
  Sexual tension: 0
  Humor: 6
  Hotness: 0
  Product placement: 5
  Ridiculousness:
  Annoying: 1
  Audio: 10 (7hr 49min)
  To re-read: 8
  
  That was entraining on so many levels. Read from the point of view the 16 y/o Crissy. He and his grandfather investigate the murders.
  
  His inner thoughts are so funny!
• 
  Ellen Read

  I loved this cosy mystery. Well paced, plenty of twist and humour.
• 
  Christy

  I wish the author had left out the three uses of profanity! Theres never any reason for foul language!
• 
  Barbara Hackel

  Ten years after his wife's sudden death, Lord Edgington of Cranley Hall, called his heirs to the manor to celebrate his 75th birthday. It was a subdued affair with everyone wondering why they were there. It turned out that Lord Edgington decided to rejoin the land of the living after ten years of self-imposed isolation. He announced that he was having a Spring Ball in 3 weeks time. By that date the manor and grounds would be refurbished, renewed, and shining with anticipation. (Amazing what the wealthy can accomplish both quickly and well!) He announced that his sixteen year old grandson (who schooled nearby and lived in the manor on weekends and holidays) Christopher-known as Chrissy-would be his assistant! And thus it begins, the pairing of the 75 year old former Scotland Yard Inspector and his youngest grandchild, a slightly chubby innocent youth.
  
  Read on to marvel at the restoration of the house and grounds. Chuckle as you read of Chrissy's innocent ideas and thoughts. I loved his flower ordering for the ball and his list of required foods to be served! Learn the inner workings and secrets of Cranley Hall. But be prepared for death along the way!
  
  It is a journey back in time that makes one wish for a chance to experience the opulence of the manor house and the era. Anglophiles and fans of Masterpiece Theater, Dorothy L. Sayers, etc. won't want to miss this story! A historical and exciting book.
  
• 
  Ann

  Overall, my gut feeling is that this is not bad at all for a first book. It's certainly well written, but there are some aspects that were not to MY taste.
  
  The story comes from the point of view of the 16 year old Christopher and begins as his extended family have been invited to his grandfather's house to celebrate the old man's 75th birthday. His grandmother died 10 years ago and Lord Edgington has been a recluse ever since. The impression of the family is that he's in failing health and various members have reason to worry about their inheritances.
  
  Turns out he's decided 10 years is long enough to mourn and he's going to throw a huge party -- and chooses Christopher as his 'assistant' in planning it.
  
  Of course, there's a murder and he carries on as his grandfather's assistant in their investigation. Of course, Christopher gets everything wrong -- though making the odd comment that triggers a new line of investigation -- and, just like Watson (but moreso) doesn't ever consider that just maybe his grandfather knows what he's doing.
  
  As to the solution, the clues are all there, but some are fairly obtuse. AND some conclusions rely on information that is not given to the reader. Or, if it was, I missed it -- which is certainly possible.
  
  One of the things that bothered me is that Christopher is portrayed -- even though it's from his POV -- as a more than usually doltish Watson. And no one treats him very well. He's a chubby nerd who loves bird watching -- but doesn't really know much about birds. He's bullied at school as he's not a jock or particularly smart or anything; just generally awkward with no particular gifts at all. I suppose that this really is what most boys that age are like, but one expects some growth over the course of a novel and I didn't really see any. But I'll give the second volume a try and see if he begins to learn anything.
  
  
• 
  Evelyn

  I found this book to be a quite different type of mystery than I've read before. Yes, it is a cozy mystery, not a lot of blood and gore, and set an English estate in the 1920s. Yes, it has the requisite choice of suspects. The murder happens at a party with many in attendance, family and friends. The difference is that the main investigator, Lord Edgington, is a retired police investigator. He was a second son who surprisingly became the heir after the death of his older brother in a military situation. He decided to become a police constable when young and worked his way up to Inspector before his retirement. Now he is faced with the murder of his daughter in a public setting. What I found interesting is that the book is written in the first person, narrated by his grandson, Christopher, a sixteen-year-old boy still spending his weeks at school and weekends at home. Christopher writes with a lot of humor and the typical confidence of a young boy in his own powers of observation. He is usually wrong, of course, but his grandfather is patient with him. I loved things like Chrissy (he hates his nickname) having to ride in the rumble seat of a roadster and getting flies in his face and teeth. He is constantly trying to grab some food while running around in his grandfather's wake to find clues. He interrupts his elders to brag about his successes before finding out how really stupid he can be. I would like some time to read some more of the books to see if Christopher gets any better at detection and whether he matures a bit. A fun read.
• 
  Katharine

  Murder at the Spring Ball is a wonderful mystery for people who like the true "cozies." There are multiple dead bodies involved. But, the charming way in which it is written means you could read it at 3AM on Halloween in a thunderstorm and not be alarmed in the least. One of the reasons for this is that the narrator is a 16-year-old wannabe bird watcher who only pays full attention to what is going on around him sometimes - as in when he isn't thinking about food, or school, or being embarrassed about something, or his secret crush. This means that the narrator, and therefore the reader, get led down the wrong path on a regular basis. But, it's much more entertaining than frustrating. I thought it was a lot of fun and am looking forward to reading others in the series.
• 
  Cindy Cynthia

  Thoroughly enjoyable!
  
  Well, I’ve found another author by accident. I just happened across this entertaining and very readable mystery without one single jarring grammatical error or misplaced modifier. Because I am the age of Lord Edgington, I absolutely agree with his idea of having more adventures at our advanced age, and his grandson as the narrator is subtly funny, respectful, eager to learn, hungry for praise, thoughtful and I could go on. The story seems true to the period and is well written. My favorite part is the caring relationship between grandfather and grandson. The bottom line, I guess, it that the story kept my interest and was fun to read.
• 
  Deborah

  Wonderful series
  
  I loved this book. I found it a delight. Everything from the description of the old house, the interesting foods cook made to the English gardens caught my imagination. I'm not one who is big on lots of description but this book had just the right amount.
  The characters are I interesting and quirky. They have good characteristics and they have faults. This makes the story more interesting because no one is perfect.
  The who done it angle is well done. Each suspect could be guilty or not and the reveal is well thought out.
  I am happy to find this series and look forward to reading the next book.
  
• 
  Cattie Whaley

  A great introduction to Lord Edgington
  
  Book one of the Lord Edgington Investigates series introduces us to a most complicated family and some shifty characters. After ten years of being sequestered away, Lord Edgington comes back to rejoin the world with a bang of a ball and murder. This book takes us on the crazy journey of figuring out who done it. His grandson Christopher is chosen to be his assistant as they try to piece everything together. Love the quirkiness of Lord Edgington! Looking forward to the next book! Highly recommend
• 
  Amanda Meggs

  Lord Edgington and Chrissy are a lot of fun
  
  I had a smile on my face for a lot of this novel, Christopher as he prefers to be called (Chrissy to his family), is very entertaining in his private thoughts. Lord Edgington has decided that he has spent enough time pining for his wife and to get on with life, he puts his grandson to good use helping to organise a big party and then helping to solve the murder of his daughter and son.
• 
  Kathy Holm

  Murder at the Spring Ball...A 1920s Mystery(Lord Edgington Investigates..)
  
  I am an avid reader...and I see a book through to the end.....first of all the book is full of nothing!
  This story could be explained in one page at the most...don't waste your time..unless you enjoy
  A story that goes no where!
• 
  Janice Moore

  Parties Can Be Deadly!
  
  I have a new favorite author of short but satisfying who dun-it’s! Benedict Brown weaves and teases the reader along guessing and guessing again who the culprit or culprits might be. Can’t wait to get started on the next Benedict Brown mystery and try again to guess the answer!