Murder of a Lady: A Scottish Mystery (British Library Crime Classics) - Softcover

Review

Full of light humour, cranky policemen, and one smart amateur detective, this story had me wrapped around it's finger from the first page.

Although the focus is largely on the locked-room puzzle of how the crime could have been done, there's some pretty good characterisation along the way. I particularly liked the way Wynne portrayed the women, showing them as subordinate within this society, but strong within themselves; victims sometimes, but not hysterical ones; and intelligent, worthy partners for the men they loved....Of course, there is more than one murder, and I have to admit that the second one took me totally by surprise and actually made me gasp a little. There's no real horror aspect in the book, but it nevertheless builds a great atmosphere of rather creepy tension, aided by the superstitions of the Highland folk....I enjoyed this one very much another author the British Library has managed to add to my list!

This was a fairly dark mystery with a good setting. I found it much more an old fashioned "puzzle" but it was an enjoyable read.

The major focus in Murder of a Lady is the puzzle: The characters are only developed so far as they serve the plot. And what a plot it is, full of impossibilities, troubles from the past, tormented lovers, and a slew of mixed motives. There is not just one impossible murder: The following murders seem equally impossible. In the course of the characters' investigations, Wynne brings up several plausible solutions before the matter is fully cleared up....Murder of a Lady is another entry into Poisoned Pen Press's publication of The British Library Crime Classic collection. Out of print since 1931, the novel is perfect for readers who love Agatha Christie but who have made their way through all her works - or who just want a change of pace while keeping to the classic, sleek, constructions of the era...

First published in 1931, this reissue in the British Library crime classics series brings back what some consider a more innocent era, when psychology seemed simpler and no one ever used terms like sociopath or psychopath. In his heyday, Wynne (1882-1963) was considered to be the master of locked-room mysteries, and he acquits himself well in this Dr. Eustace Hailey mystery. Hailey travels to a castle in the Scottish Highlands to investigate the demise of Miss Mary Gregor, sister to the laird. She has been found stabbed to death in her locked bedroom. Miss Gregor at first is described as pious and good. But it soon becomes clear that pious can be interpreted as sanctimonious and goodness can serve as a shield for nastier intentions. Others follow her to the grave in equally inexplicable circumstances. Those who like black-and-white films, in which ladies and gentlemen dress for dinner and everyone has frightfully good manners, are in for a treat.

A talented amateur sleuth takes on a locked-room murder in this golden age whodunit....This classic British mystery, first published in 1931, has enough complex plotting and red herrings to win a new generation of fans for the largely forgotten Wynne.

The solution is very clever the practicalities were highly improbable, but the logic and the psychology worked and, though I didn't see it coming, when I looked back I realised that there had been a few little clues....Anthony Wynne wrote well, the story was always engaging, and he caught the atmosphere, as unfolding events generated fear and hysteria, very well indeed. That was what held things together, and that was what kept me turning the pages....I can't say that this is the greatest Golden Age crime novel; but it is different and it is entertaining.

I guessed the perp but not the method of murder, but ultimately it's the novel's insights that make it such a delight to read. After finishing and really enjoying this gem, I went looking at the author's backlist. Some of these used copies run into the $100s. I'm hoping that someone takes Wynne's work to the kindle.

The first paragraph alone is worth the price...."Murder of a Lady" (released in the USA as "The Silver Scale Mystery") by Anthony Wynne is one of the older British mysteries that are being reprinted by Poisoned Pen Press and The British Library. It was first published in 1931 by Hutchinson, London....This is a book that may present difficulties for some readers. Dr. Hailey's deductive methods focus almost exclusively on the character of the victim and the people who surround her. Readers who are not very familiar with the highlands of Scotland and the peculiar people who live there may feel overwhelmed by the picture Mr. Wynne paints of a stiff-necked, proud, dark, stupid and superstitious bunch who are motivated by beliefs and emotions that are alien to us today....Mr. Wynne was a Scot and he knows his people well. He goes out of his way to help his readers visualize and mentally connect with the Duchlan and his people, but still one is tempted to give up in frustration at this impenetrable culture. I urge you to keep going. The murderer is clear fairly early on but never in a million years will you guess how the deed was done.

Murder of a Lady is a mystery novel set in Scotland and originally published in 1931. It's the amateur sleuth, Hailey, that's the main character and who solved the case. It's a "locked room" mystery that could potentially be solved in several ways. There were clues, and you could guess whodunit from the clues, but some critical clues weren't discovered until nearly the end....I originally guessed something similar to what the second inspector concluded, and my solution still seems more plausible to me than the actual solution. Having worked with the murder weapon before, I think whodunit was extremely lucky that everything happened exactly right to get the desired end and that no one noticed that certain things went missing at the time of the crime....The characters were more "types" of people or pieces of a puzzle than people to sympathize with or hate. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I still enjoyed reading the story and would recommend this mystery.

About the Author

ANTHONY WYNNE is a pseudonym of Robert McNair-Wilson (1882-1963), who wrote twenty-seven detective novels featuring Eustace Hailey, a physician and amateur sleuth. He also published on economics and history, notably a biography of Napoleon.