The snow is thick, the phone line is down, and no one is getting in or out of Warbeck Hall. With friends and family gathered round the fire, all should be set for a perfect Christmas, but as the bells chime midnight, a mysterious murder takes place. Who can be responsible? The scorned young lover? The lord’s passed-over cousin? The social climbing politician’s wife? The Czech history professor? The obsequious butler? And perhaps the real question is: can any of them survive long enough to tell the tale?
An English Murder
£9.99
3 in stock (can be backordered)
3 in stock (can be backordered)
Description
9780571339013
Faber & Faber
Paperback
202pp
Faber & Faber
198x128x15
Cyril Hare Faber & Faber FF Paperback 2017
A satisfying tale of politics and wealth, with an unexpected denouement
The Times, ‘Thrillers and Chillers of the Year’ – Marcel Berlins
All the ingredients for a traditional Christmas mystery are here. [Cyril Hare's] rediscovery is to be loudly applauded
Daily Mail – Barry Turner
Yes, there is a murder (the clue is in the title) but in Golden Age crime (this book was first published in 1951,) murders are never particularly, well, murdery. What we have here is foul play and a corpse on a snowy Christmas Eve at Warbeck Hall and a full house of suspects including the scorned young lover, the social climbing politician's wife and, of course, the butler!
Red
Faber's welcome republication of vintage crime bestsellers continued with An English Murder by Cyril Hare, a wintry country house whodunit from 1951
Guardian, ‘Best crime books of 2017’
Revival of a 1951 classic by the distinguished barrister Alfred Alexander Gordon Clark, aka Cyril Hare, the critically acclaimed crime writer. To quote the unimprovable cover blurb: “The snow is thick, the phone line is down, and no one is getting in or out of Warbeck Hall”. What could possibly go wrong as the Christmas bells chime midnight?
The Times Crime Club
'Six people around the table on Christmas Eve in a large country house include the chancellor of the exchequer, the leader of a fascist movement, a Jewish historian and assorted toffs. They start dying, one by one. Snow prevents detectives from coming to investigate. Written in 1951, Cyril Hare's novel tells a satisfying tale of politics and wealth, with an unexpected denouement.'
The Times Books of the Year: Crime
'Faber's welcome republication of vintage crime bestsellers continued with An English Murder by Cyril Hare, a wintry country house whodunit from 1951.'
Guardian Best Crime and Thrillers 2017 – Mark Lawson
Slips down as easily as eggnog on Christmas morning
S Magazine
Hare's writing is sublime… this author was years ahead of his time
CrimeSquad
'This light-hearted classic from 1951 slips down as easily as eggnog on Christmas morning. The premise seems conventional to the point of parody. A group of people who feel little goodwill towards each other are snowed in during Christmas at a stately home. The outcome is murder. But there are plenty of original ideas, some nice satirical touches (one of the guests, to the dismay of his aristocratic hosts, is the left-wing Chancellor of the Exchequer) and bucketfuls of charm'
Sunday Express Murder and Mystery Books of the Year – Jake Kerridge
…incisive social commentary, vivid descriptions and nuanced interactions between characters… a book modern readers should not miss
CrimeReview