What fun these British Library Crime Classics are! Absolute little gems saved from obscurity for the reading pleasure of twenty-first century mystery lovers. “Weekend at Thrackley” is no exception. The setting is almost archetypal; a group of disparate people are invited to a large country house for the weekend. All of the action in the book takes place over that long weekend.

For all that the set-up of the book is conventional, things are seriously quirky, and I mean that in only the nicest way. The host of the party, Mr Edward Carson, is very odd indeed, and the guests are an ill-assorted bunch; none of the people who are invited actually know why they were invited. (But they all turn up anyway.) The butler, Jacobson, is both morose and sinister, although the food provided to the guests is top-notch. (I wish I had been there for dinner.) Ulterior motives abound.

I don’t like spoilers, so I am not going to give any. It would be difficult to describe accurately the goings-on without giving away a lot of the pleasure of discovery in any event. Let me just say that you will not be disappointed by the end.

I really enjoyed “Weekend at Thrackley,” and am glad that the editors brought it back to life.

Jim Henderson is unsuccessfully job-hunting and scraping by when he gets an invitation to spend a Weekend at Thrackley. Edwin Carson, his host, is a wealthy man famed for his jewel collection, some of questionable provenance if rumors are true. Carson claims to have known Henderson’s father and even Henderson himself as a boy. Since his good friend Fitch is also invited and a free meal is a free meal, he readily accepts.

When they arrive they see an old country manor completely covered in ivy surrounded by a dark, encroaching forest. It seems as though it will be one of those dank, moldy, and dreary places. The instant they step inside, though, they discover a beautifully decorated home rich in luxury and good taste. Their meal is outstanding and their guests are an interesting mix. There’s a wealthy society grande dame famed for her charitable events and tireless organizing. Add in a brother and sister duo of artistic inclination, a beautiful and famed actress, and Carson’s daughter Mary and you have everybody except the four servants. Henderson wonders why he is really there, though, since everyone else is wealthy and also known for having some exquisite jewelry. Yet Carson treats him as the most honored guest.

Things get curiouser when Jim recognizes the chauffeur, an old classmate who confesses he’s actually a police officer undercover trying to find Carson’s jewelry collection because a good portion is stolen.



Weekend at Thrackley is a refreshing tonic after some serious and disturbing reading. It’s deliciously snarky. Something tells me Melville really did not have much tolerance for fools. I will confess it some ways it is quite ridiculous. Let’s just say if I bought a house, completely refurbished it and poured a fortune into it, I would feel an attachment. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it a lot. Perhaps I was just in the right mood to overlook a few plot points and suspend my disbelief. Perhaps it was because it was just so archly sardonic. Perhaps it was Mary’s surprising ruthlessness. Putting them together, I was happy to just go with the story, no matter how silly in some ways, and enjoy it as it is.

Weekend at Thrackley will be released August 7th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

Weekend at Thrackley at Poisoned Pen Press.
Alan Melville at Wikipedia
Death of Anton
Quick Curtain

This was a good old fashioned English country mystery from the 1930's.

Army veteran Jim Henderson gets an invitation to a weekend in the country from a man who claims to have known his father years prior. Jim has never met this man or many of the other people invited for the weekend. He and his friend Freddie Usher hit the road and murder ensues.

I liked this book even though the language at times was a little hard to follow and it was pretty predictable. I do like these reissues of the British mystery classics and I intend to read more.

Jim Henderson has been invited to a weekend in the country by a Mr. Carson who claims to be a friend of his father’s. Jim’s father died when he was very young in South Africa and he has no recollection of a Mr. Carson ever being mentioned. But it is hard to turn down a few free meals, and he finds out his friend Usher has also been invited so off they go. All the guests but Jim have been asked to bring certain jewels with them as Mr. Carson is a gemstone enthusiast. Jim can’t figure out why he’s been invited unless it is as Usher claims, that he’s been chosen for Carson’s daughter. They don’t have to wonder for long, though. Things start to get very interesting very quickly and the quiet weekend is anything but.

I like this one in that it doesn’t quite follow the patterns you’d expect from a mystery novel. I can’t say too much about this without spoiling things. I was able to figure that some things would work out a certain way but I wasn’t exactly sure how. A clever and different little mystery with some touches of nice humor along with moments of suspense. Recommended for mystery lovers who are tired of the same old thing and want something a little unique.

Notes on content: A handful of mild swear words. No sexual content beyond a kiss. A few deaths and injuries but nothing very gory.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An oldie but a goodie! I didn't realize until I began reading, and read the forward, that this book had originally been published in the 1930's.
I have to say that it still holds up today, just like similar titles in this genre by Agatha Christie and the like.

A weekend house party in the country, a variety of quirky guests and a mystery, what's not to like?

Unlike Christie's titles, this book fell apart a bit at the end thus the average rating, but it's well written and a fun read.

I did not find this book interesting at all and could not finish it. It was boring and I could not relate to the characters.

A brilliant story that packs a punch. Melville created an intriguing story with characters to match. Definitely a page turner.

Weekend at Thrackley by Alan Melville has an old feel whodunnit and is the real treat for all mystery lovers.

Jim, a war veteran with no money and no skills, gets invited by an old friend of his father's along with five other people to a weekend at the country house.
Apart from him everyone is very rich and adorned with jewels. But the company is nice, apart from sinister looking butler, food is superb and free so Jim is having a great time.
Until he discovers a hidden microphone in both his and his friend's room. Add stolen jewels and even a murder to the mix and we have a good old fashioned murder mystery on our hands.
I especially liked the setting and the cast of characters. There's a lot of humor in the book. It is nicely paced with a clever story.
Very good historical murder mystery.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for providing me with an advance eBook of this book. The views expressed are my own.

This is a suspenseful country-house mystery story. It's got an interesting plot that will easily keep your attention to the dramatic few chapters when the villain is dealt with. The house called Thrackley is as much as a character as any of the humans. From its introduction, Thrackley is portrayed as a sinister evil entity and plays a huge role in creating the suspense which makes this book an entertaining read.

The scene in Chapter 17 when Lady Stone, one of the week-end guests, attempts to thwart an elaborate burglar alarm system is a funny break from the suspense. It is not to be missed.

The Introduction by Martin Edwards is, as usual, a great scene-setter.

Recommended

Weekend at Thrackley isn’t a whodunit; that is clear from very early on. And not just because the person in question gets described as sinister-looking and ugly as soon as he appears. We also know that he is the bad guy because there are chapters from his POV.

In the first of those he is standing in his evil lair.
That is filled with the jewels he has stolen.
And that has an elaborate hiding/locking mechanism that means only he himself or people he wants to enter can get in.
And from which he can listen to everything that is going on every room in the house because he had microphones installed there.

Dear Reader, this is a very silly book. But not in the charming over-the-top way Edgar Wallace movies are. Or Farjeon’s Seven Dead. Apart from a handful of genuinly witty pieces of dialogue it’s quite stupid and dull. The plot relies mostly on coincidences: the hero just happens to be at the right place at the right time to overhear the right thing/stumble over the right thing/find the hidden microphone in his room.

Meanwhile, the villain just happens to overhear the right things and the right time as well. Mind you his elaborate surveillance machinery doesn’t include recording devices so he just jumps from one room to the next, listening in and hears just the thing that stops the book from being over after 100 pages.

It’s just too much. The coincidences don’t just make things harder or easier for the characters. All major developments in the story just happen because of ridiculous coincidences.

Part of that can certainly be blamed on the fact that the story is meant to be somewhat humorous/a parody. There is the already mentioned witty banter and there are funny scenes: before the hero leaves, his landlady tells him to be careful because weekends in the countryside frequently end in murder. And I could deal with a mostly coincidence-driven plot in a full-blown parody but for that the rest isn’t funny enough. There is one character who is an over-the-top caricature but all others – including the hero – are just bland and forgettable. So it’s too dull for a parody and to ridiculous for a good mystery.

Captain James Henderson has been out of the Army since the end of WWI. Unfortunately, he has found it difficult to get a job. There apparently is not a lot of demand for military men in London.

When he is invited to a house party in Surrey, he is surprised. The invitation comes from a man he has never met. But, a free weekend in the country, and free food and something to do are all too good to ignore.

Then he finds his old school friend, Freddy Usher, is invited as well. Freddy knows a little bit about their host. Edwin Carson is a man who is a well known collector of gems. Some of his activities may have been out of the norm, but evidently he has never been arrested.

The other guests invited to the house party are each owners of rare and unusual gems. Jim has even more questions about why he has been invited.

Mr Carson is an unusual man and not very nice. His butler, Jacobson, is not a nice man. In fact, there are questions about nearly everyone who lives in Thrackley. Except for Mr Carson's daughter, Mary. She seems, charming, intelligent, kind and lovely.

This is the first mystery written by Alan Melville. He did not believe it was very well done. But, in reality, it is a very well done mystery of the period.

I am a fan of British mysteries from the Golden Age between the Wars. This one is just what I like about that era. It has twists and turns. It has interesting and unusual characters. I liked all of it.

Jim must give up his lazy life in order to solve puzzles, and put roadblocks up to prevent crimes from being committed. He does all he can to protect the guests and thwart Mr Carson and his minions. Jim is heroic and uses skills learned in the military to be a hero.

The secondary characters all add a great deal of texture to the story. Along with Jim and Freddy, there is a glamorous actress, a wealthy busybody, two spoiled brats and several villains. Everyone is present in this unusual house party and each of them help move the plot forward.

One thing I did not enjoy, nearly every guest seemed to be too trusting, but maybe that is because I am looking at this from a much different time.

I liked this book.

I received the book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are completely my own.

Edwin Carson invites several persons to spend the weekend at his country house in Surrey. Captain Jim Henderson is among those invited. He does not know why he is on the guest list but decides to go for the adventure and food if nothing else. Adventure they get. Jim discovers a microphone hidden in the chimney in his room and in his friend's room as well. The rest of the novel concerns stolen jewels and even includes murder. The question is not so much whodunit as "will the victims escape the country house." I imagine the puzzle was quite good in its day, but it is unlikely to resound with modern readers as much. I received an electronic galley from the publisher (Poisoned Pen Press) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was really quite neat. Another Crime Classic from the Golden Age, but this one not so much a Who Dunnit, but more a "How do we get out of this scrape". It has all the elements of a good adventure story and reminded me very much of Allingham. Very entertaining and Praise Be Alan Melville, he actually managed to write a female character that could think for herself. And that in the 1920ies! Impressive.

I enjoyed this book- it was a quick and well-paced read that didn’t necessarily follow what I think of as the “usual” formula for the early 20th century British crime novel. I recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of those types of mysteries- I’m only giving three stars because nothing wowed me, not because it wasn’t an enjoyable experience to read this.

This was a fun vintage mystery book to read. The characters were well-drawn and the plot suspenseful, twisty and with a few red herrings. It was written in 1934 and is a "country home" mystery. Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for bringing to light this delightful author.

"WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY MARTIN EDWARDS.

'I'm taking a revolver to Thrackley. You never know with blokes like Carson. I hate these harmless, potty people – they're always up to something.'

Jim Henderson is one of six guests summoned by the mysterious Edwin Carson, a collector of precious stones, to a weekend party at his country house, Thrackley. The house is gloomy and forbidding but the party is warm and hospitable – except for the presence of Jacobson, the sinister butler. The other guests are wealthy people draped in jewels; Jim cannot imagine why he belongs in such company.

After a weekend of adventure – with attempted robbery and a vanishing guest – secrets come to light and Jim unravels a mystery from his past."

While I love books written like Golden Age mysteries, sometimes nothing beats actual Golden Age mysteries...

I love these reprints almost as much as the Charlie Chan and Thin Man series! Well written and twisty, complete with a few red herrings, the mystery holds attention. The characters are so clearly presented and the scene so intricately described that I felt like I was there! I guarantee that I will keep sniffing around so that I can read all that the Poisoned Pen Press puts out in the British Library Crime Classics.
I requested and received a free review copy via NetGalley. Thank you!

A rerelease of a mystery novel written in 1934, A Weekend at Thrackley had a few plot surprises and occasional bouts of welcome humour. The antagonist was so over the top however, that he felt like some weak precursor to a Bond super villain. And while the protagonist, Captain Jim Henderson turns out to be a fine and capable man by the last half of the novel, he is introduced as somewhat of a layabout and I found it difficult to resign the two halves of the character. A Weekend at Thrackley is a pleasant though dated novel.

Jim Henderson, not quite down and out but long unemployed, gets a surprise invitation to a weekend at a country manor in Surrey called Thrackley. In the fine tradition of Golden Age mysteries, the place is dark and forbidding, and the owner, Edwin Carson, has plenty to hide. I won’t spoil the fun by telling more except to say that author Alan Melville loaded plenty of twists, suspense and surprises in this gem, first published in 1934.

I’ll be seeking to read more Melville novels.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, British Library and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this complimentary copy of Weekend at Thrackley by Alan Melville. It was a delightful return to the golden age of mystery writing with a style reminiscent of Margery Allington’s Albert Campion series. The characters were largely familiar ones to the setting of a weekend house party in the country back in the age when everything moved slower, people dressed for dinner, and parties at country mansions were common among a certain set.

Good and evil are clearly represented here with James Henderson representing all that is good and chivalrous with Edwin Carson being the evil counterpoint. As in all good fiction, Mr. Henderson does have his drawbacks and Mr. Carson does have something of a redeeming virtue.

Rounding out the cast of characters are some classic characters from that age of fiction, including a rather shallow but well meaning friend and an overbearing wealthy woman along with several other guests and staff who serve to round out the personalities of those within the pages. The mystery has more to do with who Mr. Carson is, why Mr. Harrison has been included in the invitation, and what is the overall purpose, beyond one glaring obvious one, of the entire weekend.

While I knew the answer to all these questions, especially the one that could be considered the “big reveal” at the end of the book, by the time I had read the first quarter or third of the novel, it was still enjoyable to read and determine if I was correct. Never for once did I doubt the triumph of good over evil, but I still enjoyed reaching that point.

If you enjoy that particular age of mystery and fiction writing that is characterized by Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham and a host of others who wrote in a simpler, slower time, then you are likely to enjoy this. If you are looking for something that is filled with lots of fast action, edge of the cliff suspense, etc. then not so much. For me this was a thoroughly enjoyable read with characters I could easily see and an atmosphere that was fully experienced in my imagination.