Phyllida Bright met Agatha Christie during the Great War while they both were working at a medical dispensary. Now Phyllida is the housekeeper at Mallowan Hall in Devonshire for Agatha and her husband Max. They are hosting a small party when an unexpected guest is found dead by Phyllida in the library killed in an unusual way. Scotland Yard is called in, but Phyillda is not impressed, especially when a second murder occurs. She begins, with approval from Agatha, to investigate. The characters in the story are intriguing and fun, Phyllida and the butler, Mr. Dobble have a prickly relationship, she has a flirtation with the local doctor, and then she meets the new chauffeur, Bradford, who helps her, but riles her at the same time. The author also shows the class distinctions of the time and the inequalities that created. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for this ARC. A good first book, The main character has a mysterious background, hinted at a lot so hopefully, if there are more books, this will be addressed. Was a bit long wided in parts but will happily read a sequel.

This felt like a very British book. It takes place in Agatha Christie’s residence during a party. It had some twists and it takes the housekeeper to figure it all out.
I enjoyed the story for the most part even tho it seemed to drag at times.
It’s part of a series so I’m interested enough to want to see where it goes.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

What fun! Murder at Mallowan Hall is a mystery set at the country home of Agatha Christie and her husband narrated by housekeeper Phyllida Bright and staff.

A fine mystery for both Downton Abbey and Agatha Christie fans. At times I found the descriptions of the inner working of the manor house overriding the characters and the plot. While I don't think the plotting and writing reach the levels of Dame Christie, it was still an enjoyable summer read.

Murder at Mallowan Hall is a fantastic beginning in a new cozy mystery series. The awe begins with the beautiful cover and deepens the further you get along in the story. Mallowan Hall belongs to the one and only Agatha Christie and her architect second husband Max not including the large household staff and the people who happened to be over for a little party we try to piece together to mystery surrounding the dead body found by Phyllida Bright, a housekeeper, unprepared to see the results of her bosses fictional world laying in the library. Though caught off guard Phylida is strong, intelligent, capable, and obsessed with Christie's detective character Poirit, whom she decides to emulate to piece together the details of the tragedy that's fallen over the house.

I love that this was told by the staff rather than buy the wealthy famous owners, its a fresh perspective that works beautifully. Cambridge has really whipped up a truly delightful and cozy read that will have you staying up past your bed time to finish the book then eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Highly recommended to Agatha Christie fans, cozy mystery lovers, and anyone looking for a period book with wonderfully accurate details that pull you back in time.

Thank you to Netflix to providing me with an advance ecopy to review and share my honest opinion. All thoughts in this review belong tot me and in no way were prompted by or belonging to anyone other than myself.

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this novel. I absolutely loved it! I am a massive Agatha Christie fan, so I was very excited to read this book, but also a little apprehensive at the same time; I worried the author would try to imitate Agatha’s style or characters, but luckily this turned out not to be the case. This mystery was excellent in its own way. The book features Agatha Christie Mallowan and her husband Max, but really not much; the protagonist/detective is Mrs. Bright, their housekeeper and many of the characters you get to know are downstairs as opposed to upstairs. I admit it took me a few pages to get in to the book; I think I just wasn’t in the mood at first. However once I got past that, I couldn’t put it down! The story moves very quickly and I loved that there were so many suspects right up until the end. The solution is one I honestly didn’t see coming, which is rare. I cannot wait until the next in the series - please make this happen!

Murder at Mallowan Hall is a fun, well-written mystery set at the country home of famed author Agatha Christie and her devoted husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan. When an unknown murder victim is discovered in the library (what a great idea for a story, lol!) and then a kitchen maid is found bludgeoned to death in the garden, housekeeper Phyllida Bright decides to investigate the dastardly deeds, all with the help and support of her dear friend and employer, Mrs. Mallowan. 5 stars to this first Phyllida Bright Mystery by author Colleen Cambridge - it was a pleasure to read, and I look forward to more books in this series! A+++

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the chance to review this fantastic read.

Phylidda bright is not having a good day. She finds the body of Charkes Warring, a dinner guest of her employers dead in the hallway of their home, stabbed in the neck with a fountain pen. These are not any employers of Mrs Bright. They are none other than famed writer Agatha Christie, and her husband, Max. Phylidda and Agatha try to figure out whodunit but then stumble upon another murder tied to the first.

I really enjoyed how the author really captured Christie s writing style andade me feel I was reading one of Agathas books. She made Phylidda the Miss Marple/Hercule Poirot figure. Truly enjoyed.

This story didn’t really need the Agatha Christie component as it doesn’t add much to the plotting, but it was a fun hook that encouraged me to pick up the book. We spend time with several characters’ perspectives and I enjoyed the characterizations of all of the servants. They felt more real than the upstairs characters, which is fine with me as they usually represent the more interesting half of the equation anyway. A great pick for cozy fans and a good start for a series that would probably have some legs.

This is a clever and enjoyable historical mystery with a fun twist: It’s set at Agatha Christie’s house!

The author has of course taken some liberties with the concept (there is no real Mallowan Hall), but the concept is great and sets up a fitting environment for a very retro-style, golden age mystery.

Agatha Christie and second husband Max Mallowan are actually minor characters in the story (this turns out to be a good thing) and our protagonist is actually housekeeper Phyllida, a no-nonsense gal with a personal relationship to Christie and a mysterious past that suggests that the role of housekeeper is an unusual one for her circumstances. The characters can be a bit much at times (the imperious tone she often adopts is kind of obnoxious, and it’s one example of the sometimes clunky writing that shows up throughout this book). But mostly she’s a capable, wry gal who is easy to like.

The mystery itself is compelling and the solve is well-crafted, even if the hugely contrived “big reveal” scene at the end is absurd and should have been rewritten into something less ham-fisted in its origins. The book can be slow going at times, which I thought was absolutely fine for this subgenre but might bother readers seeking something akin to more modern mysteries.

In all it’s a very promising start to a new historical mystery series. I’m looking forward to Phyllida and company’s next adventure.

#1 mystery I’ve read this year. Absolutely loved it!! The concept was phenomenal, every character charming no matter what their agenda and the author brought it all to life in a way I could not have imagined myself. I will re-read this one again.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This book might become a new favorite of mine. The book felt fleshed out and it was easy to get lost in the book. I also enjoyed the Agatha Christie references throughout. And, the mystery was complex, but I didn't have a hard time following what was happening.

This book included two of my favorite things, historical fiction and horror, and surprisingly I don't find enough of those books. I really did enjoy the writing style Cambridge used in this novel. At first I didn't think I was gonna like it to much but by the end I realized it would have to be a new favorite, thank you for sharing this work of art with me, I will definitely be recommending to my audience!

The first in a new historical cozy mystery, Murder at Mallowan Hall by Colleen Cambridge was a good beginning to introduce readers to the characters that inhabit the fictitious Mallowan Hall where Max Mallowan and Dame Agatha Christie reside.

Phyllida Bright is the housekeeper at Mallowan Hall and met Agatha when they served together in the war. They became friends and when Phyllida needed a change in scene, Agatha offered her a position in Mallowan Hall. Phyllida is definitely a mystery and little is revealed in this book about her past. She is a strong and fiercely independent woman and runs the household of cook and maids with a iron fist in a velvet glove. When a dead body appears in the library during a house party, she decides that the Scotland Yard detective and the local constable are making a hash of the investigation. Soon she is on the case trying to emulate her hero, Hercule Poirot. Both upstairs guests and downstairs staff are suspects, two murders, and a deftly twisted plot kept the story moving until Phyllida got to do a dramatic reveal in the library.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books, in return for an honest review. I LOVED this new cozy series first book and, if you’re a fan of Agatha Christies’ cozy world, I think you will too. What a wonderful setting! Set at fictious Mallowan Hall, home of Agatha (Christie) and her second husband, Max Mallowan, the story is told with their impressive housekeeper, Phyllida Bright, as the protagonist. Phyllida has a unique backstory that brought her to Agatha’s employment (and friendship). Eight guests are down for a visit from town. An unexpected ninth guest, claiming to be a reporter to interview Mrs. Mallowan, is found dead on the first morning of the country visit (‘dead, in my library?) by Phyllida. Lots of plot twists, interesting characters in both guests and staff and a very satisfying denouement, worthy of Poirot! This is a lovely homage and I’m hoping there will be many more in this series to enjoy.

As a lover of Agatha Christie novels, this was SUCH a fun read. It's implied that the events of this book inspired Christie's "Body in the Library" which was a really fun connection. The characters were interesting to read and the time period felt well researched and presented. I couldn't put this one down.

I was intrigued by the setting and context of the description of this book - and it did not let me down.
I found myself drawn to the lead characters and wanted to find out more about them.
The plot was a classic “who dunnit “ style. Agatha features but does not overwhelm. I found the writing style enjoyable and the plot was well done and had me guessing and sent me down a few false paths!
I really enjoyed the book. I hope that there will be future books developing the characters further (but I wonder how many crimes can be committed in Agatha’s household!).

I have read several books by this author under another pen name and was very excited to read the first in a new series focusing on Phyllida Bright, housekeeper to Agatha Christie and her second husband, Max Mallowan. I love the concept and thoroughly enjoyed her investigation into the death of an uninvited guest during a house party hosted by the Mallowans. The characters are interesting and the setting of the series allows for all kinds of interesting cases. There is also a hint of a secret or secrets in the shared past of Miss Bright and Agatha. I loved this book and look forward to the next one! Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of #MurderatMallowanHall.