Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to this book. This is a cozy mystery written in 1928. I felt the book was set in it's time. It didn't really catch my attention. I don't think our patrons would enjoy this very much. I 'won't be recommending it.

Eric Crowther lived in the mansion next door to White Cottage. When Crowther is shot dead in the cottage, it turns out that everyone living in the cottage or mansion had a good reason to want to kill him. However, as Detective Chief Inspector W.T. Challoner investigates it doesn’t appear that any of the suspects actually had the opportunity to kill Crowther.

I read a book by this author a very long time ago and my tastes have changed a lot since then. I no longer like cozy mysteries, but if you like them this one is certainly a decent representative of the genre. The detective just plods from place to place questioning people and voila, it’s solved. At least the suspects had pretty interesting motives. I couldn’t get past the fact that Challoner takes his adult son Jerry along in his investigation (apparently the concept of proper police procedure did not exist in the 1920s). My eyes also rolled at the instalove between Jerry and one of the suspects.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

British murder mysteries always draw my attention. The murder occurs early on and the detective and his son just happen to be nearby.. I did not solve the mystery myself, the ending never occurred to me. For all the naysayers who gave this book harsh criticism, we must remember that it originally appeared as a serial in the 1920's. That is a different duck indeed. View it with that information and savor its charm.

Classic whodonit from 1927. Gentle, book from a bygone era. Lovely to read, like a good fitting shoe!! Would recommend

I almost gave up on this small mystery book, but when I saw how much other readers enjoyed it and loved Ms. Allingham's books I decided to keep going. This is a "whodunnit " book. I couldn't keep up with all the names and motives. It became frustrating and daunting. About halfway through I settled in and after finishing the story had to go back and reread some sections. It took me awhile to acclimate my brain to all the characters and goings on. However, after finding my footing I did enjoy the latter half of the book. It wasn't what I was expecting and I'm not sure I'll read another.

The  very name White Cottage Mystery invokes an image of beautiful rural England, redolent with butlers and housekeepers flitting around huge Victorian mansions. While this book is set a little towards the fag end of that era, it still manages to remain true to the atmosphere of a true British mystery with its proverbial ‘stiff upper lip’.

A murder takes place in the White Cottage (the actual name of the cottage) and it is obvious that the perpetrator must only have been someone already in the house. Finding out the identity of the murderer is not easy as everyone in the house with the opportunity to commit the crime seems to be harbouring some or other secret that they would like to keep from the investigating officers and from each other. Matters are further complicated when the first person on the scene is the son of the lead detective and who has developed a healthy interest in one of the suspects.

This is one of those books that are a throwback to simpler times. One would not call it an Agatha Christie – like mystery, but it is certainly evocative of the times. The plodding elderly detective with her ‘fatherly’ mien and the love-struck son are central to the story, sharing a wonderfully comfortable camaraderie not normally seen in a father-son relationship. Everyone gets along with mostly everyone else. Most people are pretty honest about their sentiments regarding the dead man even when it may lead them into trouble. At one point the author laments the inability of women to grasp the difference between what is truly important and what is not. For example when weighed with a calm mind, a murder charge should ideally rate higher than an extra-marital affair in terms of importance, which unfortunately fails to register as such to the female mind. I would say to a particular mind. But hey, its not my story.

This is an easy read and with just enough twists and turns to keep you comfortably invested up to the end when things are tied up in a secure little bow. One begins to get truly fond of the detective and would not be loathe to reading more in the series, if there are any.

This new edition by Bloomsbury comes  with a beautiful cover that features a contemporary English landscape in eye-catching bold colours making it a collectible item for beautiful book cover coveters. The story is cosy enough for readers who like their crime-reading to be non-gory and civil. The kind of book where the characters will not get into a ‘fight’ but rather indulge in a ‘dust-up’. A nice addition for the ‘cosy’ reading shelf.

When Eric Crowther is murdered, everyone around him appears guilty. The detectives W. T. and Jerry, father and son, discover Eric’s true nature while interrogating the suspects but, even though everyone had motive and means, they struggle to find the culprit.
The characters of this book were quite interesting, especially Crowther. As we read, we get to see just how twisted he was, which just made the novel more captivating.
The plot of this book reminded me of Agatha Christie’s novels, which was a plus for me. I love Agatha Christie and, now, I’ll probably try to read more of Margery Allingham.
I recommend this book to anyone that likes mystery, especially if you’re into Agatha Christie’s works.

This book tells the story of a mysterious murder. Everyone has reasonable cause to do it, and no one's shy about it.

Writing wise, it's old timey and, sometimes, hard to understand, especially when the author writes dialogue.

Story wise, it's simple and some parts caught me off guard, however, they weren't shocking. I think some aspects of the plot could have been better explored, too.

Character wise, they don't feel real and they weren't amusing, which made my ability to care for them diminish.

This book isn't bad, though, it was a fun read.

Rating: 3,5 stars

"Jerry," he said, "in our business one must never be afraid to know the truth. You want me to throw up this case - a thing I could never do for my own self-respect's sake - because you're afraid to face what you believe to be true."

When Jerry Challoner offers a woman a ride home from the bus stop, he had no idea what he would be getting himself involved in. After dropping Norah Bayliss off at her sister's home, he hears a gun fire and sees the maid run out in shock. Seeing that a murder has occurred, he has his father, W.T. Challoner, brought in to investigate.

The White Cottage Mystery is the first book I have read by Margery Allingham. Nonetheless, I have read books from the Golden Age of Mystery fiction, including Agatha Christie books and Dorothy L. Sayers books. I have come to the conclusion that the first book written by these Golden Age authors are just not that great. I did not like The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie or Whose Body by Dorothy L. Sayers. The issues i have with those books are the same issues I have with The White Cottage Mystery.

There is no tension. Every character W.T. investigates easily confesses to their secret. It is ridiculous. Every time you think that maybe... just maybe... you are going to get a character that is lying to you, they confess they are lying rather quickly. It makes for a rather boring mystery.

I feel like the subplot of Jerry falling in love with Norah is supposed to make you keep reading, but I hated it. Norah was alright, but Jerry was stupid most of the time. He ranks up there with Arthur Hasting on my most hated sidekicks list. He was blinded by love. I felt like the character was unrealistic and it made The White Cottage Mystery almost impossible to read.

I really liked the ending. While I guessed the ending, it made sense and I like how Allingham tied up the story in a morally grey way. I enjoy when mystery novels have different endings and not just "the murderer was sent to prison". I ended up really liking the character of W.T. because of his course of action in the last few chapters. (Jerry not so much...)

While an interesting reading, The White Cottage Mystery is not a great place to start with classic crime fiction. Read some others before picking it up. You will enjoy it more that way.

I received this book from Bloomsbury Reader via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The perfect British cozy mystery reminiscent of Agatha Christie. I love the presentation of clues and how well the author presents each suspect with further clues to the murder. Excellence in mystery reading.

Thank you for the opportunity read and review this title! I didn't enjoy it as much as I"d hoped, and rather than post a negative review, I chose to not feature it on my blog. I look forward to seeing what new releases you have in store!

Enjoyable classic murder mystery. Plot driven with little in the way of character development (quite a refreshing change from modern crime novels!).

It was great to read this Allingham mystery! She creates such interesting characters and locations that enhance her mystery plots.

The White Cottage Mystery, initially published in 1927, is a straightforward, classic mystery following the murder of a man who lives in a white cottage. The characterizations are simple, the story is simple, but the writing compels one to keep reading to figure out what happened. It's shorter than I expected, and I finished it in a sitting and a half. While I was reading it, I was hoping for more depth in characterization, but it's a solid, traditional mystery with all of those conventional twists, turns, and red herrings. Margery Allingham is part of those writers from the Golden Age of mystery writers and is one to whom Agatha Christie admired. If you're a fan of Christie's mysteries, you may be interested in this one!

Originally written in 1927 as a series for the Daily Express and then printed in book format in 1928.

Jerry Challenor drops off a young woman at the White Cottage. Moments later there is a scream and the body of Eric Crowther has been found. Everyone who had met Eric did not like him.

Detective Chief Inspector Challenor, Jerry's father has the task of finding out who did it from a long list of suspects.

This is a well written novella. If you are a fan of Agatha Christie this novella is for you.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bloomsbury USA and the author Margarey Allingham for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"I am an Englishman, and we like our facts like our food - without subtlety"

The same can be said for their mysteries! In this one, an unwanted visitor is shot in and everyone in the house has good reason to have wanted him dead. Chief Inspector W.T. Challenor and his son Jerry, who is quickly enamored with one of the suspects, are tasked with determining who did the deed they all wanted done. In sharp contrast to the modern mystery, this book, written in 1927, feels very much like an Agatha Christie novel: straight facts laid out for the reader, no unreliable narrator, no shocking unbelievable twists at the end. However, despite Ms. Allingham's sincerest attempt to point blank give the reader all the information they need to determine the killer, you still are surprised by the ending! This book had a very nostalgic, homey feeling to it. An odd feeling considering someone died at the beginning of it.

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review on GR or my blog. This felt so staid and I unable to understand sentences despite reading them several times. Perhaps I am just not use to this antiquated way of telling a story but I had no clue what was going on. Thank you for the opportunity to try this out.

The White Cottage Mystery is not one of Margery Allingham’s Albert Campion mysteries, and there is a good reason for that. But explaining that remark gives away too much. This novella instead features W. T. Challoner and his son Jerry.

Jerry falls into the mystery when he offers a lift to an attractive girl who lives at the White Cottage. Just after he drops her off, when he is in conversation with a policeman, he hears a gun shot. Then a parlor maid runs out of the house asking for help.

It seems that someone has shot and killed a visitor to the house, Eric Crowther, the next door neighbor. Crowther was disliked by the entire household. However, the finger of guilt seems to point to Mr. Cellini, an occupant of Crowther’s house, who has fled to France.

About a third of the way through the book, I gave a sigh. Golden Age mystery writers seem to love larger-than-life plots, so when mention was made of a huge crime syndicate, I thought, why can’t this be a straightforward mystery? But the syndicate turns out to be a red herring, I don’t mind saying.

The solution to the mystery turns out to be quite surprising. Challoner unearths some juicy secrets, and the situation is complicated by Jerry falling in love with Norah Bayliss, the sister of the house’s owner.

The cover of the new Bloombury Reader edition is retro and lovely. It reminds me of some of the covers coming out lately from Poison Pen Press and the British Crime Series.