So Pretty a Problem

by Francis Duncan Narrated by John Curless

Overview

Amateur sleuth Mordecai Tremaine is back in another classic mystery from the author of Murder for Christmas Adrian Carthallow, enfant terrible of the art world, is no stranger to controversy. But this time it's not his paintings that have provoked a blaze of publicity - it's the fact that his career has been suddenly terminated by a bullet to the head. Not only that, but his wife has confessed to firing the fatal shot. Inspector Penross of the town constabulary is, however, less than convinced by Helen Carthallow's story - but has no other explanation for the incident that occurred when the couple were alone in their clifftop house. Luckily for the Inspector, amateur criminologist Mordecai Tremaine has an uncanny habit of being in the near neighbourhood whenever sudden death makes its appearance. Investigating the killing, Tremaine is quick to realise that however handsome a couple the Carthallows were, and however extravagant a life they led, beneath the surface there's a pretty devil's brew.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

03/19/2018
Why might a woman falsely confess to shooting her husband? That’s the conundrum that Duncan’s affable amateur sleuth, Mordecai Tremaine, must crack in this welcome reissue, first published in the U.K. in 1947. Mordecai, a retired tobacconist with a gift for detection, is dozing on a Cornish beach when he’s roused by Helen Carthallow, who lives in an isolated house nearby. She says she needs his help because she just accidentally killed her artist husband, Adrian. She pointed a gun at Adrian that she thought was unloaded, and it went off. Mordecai returns with her to the cliff-top house, which is accessible only via a narrow bridge, to find Adrian’s corpse in his study and no evidence that anyone else has been present. Troubled by Helen’s version of events, Mordecai suspects that she was having an affair, and he shares his doubts with the local inspector, who enlists his aid in finding out what really happened. Fans of twisty fair-play whodunits will be gratified. (May)

From the Publisher

" A tale typical of the genre's golden age, full of delightfully devious characters and clever plot devices.
" - Kirkus

"A final unmasking that suggests Agatha Christie and Rex Stout...this leisurely placed cozy, firmly set in beautiful Cornwall, with its quirky, well-drawn protagonist was originally published in 1947 in the UK." - Booklist

"Fans of twisty fair-play whodunits will be gratified. " - Publishers Weekly

Kirkus Reviews

2018-02-20
A talented amateur sleuth helps the police solve an unexpectedly complicated case in this reprint from 1947.Mordecai Tremaine, a mild-mannered retired tobacconist with a romantic soul and a knack for criminology (Murder for Christmas, 2017, etc.), is on holiday in Cornwall, where he's staying with his friend Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Jonathan Boyce. While lazing on the beach, he's approached by Helen Carthallow, who claims to have accidentally shot and killed her husband, Adrian, a talented, well-known artist with a fair number of enemies. After inspecting the scene, Tremaine calls Inspector Penross of the local police. Neither can believe Helen's tale, but both are sympathetic toward her, and all three detectives are soon determined to ferret out the truth. Tremaine's romantic bent causes him to have mixed feelings about Helen, whose husband hasn't always treated her well, but he disapproves of her having a lover, handsome Lester Imleyson. The Carthallows' home sits on an island with steep cliffs approachable only by a footbridge that was constantly under the scrutiny of a bedridden woman living nearby. Because Tremaine has spent some time interacting with the Carthallows' social circle, he's well-aware of Adrian's spiteful reputation and the enemies it's made him. Although it seems that very few people could have had the opportunity to murder Carthallow, Tremaine, slowly recalling the seemingly unimportant things that he learned in the weeks he's spent among this circle, comes up with an ingenuous method for murder—if he can only prove it.The pseudonymous Duncan (William Underhill, 1918-1988), who started publishing detective fiction in the late 1930s, spins a tale typical of the genre's golden age, full of delightfully devious characters and clever plot devices.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170911882
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	05/01/2018
Series:	Mordecai Tremaine Mysteries , #3
Edition description:	Unabridged

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