1930s London. Reggie Vickers is so concerned for the life of old friend Gilbert Payne that he contacts criminologist Rachel Savernake for help. Gilbert Payne has been presumed dead by faking his death, is back for the funeral of his mother. But there are men waiting to kill him.
A Mrs Dobell, a writer and criminologist, writing under the pseudonym of Leo Slaterbeck, invites Rachel to her husband's family home of Mortmain Hall. But what is the connection between the guests.
Rachel has previously been given four names by Reggie Vickers. Gilbert Payne is dead, but the other three are the guests. Clive Danskin, Henry Rolland,and Sylvia Gorrie.
Journalist Jacob Flint crime reporter for the Clarion and friend of Rachel, becomes interested in previous murder cases.
An interesting and well-written murder mystery with a cast of varied and curious characters.
A NetGalley Book ( )

Eccentric amateur detective Rachel Savernake gets swept up into a twisty plot. It involves a secretive but powerful shadow group as well as a devious criminologist with a checkered past who writes about criminals who have gotten away with murder. The story begins with the violent death of a passenger on the funeral train returning from Brookwood Cemetery outside London and concludes at a Yorkshire country house (in NE England, Mortmain Hall) in a dramatic ending.
This is an old-fashioned mystery story told in the Golden Age style. The English setting during the interwar Depression years provides an atmospheric backdrop for a cast of strong characters. It's a busy story with plenty of red herrings. The grand finale at an old country house during a violent storm has the killer revealed in spectacular fashion.
There's a good balance of a clever plot, excellent storytelling, atmospheric settings and characterization. Gay men, of which there is several, are gratuitously portrayed as weak and unprincipled. They are shown as cowards and weaklings. It's a stereotypical presentation, probably representative of the time, but unnecessarily homophobic now. This is a sequel to the debut of Rachel Savernake in "Gallows Court" and can be read as a standalone without difficulty.
I requested and received a complementary advance reading copy of the eBook from Poisoned Pen Books via Netgalley. I appreciate the opportunity to provide an independent review of the book. ( )

Mortmain Hall is the second Rachel Savernake mystery. Rachel, her staff, Jacob Flint the reporter, and her favorite Scotland Yard officer return to a very different story. Rachel warns a man he will be murdered but offers to save him. He refuses and doesn’t make it to the end of the day. Meanwhile, Jacob is covering a murder trial that ends with a surprise alibi witness. Another court watcher suggests there might be more to the story.

Obviously, there is as just asking a few questions puts Jacob in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Rachel is invited to Mortmain Hall by a celebrated criminologist. The other guests are people suspected and cleared of murder. Surely something is up.

I was disappointed by Mortmain Hall, which is a surprise since I loved the first book in the series, Gallows Court. It seemed as though Edwards was undecided between writing an espionage thriller or a mystery and ended up with not quite enough of either. There are plenty of murders, all with indeterminate and frustrating resolution. I have loved every Martin Edwards I have read, so will chalk this up as a one-off aberration.

I received an e-galley of Mortmain Hall from the publisher through NetGalley

Mortmain Hall at Poisoned Pen Press
Martin Edwards author site
Other reviews of books by Martin Edwards.

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2020/09/24/mortmain-hall-by-martin-e... ( )

Martin Edward's Mortmain Hall is a solid "old school" British mystery. A write of true-crime books holds a house party with an unusual group of guests: three people who may or may not have gotten away with murder in the past and a young, female detective who's very reticent with her personal information. Also on hand is a sometimes bumbling young crime reporter who is rather enamored of the detective. They all wind up in a dilapidated manor house perched on the edge of cliff during one of the fiercest storms the area's seen in years. Clearly someone has something coming—but who is the party intended to trap? and how has that trap been laid? You'll find some answers after spending a night with the party guests...

I received a free electronic ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions are my own. ( )

When Rachel Savernake fails to prevent the death of a man on a train she is frustrated. As a rich young woman she can afford to indulge her passion for crime detection and her curiosity is piqued by a group of cases that have left questions in her mind. Rachel is invited to Mortmain Hall, the home of an eccentric criminologist, where the rest of the guests are all connected by murder.
As a homage to the Golden Age of crime writing, this novel fits the brief brilliantly. All the cliched characters are there, the single-minded detective of independent means, the class divide, the glamourous femme fatale, old army men, etc. As a crime novel in the 21st century, it feels dated but that is the point. As someone who grew up devouring Christie I have a nostalgic pull for the genre and that's why this story works. ( )