Another glorious ghost story from a master.

"A Schooling for Murder" opens in the southwest of England, in 1945. A new teacher is making his way to Monkshill Park School for Girls, located in a world seemingly miles away from the ravages of WW2. His arrival is witnessed by someone whose identity and circumstances we quickly learn. She is / was the teacher he is to replace, having disappeared some six weeks previously. As we learn about that disappearance, and her subsequent fate, a story unfolds which is both sad and eerie. The books reads like a classic Golden Age murder mystery, with a few red herrings and more than a few characters who may not be what they seem. Each one is nicely fleshed out, in a stark black and white film way.

As a first-person narrative, the story is only revealed through the thoughts and experiences of the narrator, a device which I'm not always comfortable with. But in the hands of this author, it works well - as people, their motives, their secrets and their lives are slowly uncovered. The fact that we are let in to the fate of the heroine almost from page 1, doesn't detract from the tension and the slow unravelling of the mystery. Key to this is the school itself - a bleak and forbidding place, which readers of a previous book by Andrew Taylor might recognise. There's a nice touch about the way in which the ghost can move about the school which is very unique.

Several themes run through the book - about how we view others and other people see us and about how we often try and place our own hopes and dreams and ambitions onto them.

Fans of Andrew Taylor's previous ghostly tales will love this one. Heartily recommended.

This book! Set in an isolated school in 1945...well now, could you have a better sense of foreboding from the off. This is an impressive read and one I really enjoyed given the sharp writing and wonderful attention to detail with regards to the period and the society at the time. I think the closed room gave the novel and its story an edge. There are some tensions here! Haunting too in more ways than one. And the characters in this book are some of the best I have come across given their past, relationships with others and more.

Wow! This is one amazing read, so thoughtfully and cleverly plotted. It's 1945 and the author has perfectly captured the era with historic detail. There is humour and dark, outrageous moments reflecting the views and attitudes of the time. I found it intriguing, interesting and suspenseful with a cliffhangar, jawdropping conclusion which came as a complete surprise.
Absolutely brilliant and highly recommended.

Clever, inventive and fun.
A broad cast of interesting characters, when I believed absolutely sny of them could be the murderer.
Great setting, and feels very well set in the time period.
Overall, an enjoyable read.

Set in an isolated school in 1945, this is a beautifully written story with a rich sense of period. The school is populated by a cast of interesting characters, including the ghost of a former teacher. The tensions and prejudicies of the period are enhanced in this closed setting, making this a haunting and riveting read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.