This cleverly crafted mystery takes place at a boys' school in Sussex. Crispin's hero, Gervase Fen, has been invited to give the prizes at the school's speech day. Another part of the festivities is s joint production of a Shakespeare play by the school and the local girls' high school.

Things go badly amiss when the leading lady is badly scared two days before the play and disappears the next night. Adding to this are the murders of two teachers.

It's a clever mystery, full of great characters and wonderful description and solved by Fen. I raced through this classic mystery.

This is a wonderful classic mystery. Gervase Fen arrives at the English boys' school, Castrevenford, to fill in as speaker for Speech Day. Earlier, the Headmaster had been visited by the Head of the girls' school because one of her girls, Brenda, was clearly upset about something that had happened after rehearsal the previous evening, but wasn't talking. Brenda then disappears. Then, two faculty members at Castrevenford are found murdered the previous night, one in his own study and the other in the faculty lounge. The local policeman, Stagge arrives, but Fen appears to be better at investigation. The tale really becomes complicated when a young man walking in the countryside hears a scream, investigates, finds a dead elderly woman on the floor, and then is knocked out himself. When he revives, he walks to the nearest house and calls the police. At first, there doesn't seem to be any motive for any of the murders, and they don't even appear to be connected. However, this last murder finally reveals the motive and connections. Fen also realizes there is more than one murderer. There are lots of twists and turns in the plot, and an exciting danger when Fen goes seeking Brenda with one of Brenda's friends. All in all, this is an enjoyable book.

Gervase Fen is invited to speak at a boys’ school, but gets involved in a mystery involving the disappearance of a girl and, of course, murder. Great characters (including a periodically homicidal dog named Merryweather), lots of wit and humorous farce, albeit mixed with tragedy, and satisfyingly intelligent wordsmithing. Highly recommended.

Another of the great classic mystery writers, Edmund Crispin is a delight to read. With a witty and clever detective in Gervase Fen, this book captures the essence of Oxford in the 1940s while spinning a complex tale of murderous intent. Mystery and intrigue are tempered by a wry sense of humor and deftly depicted (and highly eccentric) characters. Also recommended in the Gervase Fen series of mysteries: The Moving Toyshop.

Love the Gervase Fen books! These books are set in and around Oxford; it's enjoyable to read about the buildings, the towns, and the people. Gervase is a bit unconventional, which makes him an interesting foil with other more staid characters. Granted, sometimes it's sometimes a bit of a stretch to see how he solves various "locked-room" type mysteries, but still highly recommend for lovers of golden age mystery.

If you've a fan of murder mysteries, this classic British crime book will certainly keep you guessing and entertained. In a span of 24 hours, two professors are shot, an old lady is bludgeoned to death with a poker, and a teenaged girl goes missing. Luckily, Gervase Fen, the crime-solving Oxford don, is there to assist the overwhelmed local police. This is beautifully written, fast paced, and despite the body count contains some humorous scenes. The teens are likeable and show lots of grit and ingenuity. The slowest part is Fen's summation at the end describing how he solved the crimes.

Edmund Crispin's mysteries are a delight to read, although have the dictionary handy. His vocabulary is extensive and typical of mid 20th century Britain private schools. The murders are cozy, the characters chatty, and Professor Fen, our detective, wraps it all up with a detailed explanation.

I enjoy the Gervase Fen series of mysteries. This is one of my favorites. Why are the headmasters at a boy's school being knocked off? And not just headmasters! There's another murder tossed in for good measure. This is a classic "Set in an English village" whodunit with the murders centered in a boys' school. Edmund Crispin writes a very well-developed story with likeable characters. What I admire about Mr. Crispin, and I've probably said this in other reviews, is that you can see his characters come to life. He gives just the right amount of background and physical description without using it as "filler" which bogs down the story. This is a page-turner and I enjoyed every minute of it.

I did really like the book. It was well written with good characterizations. The plot was complicated. My only complaint was that it bogged down in conversations between characters at times and especially at the end with mystery reveal. All in all, however, I would recommend the book and I want to read more Edmund Crispin books.