The Room with Eight Windows

The Man Vanishes…
The ninth outing in the Henry Johnstone mystery series, set 1930, finds Henry retired from his role as Detective Chief Inspector at Scotland Yard and it is no secret that he is finding things difficult. Alongside an injury, Henry is not only at a loose end, but depressingly so. When Henry suddenly vanishes without a trace, from a country house where he was assessing an extensive library, the powers that be become increasingly concerned. What has become of Henry and are there links to one of his and Mickey’s former cases? Is this the end of Henry Johnstone? With a credible and engaging protagonist in Henry and a solid, well drawn and colourful cast of supporting characters this is a compelling, entertaining mystery with a satisfying traditional feel. Well plotted, with an engaging narrative. A worthy addition to this long running series

This is #9 in the Henry Johnstone series, but it had a bit of a different feel which I liked. You see Chief Inspector Johnstone is now retired from the force and he has gone missing. It is up to his long time friend, former sergeant and now inspector himself, Mickey Hitchens to find him. Mickey is aided by his own brand new colleague, Sergeant Bexley Tibbs. Johnstone had been staying alone in the rundown home of the late Sir Eamon Barry cataloging and arranging his large library of books and papers. He had been depressed and complaining of strange noises and of being watched, but now he has vanished with hardly a trace. The only clue is the name of an unsolved murder victim from five years ago jotted on the edge of a desk blotter and traces of blood found in Henry’s bedroom. Is his disappearance connected to the old case? He has been missing nearly a week so with so few clues the chances of finding Johnstone alive do not look good. I really enjoyed the new detective team of Hitchens and Tibbs. The character of Tibbs as a rookie detective with lots to learn and little in the way of life experience is especially appealing. I have only read three of the previous books, but I also like the greater inclusion of Henry’s sister Carolyn and her household in this book. The story was well written and had the feel of a good Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes tale. I want to thank the publisher, Severn House, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for a review.

The title intrigued me, and from the cover illustration and description, I thought this looked and sounded like something that I might enjoy.

This was a well-written, entertaining historical mystery. It was sophisticated, and had the classic sort of feel I hoped for - I would place it in the same category as reading Agatha Christie or Conan Doyle. I would probably be interested in reading some more books featuring this protagonist.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of The Room with Eight Windows, the ninth novel to feature the now former DCI Henry Johnstone and his former sergeant, now DI Mickey Hitchens, set in 1930.

After being injured in the line of duty Henry Johnstone has retired from Scotland Yard and has taken a job on the South Coast cataloging the papers of the late Sir Eamon Barry. Now he has inexplicably disappeared and Mickey Hitchens, aided by his new sergeant, Bexley Tibbs is determined to find him, especially after they find blood drops and references to a man who was murdered five years ago in the strange eight windowed room he was staying in.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Room with Eight Windows, which is a straightforward investigation in the olden style. There twists and mysteries, but essentially it is the hunt for Henry and an investigation of the crimes surrounding it.

There is never a dull moment in the novel as it is action packed with murder and mayhem and even incorporates secret passages. It made me think of the novels written around that time and I think that the author has captured their spirit very well. It is highly entertaining and I was glued to the pages, wondering what would come next.

The novel is told mostly from Mickey’s point of view, but other characters chip in as and when required. I liked that the motive for the violence is never revealed until the closing chapters and then it was a bit underwhelming in the face of what’s gone before, but then I guess that proportionality isn’t a major consideration in the criminal mind.

I like the dynamic between the worldly Mickey and the wet behind the ears Tibbs. It has the makings of a good partnership with Mickey trying to educate Tibbs and erase some of his prejudices.

The Room with Eight Windows is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for this Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to review “The Room with Eight Windows.” All opinions and comments are my own.

There’s a lot more than a mystery theme going on in “The Room with Eight Windows,” the ninth book in the Henry Johnstone historical mystery series by Jane A. Adams, set in 1930s England. What it really is an examination of a man coming back to himself after a traumatic event - giving up his job. In addition, we have the power of friendship and the traits of a good copper. This might even be called a “Mickey Hitchens book,” for it is his tenacity and drive to find his missing friend and long-time mentor that powers the narrative.

The mystery part of everything is almost secondary; in fact, when readers get the “why and what-for” at the end of the novel, it’s almost a let-down, for all that it comes with a lot of set-up and action. Not that there hasn’t been an ordeal, there’s plenty of that throughout the book; what happens to Henry attests to that. (Should mention that there’s violence and some unpleasant scenes in the book, it’s definitely not a cozy mystery.) But it’s what author Jane A. Adams does with the description of how ex-copper Johnstone, no longer “fit” to be a policeman, manages to do very policeman-like things to bring a whole bunch of bad people to justice, and solve some very old crimes in the process, that will keep you turning the pages, and turn them you will.

Henry has perked up; he’s got plans. He and Malina have “talked.” Sister Cynthia will be supportive, as always. (Yes, this is not a book to start with, you really need to read the Henry Johnstone books in order). He’s got an idea for a future doing detective-like things. Mickey’s not too sure, but he’s just being shirty. Everything’s going to be alright.

Although The Room with Eight Windows is just being released now (July, 2023), it reads like top-notch work from the "golden age" of mystery fiction. Jane A. Adams shares a good deal with the readers, so one has a sense of where the mystery is heading, but even with that fact, it is full of moments when "what next?" becomes a more and more pressing question.

This is the 9th volume in a series, but the first that I've read—and it definitely has me wanting to read more. But I can attest to the fact that it works well as a first-read-in-the-series. I didn't have trouble knowing who the characters were. I had a sense both of their evolution in this one novel, but also in previous novels. Adams deftly gives readers a generous helping of backstory, which makes engaging with individual characters easy.

Henry Johnstone, the key figure of the series, is a Detective Chief Inspector who has been forced to retire due to an injury he suffered on a previous case. His sister has finagled a job for him cataloging the library of a recently deceased man, hoping it will prove satisfying—Johnstone is an active reader. Johnstone stays in the home of the deceased man in, of course, the room with eight windows. There should be no one in the house except him, and the local girl who drops in one a day with a dinner for him, but he hears footsteps from an attic he can't find and in other unexpected areas in the home. Feeling lessened because of the physical injury, he's now wondering whether his mental faculties are weakening as well.

If you enjoy having a good mystery for your beach read, I can definitely recommend The Room with Eight Windows. Of course, you could also read it on a mountaintop, beside a creek, or in the comfort of your own home. If you like classic mysteries, this is a title you'll definitely enjoy.

1925 The body of thief Sidney Carpenter is discovered, stabbed, outside of the Dean household in London. A family whom it seems has hastily disappeared. Detectives Johnstone and Hitchens investigate but the case remains unsolved.
Now in 1930 ex-DCI Henry Johnstone is temporarily employed cataloguing the books and papers of deceased Sir Eamen Barry, when he goes missing. What has Johnstone stumbled upon. D.I. Mickey Hitchens and D.S. Bexley Tibbs investigate.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its cast of varied and likeable characters. Another good addition to this enjoyable series.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

EXCERPT: December 1930
For two days now he had heard footsteps when none should be possible, someone walking - and it sounded, because the old house was filled with odd echoes, as though it was coming from above. His investigations had shown him that there was nothing above him but ceiling and then a void and then the roof. He could hear the patter of pigeon claws and the occasional crow on the tiles, but this was different. These were human steps.

ABOUT 'THE ROOM WITH EIGHT WINDOWS': Henry Johnstone has retired from the police, but when he suddenly disappears his old colleague and friend, Inspector Mickey Hitchens, investigates.

December, 1930 . Henry Johnstone has retired from his role as detective chief inspector at London’s Scotland Yard and is staying at the home of the late Sir Eamon Barry on the south coast, cataloguing and inventorying his extensive library. Until he suddenly – and inexplicably – vanishes.

Mickey Hitchens, Henry’s old partner-in-crime, now an inspector himself, investigates the house with his colleague, Sergeant Tibbs. The room Henry was staying in had eight unusual, curved windows, and the pair quickly uncover disturbing signs of a struggle, along with a blotter that has the name of a man who was murdered five years ago written on it. Is there a link between that case and Henry’s disappearance? Can Mickey find his friend and bring him home safely, or is it already too late?

MY THOUGHTS: This is the third book that I have read and enjoyed by this author, but the first in this series. Although this is historical fiction set in the 1930s, I kept forgetting that. It reads almost like a modern crime novel (but with better cars!) a lot of the time, and at one point I found myself thinking 'use your mobile to call for help', then had to laugh at myself over my mistake.
The characters are entertaining and I really found myself concerned for Henry's safety more than once. I enjoyed the relationship between Henry and Mickey - there aren't too many people who would show such friendship towards their old boss, but then their friendship does date back to WWI.
Henry's sister Cynthia is a force to be reckoned with. She's a woman well ahead of her time, but this is balanced by the narrow and biased views of Tibbs, who has his beliefs about the upper classes, women, travellers and women travellers challenged.
An interesting and entertaining read.

⭐⭐⭐.5

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I: #JaneAdams @severnhouseimprint

T: #JaneAdams @severnhouse

#contemporaryfiction #cosymystery #crime #friendship #mystery

THE AUTHOR: Jane Adams was born in Leicestershire, where she still lives. She has a degree in Sociology, and has held a variety of jobs including lead vocalist in a folk rock band. She enjoys pen and ink drawing, martial arts and her ambition is to travel the length of the Silk Road by motorbike.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Severn House via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Room With Eight Windows by Jane Adams for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

This superb, highly atmospheric and very well researched historic mystery held me entranced and totally gripped until the final paragraph.
Henry Johnstone has retired from the police, but when he suddenly disappears his old colleague and friend, Inspector Mickey Hitchens, investigates.

December, 1930. Henry Johnstone has retired from his role as detective chief inspector at London's Scotland Yard and is staying at the home of the late Sir Eamon Barry on the south coast, cataloguing and inventorying his extensive library. Until he suddenly - and inexplicably - vanishes.
Mickey Hitchens, Henry's old partner-in-crime, now an inspector himself, investigates the house with his colleague, Sergeant Tibbs. The room Henry was staying in had eight unusual, curved windows, and the pair quickly uncover disturbing signs of a struggle, along with a blotter that has the name of a man who was murdered five years ago written on it. Is there a link between that case and Henry's disappearance? Can Mickey find his friend and bring him home safely, or is it already too late?

This was the first book that I've read by this very talented author and hopefully not the last. I'll have to locate her previous books as I'm now fascinated by former DI Henry Johnstone. I strongly recommend this book and I'm very grateful to the Severn House Publishers and netgalley.co.uk for the privilege of reading this.

A brilliant and well done whodunit that pays homage to the Golden Age puzzles. It kept me trying to understand how and who but I wasn't able to guess the solution.
Well plotted, gripping and highly entertaining
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine