Murder at the Loch

My review as posted on Goodreads:
This is a murder mystery which is set in the 1950s in London and the Scottish Highlands. It is fairly typical of the genre. At times I was reminded of the novels of Agatha Christie and John Buchan.

The book and its setting in time and place seem to be well researched, with reference to real events. I like this in a story of this type because it helps to add credibility.

The plot and the characters are well crafted. As the scene moves to a castle on the shores of a Scottish Loch, I felt that I was part of a game of Cleudo. As the weather closes in and the telephone lines fail...I must stop there for fear of spoiling the story.

I liked the quality of the dialogue which captured the era. There were also enough red herrings to make the arrival at the final reveal worth the wait.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Severn House for the chance to read and review this book.

Murder at the Loch reminds readers why Manor house mysteries have always been a popular sub-genre of mysteries. This interesting mystery pits crime writer David Langham and his good friend Ralph Ryland, a private eye, against a possible killer. When their good friend and former commander, Major Cartwright, requests their assistance, the duo travel to the Scottish Highlands. It appears that someone may wish to kill Major Cartwright or the Dutch engineer assisting him in the recovery of a German airplane that crashed into the loch 10 years before. An eclectic assortment of guests are currently staying at the manor, but while any would have opportunity motives are difficult to discern. But their arrival does not prevent a murder from taking place, and a sudden winter storm isolates the manor. With the phones out of commission and snow blocking the roads, the Langham and Ryland must rely on their wits to discover a cold and calculating killer.

It is easy to like Langham and his fiancé, as well as Ryland and the other characters who play a central role in this series. I look forward to reading other novels in which they play a greater role. Admittedly, Murder at the Loch is the first of Eric Brown's books that I have read, but I have high hopes that his other novels are just as good. With an engaging set of central characters, and an entertaining plot, Murder at the Loch is a perfect choice for anyone who enjoys a classic British mystery.

4/5

I received a copy of Murder at the Loch from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Cittermom
(7/12/16)

I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley and Severn House Publishing.

If you enjoy reading mystery novels with the feeling of having been written in a past historical time, this series by Eric Brown may just be a good fit for you. I read the previous book to this one (Murder at the Chase: A Locked Room Mystery Set in 1950s England (A Langham and Dupre Mystery)) and enjoyed the feeling of both the 1955 time period and the characters developed by the author. I'm glad I gave this one a chance also because it was very well written.

Donald Langham, a mystery novelist, and his friend Ralph Ryland, a private investigator, are requested to travel from London to the Scottish Highlands and to Loch Corraig Castle owned by Major Gordon, their commander from World War II. It seems the Major thinks someone might have tried to kill him and he needs help figuring out who among his guests at his remote castle might have been involved. The story involves trying to salvage a German fighter plane which crashed in the loch in 1945, and figuring out who would want the Major removed from the scene and why. There is a blizzard which adds to the atmosphere and a diverse group of guests and servants from which to pick your favorite suspect. Donald and Maria Dupre are engaged and have plans for a May wedding. The author has to stretch things just a bit in order to get Maria completely involved in the novel this time, but stretch he does.

The two novels I've read in this series have been very entertaining reading experiences. It will be interesting to see where the series leads next with the wedding on the horizon and Donald taking on a new part-time career. How will he ever have time to write his popular mystery novels?