Detective Inspector C.D. Sloan is out of his element when he’s called to investigate a murder in Catherine Aird’s The Stately Home Murder. This mystery is a humorous look inside the home of the Thirteenth Earl of Ornum and his extended family, cousins, aunts, children, nephews, and, of course, the servants that run the house.

Several days a week, day trippers can tour Ornum House. If a young boy hadn’t been intrigued by the armor, who knows how long Osborne Meredith, the librarian and archivist, would have been stuffed in a suit of armor. He had been missing since Friday afternoon, but until Monday when he was found, everyone just assumed he went home. While the pathologist ponders how to get the corpse out of the armor, Sloan and Detective Constable Crosby wander through the house, trying to get their bearings.

While rumors that a ghost has been seen, and there will be a family death, circulate amongst the family members, Sloan tries to discover why someone wanted to kill the archivist who had announced he made a family discovery. He doesn’t really appreciate the humorous touches from the photographer, the pathologist, and even the adult sons who, as youngsters, named the armor after Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. But, I appreciated all the light touches in the serious mystery.

So far, each of Catherine Aird’s books have had a different atmosphere. It’s been fun to discover works by this creative author.

The Stately Home Murder by Catherine Aird. Rue Morgue Press, 1970/2008. 160p.

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