Book Review: Murder at Mallowan Hall

A cozy yet unputdownable meta mystery, Murder at Mallowan Hall is set in the home of Agathe Christie but relegates the famous crime novelist to a secondary role, leaving all the sleuthing to her friend and housekeeper Phyllida Bright, who must put herself in the shoes of Hercule Poirot and use her little gray cells to piece the puzzle together and unmask the killer behind a series of murders at the manor, including that of a young man, who claims to be a journalist for The Times and turns up uninvited at a weekend party hosted by the Mallowans. Although Colleen Cambridge plays her cards too close to her chest, the story is a well-plotted whodunit that deftly weaves Christie's life after her second marriage to archaeologist Max Mallowan with red herrings and enough suspects, even as it leads down a trail of twists and turns that paves the way for an unexpected denoument. An exciting historical mystery series to watch out for!