Murder in the Basement

by Anthony Berkeley

Other authorsSeán Barrett (Narrator), Soundings (Publisher)
Digital audiobook, 2021

Publication

Soundings (2021)

Original publication date

1932

Description

Fiction. Mystery. Historical Fiction. HTML: "[Anthony Berkeley's] tale of petty rivalries, affairs, and revenge plots is so deliciously entertaining. [Murder in the Basement is] a pioneering example of the "whowasdunin" that, like that corpse in the basement, richly deserves exhumation."�?? Kirkus Reviews When two newlyweds discover that a corpse has been buried in the basement of their new home, a grueling case begins to trace the identity of the victim. With all avenues of investigation approaching exhaustion, a tenuous piece of evidence offers a chance for Chief Inspector Moresby and leads him to the amateur sleuth Roger Sheringham, who has recently been providing cover work in a school south of London. Desperate for evidence of any kind in the basement case, Moresby begins to sift through the manuscript of a satirical novel Sheringham has been writing about his colleagues at the school, convinced that amongst the colorful cast of teachers hides the victim�??and perhaps their murderer. A novel pairing dark humor and intelligent detection work, this 1932 mystery is an example of a celebrated Golden Age author's most inventive work. This edition includes an introduction by CWA Diamond Dagger Award�??winning author Martin Edwards.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member pamelad
The eighth book in the Roger Sheringham series is unusual in that the first part is taken up with identifying the body of a young woman, found buried in a basement. Chief Inspector Moresby and his underlings carry out a lengthy and painstaking investigation, which is leading nowhere until an X-ray
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of the exhumed corpse furnishes a clue. Once the woman its identified it turns out that Roger Sheringham, author and amateur detective, actually knew her. Of course! The trail leads to a boys' prep school, a hotbed of petty politics and intrigue.

I enjoyed this short, jaunty British crime novel.
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LibraryThing member Vesper1931
1931 Lewisham. On returning from their honeymoon to their newly leased home the Danes discover a body buried in their basement. Months of investigation lead to a name of the victim. Fortuitously amateur investigator Roger Sheringham had spent several weeks at her place of employment incorporating
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his thoughts into an unfinished manuscript which he gives Chief Inspector Moresby to read. But who is the murderer.
An entertaining historical mystery with its varied and likeable characters. A good addition to this series which can easily be read as a standalone story
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LibraryThing member jetangen4571
1931, historical-novel, crime-fiction, classic-crime, British-crime-classics, consultant, due-diligence, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, unidentified-corpse*****

It starts with a couple moving into their new digs and look to find treasure under the basement floor. Instead, they find
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the body of a pregnant young woman with nothing to identify her. Inspector Moseley catches a break when a possible identifier is found in her leg, and he is able to track her early days to a name change and employment at a boy's prep school. He consults with his novelist friend who happens to be somewhat aware of that school and has even written part of a novel about the people there. Excellent character development, fantastic plot twists, amazing red herrings. Great read!
I requested and received an EARC from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
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LibraryThing member Overgaard
may be best prep school book I've read

Language

Original language

English

Library's rating

½

Rating

½ (15 ratings; 3.7)
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