Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Arrow Books (2006), Edition: Paperback
Description
Classic Literature. Fiction. Mystery. Historical Fiction. HTML: What begins as an adventure soon becomes a nightmare... Locals claim it is haunted and refuse to put a single toe past the front door, but to siblings Peter, Celia, and Margaret, the Priory is nothing more than a rundown estate inherited from their late uncle�??and the perfect setting for a much-needed holiday. But when a murder victim is discovered in the drafty Priory halls, the once unconcerned trio begins to fear that the ghostly rumors are true and they are not alone after all! With a killer on the loose, will they find themselves the next victims of a supernatural predator, or will they uncover a far more corporeal culprit? "Bright and effervescent." �??The Times Literary Supplemen… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Helenliz
Well that wasn't what I expected! I'm working my way through the library's collection of Heyer books on audio book. I did wonder form the title how this would turn into a Regency romance, and even more so when the cover appeared to be a couple in 20s attire. Well it turns out that it isn't - seems
Set between the war, a well to do family has inherited a house in the country, and so move in. Then some rather odd things start happening... They start off being entirely rational, but as the sightings and incidents increase, so the belief that this has a supernatural explanation starts to grow. There is a touch of romance, which had me clapping my hands in delight (really shouldn't do that while driving) and it all ends in a most satisfactory manner. The characters are appealing, and there are enough possible villains and solutions to keep me guessing until fairly close to the conclusion. Thoroughly enjoyable.
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Heyer also wrote a pretty good mystery! Set between the war, a well to do family has inherited a house in the country, and so move in. Then some rather odd things start happening... They start off being entirely rational, but as the sightings and incidents increase, so the belief that this has a supernatural explanation starts to grow. There is a touch of romance, which had me clapping my hands in delight (really shouldn't do that while driving) and it all ends in a most satisfactory manner. The characters are appealing, and there are enough possible villains and solutions to keep me guessing until fairly close to the conclusion. Thoroughly enjoyable.
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LibraryThing member riverwillow
Part thriller, part murder mystery, this is an enjoyable and fun read. Although the plot itself is fairly pedestrian the strength of this book is in the characters, including a wandering entomologist who keeps getting mistaken for a ghost and an incompetent but well-intentioned police constable,
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and the dialogue. Show Less
LibraryThing member mmyoung
For the reader who knows Heyer only as a writer of regency romances this book works as a nice introduction to her detective oeuvre since Footsteps in the Dark isn’t a really a mystery: It a book in which there are mysteries. And the reason that the principle characters want to solve those
SPOILERS BELOW
Although there is a murder over the course of the book it is refreshing that that murder is not central to the story. As farfetched as many of the details of the book are the basic situation of people beginning to wonder if their new home is really such a good deal would strike a cord with much of the readership. Anyone who has awoken in the night in a new home and wondered just want those sounds are and if all the doors and windows are latched or locked will empathize with the protagonists.
It would be surprising for Heyer to write any book without a love story and one knows that Strange/Draycott will turn out to be a good guy simply because Margaret is attracted to him. At the same time the story doesn’t revolve around their developing relationship and indeed could work quite well without it. Heyer does not rely on coincidences as much as many of her contemporary authors do and it does feel as if her England more accurately reflects reality than does the England one finds, for example, in Ngaio Marsh’s work. It is also refreshing the Heyer does not rely on the dread charts, maps, graphs and lists that clutter up the work of so many authors at this time.
One of the other things one notices when reading Christie, Marsh, Queen, S. S. Van Dine and Heyer is the striking difference in the nature of marriage and love among those writers. The male writers tend to show women who are interesting for the way they look or their “charm” while the female writers tend to show more companionate relationships. It might be hard for the average woman reader to imagine herself a sultry, mysterious beauty and it was probably easier for that same reader to identify with the female protagonists in this book and in many of Christie’s mysteries.
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mysteries is because they make their lives miserable. Most of the “twists” and “surprise discoveries” are fairly obvious but to do the author credit I don’t think she was as worried about deluding her readers as she was concerned that the principle characters have normal believable reasons for not suspecting the truth.SPOILERS BELOW
Although there is a murder over the course of the book it is refreshing that that murder is not central to the story. As farfetched as many of the details of the book are the basic situation of people beginning to wonder if their new home is really such a good deal would strike a cord with much of the readership. Anyone who has awoken in the night in a new home and wondered just want those sounds are and if all the doors and windows are latched or locked will empathize with the protagonists.
It would be surprising for Heyer to write any book without a love story and one knows that Strange/Draycott will turn out to be a good guy simply because Margaret is attracted to him. At the same time the story doesn’t revolve around their developing relationship and indeed could work quite well without it. Heyer does not rely on coincidences as much as many of her contemporary authors do and it does feel as if her England more accurately reflects reality than does the England one finds, for example, in Ngaio Marsh’s work. It is also refreshing the Heyer does not rely on the dread charts, maps, graphs and lists that clutter up the work of so many authors at this time.
One of the other things one notices when reading Christie, Marsh, Queen, S. S. Van Dine and Heyer is the striking difference in the nature of marriage and love among those writers. The male writers tend to show women who are interesting for the way they look or their “charm” while the female writers tend to show more companionate relationships. It might be hard for the average woman reader to imagine herself a sultry, mysterious beauty and it was probably easier for that same reader to identify with the female protagonists in this book and in many of Christie’s mysteries.
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LibraryThing member JalenV
Not since Austen's Northanger Abbey have I read about a supposedly haunted place where the expectations are humorously turned around.
Celia, her brother Peter, and sister Margaret have inherited an old priory. It's 1932, so the fact that the priory has no electricity doesn't daunt them. The
Relax? Ha! The priory is said to be haunted by the ghost of one of the old monks. Yes, a cowled and robed figure does turn up on the grounds some nights. So do obviously human men, who may or may not be about on honest business. Could one of them be the mysterious monk?
The priory does have some nice secret spaces and passages, but can Charles and Peter find them all? Of the female characters, Mrs. Bowers is the one most likely to give the robed figure a good thump on the head with something heavy. It's a pity she never encounters him. Celia is the most annoying, timid creature. The only reason why she stays is that Charles refuses to leave. Margaret is much more stout-hearted. Her weakness is local inn guest Michael Strange. She refuses to believe that he could be the monk. The aunt (Lydia?) is the sort of aunt often found in Ms. Heyer's Regency Romances. She refuses to believe in the monk to begin with, but later decides to try to summon his spirit in one of my favorite scenes.
Given the period in which this was written, I'll have to forgive her for fainting when she encounters the monk during a late night visit to the priory's library, instead of using her candle to see if she set the monk on fire.
This is the third time I've checked this book out and listened to it, but it had been seven years. I hadn't remembered anything consciously, but did my subconscious remember who the villain was or did I genuinely fix on the right suspect before I was halfway through?
The action ramps up in the last two CDs. It's not a bad mystery. The humor makes it even more enjoyable.
Celia, her brother Peter, and sister Margaret have inherited an old priory. It's 1932, so the fact that the priory has no electricity doesn't daunt them. The
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siblings, their aunt, and Celia's lawyer husband, Charles, bring the faithful family retainers, Bowers and his formidable wife, with them to spend a few weeks relaxing in the old place.Relax? Ha! The priory is said to be haunted by the ghost of one of the old monks. Yes, a cowled and robed figure does turn up on the grounds some nights. So do obviously human men, who may or may not be about on honest business. Could one of them be the mysterious monk?
The priory does have some nice secret spaces and passages, but can Charles and Peter find them all? Of the female characters, Mrs. Bowers is the one most likely to give the robed figure a good thump on the head with something heavy. It's a pity she never encounters him. Celia is the most annoying, timid creature. The only reason why she stays is that Charles refuses to leave. Margaret is much more stout-hearted. Her weakness is local inn guest Michael Strange. She refuses to believe that he could be the monk. The aunt (Lydia?) is the sort of aunt often found in Ms. Heyer's Regency Romances. She refuses to believe in the monk to begin with, but later decides to try to summon his spirit in one of my favorite scenes.
Given the period in which this was written, I'll have to forgive her for fainting when she encounters the monk during a late night visit to the priory's library, instead of using her candle to see if she set the monk on fire.
This is the third time I've checked this book out and listened to it, but it had been seven years. I hadn't remembered anything consciously, but did my subconscious remember who the villain was or did I genuinely fix on the right suspect before I was halfway through?
The action ramps up in the last two CDs. It's not a bad mystery. The humor makes it even more enjoyable.
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LibraryThing member bookwoman247
An old priory, the ghost of a monk, a skelton in a priest's hole, secret passages, and a murder sprinkled with a dose of humor and a small dash of romance - this is the perfect recipe for a great ghost story/mystery.
This book was so much fun! Add in some chilly, rainy weather that's perfect for
This book was so much fun! Add in some chilly, rainy weather that's perfect for
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bundling up and reading, and I feel as if I've nearly reached reading nirvana! I was almost sorry to have finished this book, and I will definitely be reading more of Georgette Heyer's mysteries in the future. Show Less
LibraryThing member atimco
Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer is a highly enjoyable mystery that is more than half a ghost story. The requisite murder doesn't happen till more than halfway through, but there's plenty going on before you reach that point. Having inherited an ancient English house complete with secret
Unlike several of Heyer's other mysteries, this one has a cast of likeable characters. She writes so deftly, you instantly get a sense for each person and how they will relate to one another. Even the aunt, Mrs. Bosanquet, could have been annoying but instead comes across as serenely (and unintentionally) funny. The warm family tone of the story does clue you in a bit early that a suspicious person whom Margaret likes must be a good guy after all, since it's predictable that they'll fall in love. But it's still fun to see it happen.
Footsteps in the Dark isn't set in the season of fall, but it's a perfect ghost story/mystery to curl up with when the nights get chilly. I enjoyed it so much I immediately picked up another Heyer mystery. You can't read just one...
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passages, priest holes, a crypt, and even a skeleton, Charles and Celia (married couple) and Celia's brother Peter and sister Margaret are eager to move in. They refuse to be scared away by the local tales of the ghost Monk reputed to haunt the place, but then they start hearing the unearthly groans, finding skeletons about the place, and even seeing the terrifying apparition for themselves. It's more than a bit creepy.Unlike several of Heyer's other mysteries, this one has a cast of likeable characters. She writes so deftly, you instantly get a sense for each person and how they will relate to one another. Even the aunt, Mrs. Bosanquet, could have been annoying but instead comes across as serenely (and unintentionally) funny. The warm family tone of the story does clue you in a bit early that a suspicious person whom Margaret likes must be a good guy after all, since it's predictable that they'll fall in love. But it's still fun to see it happen.
Footsteps in the Dark isn't set in the season of fall, but it's a perfect ghost story/mystery to curl up with when the nights get chilly. I enjoyed it so much I immediately picked up another Heyer mystery. You can't read just one...
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LibraryThing member Turrean
The women were called "girls," even if they were married to "men." The "girls" gushed and shrieked and were gullible, stupidly romantic, and easily led. Anybody who was not an upperclass male main character was foolish, superstitious, venal, or outright criminal. I was bored, bored, bored, and a
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little disappointed, because the reviews seemed to promise something a little sparkly and frivolous. I couldn't get past the notion that I was reading a Scooby Doo episode set in 1932. It gets one extra star for one creepy scene featuring a character who probably shouldn't go alone through the house with just a candle to light her way, but...she really needs something to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member pgchuis
I could not bring myself to continue with this after the first couple of chapters. There were just endless conversations about whether or not mysterious noises in an old house were caused by a ghost or not. I do not care.
LibraryThing member iBeth
This book is dated, but that's part of the charm. I'd characterize it as Scooby-Doo meets cozy British country house, set in the period between the wars.
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Very slow to start - the characters were not the idiots I've been struggling with in other Heyer mysteries (Celia was foolish, but not the madcap foolishness of the drama queen in They Found Him Dead or the privileged foolishness of the whole lot in Death in the Stocks), but I still had a hard time
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connecting or being interested in any of them. But I slogged through, and eventually Peter and Margaret and Strange began to display humanlike characteristics. Just in time for Strange to turn into an utter idiot for obvious reasons, of course. Amazingly stupid cryptic utterances. Then the climax, in the leadup to which both Margaret and Peter behaved like horror movie characters, but interesting and well-done. I had figured out who the Monk was likely to be, but only likely. And the obvious happy-ever-after at the end. Not wonderful, but not bad - better than many of the other Heyer mysteries. This one I might even reread. Show Less
LibraryThing member KimMR
This was the first of Heyer's mysteries and it shows. Heyer apparently did not want it to be re-published so it can be presumed that she wasn't that keen on it, or at least that she recognised its weaknesses. And weaknesses it has. There's little character development (not that too much character
The four star rating I have given this novel has been determined somewhat idiosyncratically. Two stars are for the mystery itself. An extra one is due to the writing and the fourth because it is Heyer's first mystery and is therefore of some historical and literary significance to her fans. The net result is a novel I liked very much. A must for anyone who is interested in Heyer in particular and 1930s mystery novels in general. Possibly a miss for most other readers.
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development is to be expected in such a novel), the crime is a bit unconvincing and the resolution a bit pat. However, it exhibits some of the classic Heyer strengths: strong dialogue (albeit not quite as witty as in later mysteries), a nice sense of place and time and a predictable but nevertheless sweet romance.The four star rating I have given this novel has been determined somewhat idiosyncratically. Two stars are for the mystery itself. An extra one is due to the writing and the fourth because it is Heyer's first mystery and is therefore of some historical and literary significance to her fans. The net result is a novel I liked very much. A must for anyone who is interested in Heyer in particular and 1930s mystery novels in general. Possibly a miss for most other readers.
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LibraryThing member grandpahobo
This is a very light mystery. A good "pallate cleanser" book.
LibraryThing member particle_p
Heyer's first mystery, I think, and it shows. It's a classic haunted house mystery, with pretty much every haunted house cliché there is. If the book hadn't been written in 1932, there would have been a Scooby Snacks joke. When the villain is unveiled at the end, he even pauses as he's being led
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away in handcuffs to get the last word in! ("If it weren't for you meddling kids...") Anyway, it was enjoyable as camp. I'm the type of reader who likes spotting tropes, and this was a good book for that. Genre fiction becomes *good* when the tropes are satirized, twisted, or otherwise puts the reader down in a place where she or he does not expect. This book simply repeats the tropes with no attempt to do anything with them. That is why I gave it three stars. It's possible that in 1932 those tropes were still fresh enough that Heyer felt no need to be more creative with them, but my star rating is for modern readers. Show Less
LibraryThing member veens
Footsteps in the Dark is my first book by Georgette Heyer. Instead of choosing the other genres that Heyer writes, I chose this thriller/suspense one. The story is very much there in the blurb that I have posted. I liked Heyer's writing a lot. It is based in the 20th century where ghosts and all
I definitely enjoyed it!
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are not believed in! It is quirky, funny and full of great details of how the people really where in those times. The only problem was that I guessed who was behind the whole haunting- affair and that's why I am giving this one only 3.5 stars! There were many repartee by Charles that made me laugh out loud!! The humor was incredible and the book in itself was enjoyable. It is a light and fun-read!I definitely enjoyed it!
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LibraryThing member srearley
I have listened to a number of Heyer's romances via Audible.com, but had never tried one of her mysteries. This was fun!
LibraryThing member bookmagic
This is one of the mystery novels by Heyer. While I love her Regency novels, her mysteries are fun. 2 sisters, their brother and a brother-in-law inherit an old house in the country. The women fall in love with the house but then the people in the village tell them stories about a haunted Monk who
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roams the house and grounds. they begin to hear noises and even find a skeleton in a priest's hole. But Charles and Peter aren't buying into the stories and think someone is trying to scare them out of the house. Their investigations lead to some interesting outcomes. And of course Heyer infuses her books with humor and sneaks some romance into this one also. A very delightful read Show Less
LibraryThing member JulesJones
One of Heyer's mysteries, this one a stand-alone rather than part of a series. The Fortescue Siblings, Peter, Margaret and Celia, have inherited an old house which was built in part around the ancient priory it's named after. They have come to spend a few weeks in it, along with Celia's husband
While there's a genuine and good murder mystery as the scaffolding of the story, a lot of the fun of this one is that it is indeed fun, with some sparkling dialogue between nicely drawn characters. I think the characterisation isn't as strong in this one as in some of Heyer's other mysteries, but it does the job.
There's also a romance sub-plot, which cuts some of the tension because it's obvious from the way the attraction between Margaret and one of the suspects is written that he's going to be a Good Guy. But it doesn't detract too much from the story, which is strong enough to offer pleasure in re-reading even once you know the solution.
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Charles Malcom and their aunt Lilian. But nobody has lived in the house for years, and it's reputed to be haunted. Things do indeed start going bump in the night, and investigation finds priestholes and secret passages galore, some equipped with dry bones. But some of the party are more inclined to believe that the strange happenings are down to something much more prosaic than ghosts. Someone wants them out of the priory, probably the same someone who made an unsolicited offer to their solicitor to buy it when it wasn't on the market. Someone who is prepared to kill to keep a secret when the hunt for clues leads to a potential witness to the real identity of the Monk.While there's a genuine and good murder mystery as the scaffolding of the story, a lot of the fun of this one is that it is indeed fun, with some sparkling dialogue between nicely drawn characters. I think the characterisation isn't as strong in this one as in some of Heyer's other mysteries, but it does the job.
There's also a romance sub-plot, which cuts some of the tension because it's obvious from the way the attraction between Margaret and one of the suspects is written that he's going to be a Good Guy. But it doesn't detract too much from the story, which is strong enough to offer pleasure in re-reading even once you know the solution.
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LibraryThing member murderbydeath
What a great, fun read! I was almost late for dinner out with friends because I didn't want to put it down until I reached the end. Great British humour throughout the story, really well blended with the mystery, the setting, the atmosphere. The ghost story was really done well too. I found this to
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be just an excellent cozy mystery in every sense of the word. Show Less
LibraryThing member mmoj
This is Heyer's first mystery and while it's not one of her best, that's still better than many. It takes awhile to get the story going and since this is a bit of a different genre the styling is different than what Heyer fans are used to. But it does have funny moments and the settings gives you
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the creepy chills that a good Gothic mystery should give you. I kept picturing this as a period BBC piece and being quite popular. Glad I found these mysteries. Show Less
LibraryThing member booksandscones
This was Georgette Heyer's first try at writing a mystery novel - she eventually wrote 12 of them, and No Wind Of Blame has long been a favourite of mine. I read in her bio that she was very embarrassed by Footsteps In The Dark and begged her publisher not to reprint it. Since this edition was
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published as recently as 2010, they ignored her. This is definitely not her best work, but obviously she honed her mystery-writing skills and by later in the 1930s wrote some really good classic mysteries. I'll give her a bit of a pass on this one since it was a first effort, and a departure from her better-known Regency romances. Show Less
LibraryThing member sandburg
I find this book, wrote in 1932, quite dated.
Boring and predictable.
Boring and predictable.
LibraryThing member Vesper1931
Three siblings, Mrs Celia Malcolm, Margaret and Peter Fortescue have inherited an old Priory, and unfortunately for them the ghost of The Monk. Strange going ons and noises seem to confirm the haunting. Charles Malcolm and Peter do their best in investigating these happening. But how long will it
Originally written in 1932, I did enjoy this well-written mystery with only a hint of romance (thankfully) with a group of interesting characters.
A Netgalley Book
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be before they must call in the police.Originally written in 1932, I did enjoy this well-written mystery with only a hint of romance (thankfully) with a group of interesting characters.
A Netgalley Book
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LibraryThing member kaulsu
Meh. Not surprising that I never saw this book in print. Lots of funny dialog--quintesential Heyer humor. But if I weren't already a Heyer fan (and happy to find most all Heyer books have now been kindleized), I may not have had the will to continue to the bitter end.
LibraryThing member mmoj
This is Heyer's first mystery and while it's not one of her best, that's still better than many. It takes awhile to get the story going and since this is a bit of a different genre the styling is different than what Heyer fans are used to. But it does have funny moments and the settings gives you
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the creepy chills that a good Gothic mystery should give you. I kept picturing this as a period BBC piece and being quite popular. Glad I found these mysteries. Show Less
LibraryThing member mirihawk
Classic old mystery. Very much a type. The audio version read very well, different British voices done cleverly. Very enjoyable.
Language
Original publication date
1932
Physical description
6.93 inches
ISBN
0099550393 / 9780099550396
DDC/MDS
| Fic Mystery Heyer |