"Our train got snowed up and I and some others tried to walk across country to another station, Hemmersby, but the snow was so bad that we got lost, and then I fainted like a fool, twisting my foot, and a young man carried me to the house where we now are and may have to stay till the snow stops if it ever will. It's funny because although no one is here the tea was laid and the fires going....Of course, it's a funny situation."
Heavy snowfall forces seven strangers to seek shelter in a deserted country house. Only, one of the seven might be a murderer. And there's something strange, almost eerie, about the portrait over the mantel as well as the house. One man, who claims to be psychic, says it's haunted. And where are the house's inhabitants? It's a mystery. Outside it just keeps snowing and snowing. And did I mention it's Christmas Eve?
My thoughts: I always enjoy reading these British Library Crime Classics! There's an old-fashioned charm about them that I really like. They're not usually super suspenseful, but there's always a puzzle to be solved and some thoughtful sleuthing to be done. I appreciate the 1930s dialogue. And the plucky characters, too. They're never perfect reads, but they're always good fun. I enjoyed this one a lot.
Happy Reading!
Other British Library Crime Classics:
