The Red House Mystery Book

Back in a time before Pooh and set in a world far, far away from the Hundred Acre Wood, The Red House Mystery is A.A. Milne's only detective story and, having been out of print for many years, is a real lost gem. Located in the tranquil English countryside, Red House is the retreat of rich bachelor Mark Ablett. In keeping with the tradition mystery novel conventions, Ablett is hosting a party over the weekend of the murder and so Red House is packed with an intriguing and disparate collection of guests, including an army major, a self-centred actress and a successful athlete. Also expected to be joining the party for the weekend is Ablett's estranged brother, Robert, the black sheep of the family who had been packed off to Australia years ago. As the guests are scattered around the house and grounds, shots are heard coming from Ablett's locked study and Robert is found murdered. Ablett himself has vanished and, since the police are your token bumbling Bobbies, guests Tony Gillingham and Bill Beverley decide to play Holmes and Watson and solve the murder. The Red House Mystery is a classic of the cozy murder genre complete with secret passages, uninvited guests, baffled policeman, red herrings aplenty and even a potential haunting. It's certainly not the most taxing mystery but is a real pleasure to read on a cold, rainy winter's evening.