Colleen Gleason

Murder by Invitation Only is the third book in the Phyllida Bright Mystery series by Colleen Cambridge.

Phyllida is anxiously awaiting the arrival of a vacuum for Mallowan Hall. But first, an invitation arrives for a murder game that says, A Murder will Occur Tonight, Beecham House. The Christie’s are currently in London, so Phyllida phones them to inform them of the invitation. Agatha asks that Phyllida attend in her place, hoping that Phyllida might gather information that she might turn into a future book. Phyllida heads for Beecham Hall, and when the game begins, it turns from a game to an actual murder when the host, Clifton Wokesley, is found dead in his role as the corpse.

Due to a bad storm, Inspector Cork is late arriving at Beecham Hall, so Constable Greensticks begins the investigation, but soon, he seems happy for Phyllida to handle the inquiries. Phyllida will be busy as she soon discovers that everyone seems to be a suspect.

I love this series. It is well-written, plotted, and historically accurate. The cast of characters are all enjoyable and well-developed. The staff at Mallowan Hall are all delightful and provide humorous times. The household’s staff reaction to the new vacuum was quite funny and enjoyable. There were many twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end as to the identity of the murderer.

I’m looking forward to the next book in this wonderful series.… (mer)

FROM AMAZON: Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes never meant to get into the family business. But when you're the sister of Bram and the niece of Sherlock, vampire hunting and mystery solving are in your blood, so to speak. And when two young society girls disappear-one dead, one missing-there's no one more qualified to investigate.

Now fierce Evaline and logical Mina must resolve their rivalry, navigate the advances of not one but three mysterious gentlemen, and solve a murder with only one clue: a strange Egyptian scarab.

The pressure is on, and the stakes are high-if Stoker and Holmes don't figure out why London's finest sixteen-year-old women are in danger, they'll become the next victims.… (mer)

1930s. Villagers in the neighbourhood receive an invitation from the new residents of Beecham House, the Wokesleys, to witness a murder at 7.00pm that evening. The game involves five actors but when the 'corpse' is found to be really dead can Phyllida Bright, housekeeper to Agatha Christie, solve the murder before Inspector Cork arrives to mess up the investigation. Thankfully there can only be a limited number of suspects.
A well-written and entertaining historical mystery with its cast of likeable and diverse characters. Another good addition to this enjoyable series.… (mer)