Murder at Holly House – Denzil Meyrick
A village of secrets. It’s December 1952, and a dead stranger has been found lodged up the chimney of Holly House in the remote town of Elderby. Is he a simple thief, or a would-be killer?
Either way, he wasn’t on anyone’s Christmas wish list. A mystery that can’t be solved, Inspector Frank Grasby is ordered to investigate. The victim of some unfortunate misunderstandings, he hopes this case will help clear his name.
But as is often the way for Grasby, things most certainly don’t go according to plan.
Soon blizzards hit the North York Moors, cutting off the village from help, and the local doctor’s husband is found murdered. Grasby begins to realise that everyone in Elderby is hiding something – and if he can’t uncover the truth soon, the whole country will pay a dreadful price.
I received a review copy from the publishers (and I bought myself a digital copy). I was invited to join the blog tour for Murder at Holly House by Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours
Murder at Holly House – a new Denzil Meyrick story releasing just in time for Christmas and if I could be so bold…a cracking gift idea for the crime fiction readers you may find yourself shopping for over the next few weeks. Its light and humorous tone make for hugely enjoyable reading (it did get a little darker as the tale progressed) and the array of quirky elements on display in a small Yorkshire village frequently made me chuckle.
The hero of the piece is Inspector Frank Grasby. He’s a somewhat hapless figure, a bit too self assured of his own skills but sometimes it seems he isn’t the quickest at picking up on the obvious facts right in front of him. Frank likes too many flutters on the horses but isn’t good at picking winners. He’s had his fair share of occupational mishaps too – the most recent being the loss of a number of thoroughbread horses which he allowed to escape, much to the chagrin of their owner. Frank is being exiled out of York to the small town of Elderby where he is being asked to investigate a series of small thefts which are vexing the local dignataries. He will find more than he bargained for – not least a dead body stuck in a chimney at the home of the local bigwig.
Frank will have help investigating this unusual death, the local force is staffed by an aging copper who suffers unfortunate bouts of narcolepsy and a young constable that seems incapable of making himself understood, despite the fact he’s speaking English. Frank’s most helpful aide will come from the young American intern Deedee (Miss Daisy Dean). Frank finds Deedee very pleasing to the eye and as they are both boarding at the same guest house Frank harbours fantasies of winning her affections. Unfortunately for Frank, Deedee seems to consider anyone over 35 to be ancient (Frank is 38) and she’s amusingly uninterested. As it is the early 1950s Frank isn’t particularly enlightened in how to deal with a young intelligent woman in the police force and will try to shelter her from the more gruesome elments of a murder investigation.
The character interactions in the book are a real triumph, players are unpredictable and often hopelessly clueless. The real fun begins when Frank realises he cannot know who to trust. In a small town there are alliances and friendships as well as common enemies, tough for a new bod to negotiate and when people are dying the natural inclination is not to be helpful.
It’s always nice to be able to write a review about a book I loved and which I believe would be equally loved by a large audience. Murder at Holly House is great storytelling, set in the 1950s for a nostalgic, historical mystery and written in a very readable flowing style which definitely hits the “one more chapter” vibe.
Get this book into your shopping baskets without delay – it’s a good’un.
Murder at Holly House is published by Transworld and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/murder-at-holly-house/denzil-meyrick/9781787637184