Act One, Scene One – Murder

As you sit down to recover from Christmas (because, yes, such a holiday requires recovery), I’ll suggest a book: Act One, Scene One – Murder, the second in a series from A.H. Richardson.

Act One, Scene One-Murder book cover

This is a sequel to Murder in Little Shendon, which I’ve reviewed previously. Several of the characters do return, including sharp Inspector Burgess, amenable Sir Victor, charming Berry, and even Aunt Augusta and her over-the-top personality make an appearance with, surprisingly, some rather sage advice. Act One, Scene One – Murder is not a continuation of the first story, and does a good job of standing on its own feet, so it is not necessary to read that book before you read this one. (Although I did really enjoy Murder in Little Shendon –  my review is here – so feel free to read that, too!)

The book begins with Berry working on his new play, written by a well-known and well-respected playwright, Cleland Symeon, with a cast that might best be described as dysfunctional. You have Mr. Judson Morgan, a self-absorbed playboy, and his wife Mrs. Carlotta Morgan, the jilted and maybe-soon-to-be-ex-wife. There is Joyce Empsall, a beautiful woman carrying on a not-secret-affair with Mr. Morgan, and Kieron St. John who is something of an acting legend. There are a few supporting actors in the play, including an American named Peter McPherson and petite Betty Jones, as well as the behind-the-scenes crew, including understudy Evan Williams, prop man Colin Stafford, and prompt Kreston Watkins. At the same time, Sir Victor Hazlitt has just returned to London from dealing with his businesses in the Argentine, and he wastes no time in reconnecting with Berry over dinner, who invites him to sit in on a rehearsal.

As opening day nears on the horizon, Cleland decides it would be a good idea to invite the cast and crew to his house for a celebratory dinner. Sir Victor is invited by proxy of his friendship with Berry. His large house is outside the city, but everyone finds a ride and makes it to his house. He gives them an open invitation to explore his house – there is a library, an indoor swimming pool, outdoor gardens, suits of armor in the halls – and even the kitchen is not off limits, much to the chagrin of the housekeeper. Of course, with the word “murder” in the book title, it doesn’t take long for such a thing to happen to one of the dinner guests!

Luckily for all involved, they are very close to Little Shendon, and the local police force is quite eager to call Inspector Burgess to come in and take over the investigation. Inspector Burgess wastes little time in bringing Sir Victor and Berry back into the fold to assist in the investigation. Inspector Burgess also demands that all the dinner guests remain sequestered in Cleland’s home for the duration of the investigation, which does not go over well with any of them. However, as one of them is obviously responsible for the murder, Inspector Burgess and his team must work quickly to identify the culprit before he or she can strike again.

This is very much in keeping with the style of the first book: it is a true whodunit. There are clues sprinkled throughout, but are given in such a way that they could point to any number of possible suspects or motives. Sir Victor and Berry are able to gain valuable insight to people and their true personalities or thoughts, as they are less intimidating than a policeman, and even Aunt Augusta and her over-the-top-personality proves to have some insight.

The only negative I could find with this book is that perhaps it is a bit too much in the style of the first book. On several instances, I found myself making [accurate] predictions about what would happen in the plot. But this was not problematic to me. Many whodunits follow similar story arcs and are well written and enjoyable to read, which was my impression.

And it had a very Thin Man-esque grand finale, which I very much enjoy. So many books now give just enough in the conclusion to indicate a story is over, but rarely is there any detail that clearly explains it. This author is very good at clearly tying all the clues together for the conclusion, which I appreciate.

Image result for thin man movie images

Including this image because Myrna Loy in the “Thin Man” movies can do no wrong; I hope everyone is recovering nicely from the Christmas festivities!

I do wish maybe she had elaborated a bit on the after-effects of the crime. In the first book, she included a little bit of information saying what each character had been up to once the crime had been solved. Act One, Scene One – Murder has no such information, but perhaps that was intentional or will be addressed in a third book? We’ll have to wait and see!

This book had a few more grammar errors than the prior book, but that’s on the editor – not the author – and did not detract from the story.

If you like a good whodunit, this is definitely worth your read!

Overall: 8/10

*I received a copy of this from the author/publisher in exchange for my honest review.

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