The Black Cat Murders

I really discovered this series on a whim because the first instalment was on sale on Audible one day, but wow has it paid off in spades. I usually don't pay much attention to the marketing blurb but the one for the Heathcliff Lennox mysteries describes it as a mix of Downton Abbey, Agatha Christie with a dash of P. G. Wodehouse, and it is actually remarkably accurate.

While an opera troupe is performing privately for an aristocratic family, a black cat shrieks, startling the two main singers on stage. They later fall through a stage trapdoor which gives way beneath them, leading to the death of one. Major Lennox arrives on the scene with his trusty canine companion, Mr Fogg, to attend the wedding of his childhood friend Lady Caroline Bloxford, daughter of the house in question, and is so caught up in a series of murders along with Inspector Jonathan Swift.

Being a great fan of the 1920s-1940s era of cosy mysteries, I've also tried many contemporarily written cosy mysteries but none of them have really made a huge impression on me - except this series. The humour is on point and not overdone, the writing is engaging and avoids the pitfalls of trying too hard to sound like Christie, the characters are engaging and relatable, and the mysteries are just a whole lot of fun but also complex and intricate at the same time.

I'm bummed that we only have 5 Heathcliff Lennox mysteries to devour, and really hope that I'll be seeing more from Menuhin, seeing as the latest one was only just published in Aug 2020. This series is highly recommended for fans of cosy mysteries, Agatha Christie, and especially so if you enjoy a touch of Wodehouse-esque humour.

This is an entertaining series and the mysteries are well-crafted. I don't love the main character but I don't think that is required. For once they really do remind me of the Golden Age of detective fiction, but modernized in a positive way. I wish the female characters were more substantial but there is hope for the future.