Weekend at Thrackley

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Title:

Weekend at Thrackley

Author:

Melville, Alan, 1910-1983, author.

Edwards, Martin, 1955-

Series:

British Library crime classics.

Summary:

Jim Henderson is one of six guests summoned by the mysterious Edwin Carson, a collector of precious stones, to a weekend party at his country house, Thrackley. The house is gloomy and forbidding but the party is warm and hospitable except for the presence of Jacobson, the sinister butler. The other guests are wealthy people draped in jewels; Jim cannot imagine why he belongs in such company. After a weekend of adventure, with attempted robbery and a vanishing guest, secrets come to light and Jim unravels a mystery from his past.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

235 pages ; 21 cm.

Genre:

Detective and mystery fiction.

Subject Term:

Country homes -- Fiction.

Secrecy -- Fiction.

Hospitality -- Fiction.

Rich people -- Crimes against -- Fiction.

Collectors and collecting -- Fiction.

Precious stones -- Collection and preservation -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

England -- Fiction.

Author(s):

Edwards, Martin, 1955-

Publisher:

Poisoned Pen Press,

Publication Date:

2018

1934

ISBN:

9781464209710

Publication Information:

Scottsdale, AZ : Poisoned Pen Press, 2018.

Call Number:

MELVILL

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003334631	Adult Fiction	MELVILL	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder

"Bubbly social satire sets off a clockwork plot." --Booklist STARRED review

'I'm taking a revolver to Thrackley. You never know with blokes like Carson. I hate these harmless, potty people--they're always up to something.'

Jim Henderson is one of six guests summoned by the mysterious Edwin Carson, a collector of precious stones, to a weekend party at his country house, Thrackley. The house is gloomy and forbidding but the party is warm and hospitable--except for the presence of Jacobson, the sinister butler. The other guests are wealthy people draped in jewels; Jim cannot imagine why he belongs in such company.

After a weekend of adventure--with attempted robbery and a vanishing guest--secrets come to light and Jim unravels a mystery from his past.

Author Notes

ALAN MELVILLE (1910-1983) was a well-known television broadcaster, as well as a playwright, producer, and scriptwriter. Among his works are several crime novels from the 1930s, often set in the popular entertainment world he knew firsthand. Quick Curtain and Death of Anton were reissued as British Library Crime Classics in 2015.

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

In this slight entry in the British Library Crime Classics series, first published in 1934, Melville (1910-1983) mixes Wodehousian humor ("Girls rarely, of course, look their best immediately after they have been knocked down by large Rolls-Royce cars") with murderous mayhem. Failed would-be author Jim Henderson, who rarely manages to get out of bed for breakfast, gets an intriguing letter from Edwin Carson, a stranger who claims to have known Jim's late father. Carson invites Jim for a weekend getaway at his Surrey home, Thrackley; motivated by the prospect of free food and free drink, Jim accepts the offer. He's pleased to find an old school chum, Freddie Usher, is also on the guest list. Freddie, who informs Jim that Carson is the world's leading authority on precious stones, explains that he was included so that Carson could assess the Usher family jewels. Other guests have brought their jewels-which become the target of a thief. Melville keeps the action moving, but the lightness of the plot and characters doesn't bear the weight of an 11th-hour reveal. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.