Mortmain Hall by Martin EdwardsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Mortmain Hall is the second Rachel Savernake book. Although Rachel is a main character in these stories and one around whom much of the action takes place, I think that they could just as easily be called the Jacob Flint series. While Rachel sits in almost God-like observation of the action, Jacob blunders through along with us, trying to understand what is actually happening. He's not exactly a Watson to Rachel's Holmes, although he does fill much of that role, it is certainly through his eyes that we see more of the action and mystery.
This second story is again set in the golden again of crime, although as with the first book, there is a much darker edge that is absent from books that were actually written in the period, or at least missing from those that I have read so far.
Mortmain Hall is a complex mystery, not simply a case of a couple of murders and lots of suspects. In fact, it would be more than fair to say that it's not immediately apparent what the crime that we are trying to get to the bottom of is. There is more than one mystery to solve here. It's not as simple as the good guys work out who done it and the bad guys get punished.
I have to admit that while I'd figured out some of the solutions to this, but there were other aspects that I missed entirely. At the end of the book are a number of 'clues' that signposted who was behind various aspects and why, all in the style of some books from the golden age. I spotted some, but missed most.
Overall this was another gripping read from Martin Edwards. I'm looking forward to hearing more from Rachel and Jacob in the future.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
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