Red House Mystery (Version 2)

The creator of Winnie-the-Pooh wrote a rather good murder mystery. That surprise alone makes Red House Mystery worth your time. A. A. Milne's sole detective novel is a lovingly constructed puzzle box set in an English country house where the guests have gathered for a weekend of ego and theater. Then the prodigal brother arrives after fifteen years abroad, is found dead in the library, and the host vanishes into thin air. Enter Antony Gillingham, a gentleman detective of quiet brilliance who methodically dismantles every alibi while the police fumble about. Milne plays fair with the reader: all the clues are there, buried in the banter and the household's elaborate pretensions. The solution is cunning, the tone is wry, and the whole affair has the unmistakable charm of a Golden Age detective novel at its most polished. For readers who treasure the Christie era, this is an essential footnote to literary history, and a rather better mystery than its famous author's reputation might suggest.