Murder of a Lady: A Scottish Mystery

This 1931 novel, now republished as part of the British Library's Crime Classics series, is a cunningly concocted locked-room mystery, a staple of Golden Age detective fiction. Actually, it's a series of locked-room mysteries, all occurring within the gloomy, twisted corridors of Duchlan Castle in the Scottish Highlands. The laird and lady of the stately but dilapidated home are an elderly brother and sister who seem to make an effort to make their house uncomfortable and dreary. Wynne's depiction of the home and the way it mirrors the psychology of its inhabitants is worthy of Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The novel shifts from mood to murder when the sister, Mary Gregor, is found dead in her room, with a knife wound near her throat. The room had been locked from the inside and the windows shut. A fish scale is found on the wound. This evidence is observed by Wynne's recurring hero, the physician and amateur sleuth Dr. Eustace Hailey, who has been called to the scene. From this point on, murder follows murder, all of them "impossible crimes." The way that Hailey uses his long experience, especially with observing human nature, is absolutely fascinating. Seeing what happens in real time from Hailey's point of view adds to the delight in watching him solve these puzzles. As Dorothy L. Sayers wrote (as quoted in the introduction to this volume): "Mr. Anthony Wynne excels in the solution of apparently insoluble problems." A great return of a great detective. (starred review)

The solution is very clever the practicalities were highly improbable, but the logic and the psychology worked and, though I didn't see it coming, when I looked back I realised that there had been a few little clues....Anthony Wynne wrote well, the story was always engaging, and he caught the atmosphere, as unfolding events generated fear and hysteria, very well indeed. That was what held things together, and that was what kept me turning the pages....I can't say that this is the greatest Golden Age crime novel; but it is different and it is entertaining.

I guessed the perp but not the method of murder, but ultimately it's the novel's insights that make it such a delight to read. After finishing and really enjoying this gem, I went looking at the author's backlist. Some of these used copies run into the $100s. I'm hoping that someone takes Wynne's work to the kindle.

The first paragraph alone is worth the price...."Murder of a Lady" (released in the USA as "The Silver Scale Mystery") by Anthony Wynne is one of the older British mysteries that are being reprinted by Poisoned Pen Press and The British Library. It was first published in 1931 by Hutchinson, London....This is a book that may present difficulties for some readers. Dr. Hailey's deductive methods focus almost exclusively on the character of the victim and the people who surround her. Readers who are not very familiar with the highlands of Scotland and the peculiar people who live there may feel overwhelmed by the picture Mr. Wynne paints of a stiff-necked, proud, dark, stupid and superstitious bunch who are motivated by beliefs and emotions that are alien to us today....Mr. Wynne was a Scot and he knows his people well. He goes out of his way to help his readers visualize and mentally connect with the Duchlan and his people, but still one is tempted to give up in frustration at this impenetrable culture. I urge you to keep going. The murderer is clear fairly early on but never in a million years will you guess how the deed was done.

Golden age crime stories really are fantastic. They are fairly light reads, and yet the story will keep you engaged all the way through. This book was no exception to that rule. Full of light humour, cranky policemen, and one smart amateur detective, this story had me wrapped around it's finger from the first page....After attempted suicides, devious plot twists and some pretty horrible personalities once you get to know them, the story concludes in incredibly dramatic style and with such a twist that I truly never saw coming....Locked room mysteries are something I have not really read before, but after this, I may well try to find some more!...Star rating: 4 from 5 - chilling murders, but clever characters

Although the focus is largely on the locked-room puzzle of how the crime could have been done, there's some pretty good characterisation along the way. I particularly liked the way Wynne portrayed the women, showing them as subordinate within this society, but strong within themselves; victims sometimes, but not hysterical ones; and intelligent, worthy partners for the men they loved....Of course, there is more than one murder, and I have to admit that the second one took me totally by surprise and actually made me gasp a little. There's no real horror aspect in the book, but it nevertheless builds a great atmosphere of rather creepy tension, aided by the superstitions of the Highland folk....I enjoyed this one very much another author the British Library has managed to add to my list!

Full of light humour, cranky policemen, and one smart amateur detective, this story had me wrapped around it's finger from the first page.

Murder of a Lady is a mystery novel set in Scotland and originally published in 1931. It's the amateur sleuth, Hailey, that's the main character and who solved the case. It's a "locked room" mystery that could potentially be solved in several ways. There were clues, and you could guess whodunit from the clues, but some critical clues weren't discovered until nearly the end....I originally guessed something similar to what the second inspector concluded, and my solution still seems more plausible to me than the actual solution. Having worked with the murder weapon before, I think whodunit was extremely lucky that everything happened exactly right to get the desired end and that no one noticed that certain things went missing at the time of the crime....The characters were more "types" of people or pieces of a puzzle than people to sympathize with or hate. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I still enjoyed reading the story and would recommend this mystery.

This was a fairly dark mystery with a good setting. I found it much more an old fashioned "puzzle" but it was an enjoyable read.

I wasn't familiar with this author, but I love to read British mysteries of this time period and the locked-room scenario is a favorite. The ending was not expected.

The major focus in Murder of a Lady is the puzzle: The characters are only developed so far as they serve the plot. And what a plot it is, full of impossibilities, troubles from the past, tormented lovers, and a slew of mixed motives. There is not just one impossible murder: The following murders seem equally impossible. In the course of the characters' investigations, Wynne brings up several plausible solutions before the matter is fully cleared up....Murder of a Lady is another entry into Poisoned Pen Press's publication of The British Library Crime Classic collection. Out of print since 1931, the novel is perfect for readers who love Agatha Christie but who have made their way through all her works - or who just want a change of pace while keeping to the classic, sleek, constructions of the era...

First published in 1931, this reissue in the British Library crime classics series brings back what some consider a more innocent era, when psychology seemed simpler and no one ever used terms like sociopath or psychopath. In his heyday, Wynne (1882-1963) was considered to be the master of locked-room mysteries, and he acquits himself well in this Dr. Eustace Hailey mystery. Hailey travels to a castle in the Scottish Highlands to investigate the demise of Miss Mary Gregor, sister to the laird. She has been found stabbed to death in her locked bedroom. Miss Gregor at first is described as pious and good. But it soon becomes clear that pious can be interpreted as sanctimonious and goodness can serve as a shield for nastier intentions. Others follow her to the grave in equally inexplicable circumstances. Those who like black-and-white films, in which ladies and gentlemen dress for dinner and everyone has frightfully good manners, are in for a treat.

A true locked room mystery from the Golden Age of Mystery writing, Murder of a Lady was chock full of twists and turns. The writing was of that era, and as such, more formal than our modern ear is attuned to, with many words and phrases which required thought. Not only was the murder mystery itself wickedly lovely, but the author's descriptions placed me right there in Scotland in 1931....Lies, half-truths, unspoken tragedy, paychosis, jealousy, piety, gambling debts, forbidden love....it is all here in the many twists, turns, plots and subplots that make Murder of a Lady a Golden Age Classic that truly withstands the test of time!

This is an intriguing story with a great many undercurrents and tensions between the occupants of the castle, most of whom seem to have been scared of the murdered woman. The plot is perhaps a shade melodramatic for today's readers but the plot and the characters are very well done and the psychological motivations are realistic....There is an atmosphere almost of menace which permeates the whole book and I found myself tempted to keep looking over my shoulder in fear as I read.

A talented amateur sleuth takes on a locked-room murder in this golden age whodunit....This classic British mystery, first published in 1931, has enough complex plotting and red herrings to win a new generation of fans for the largely forgotten Wynne.