The Bowers вЂ“ butler and housekeeper who have known the three siblings since the cradle вЂ“ take no guff from them and keep the gormless constable in line. ThereвЂ™s even a quick romance with a hilariously understated British engagement scene вЂ“ please, hold the emotion, weвЂ™re English. I enjoyed the couples вЂ“ Celia and her unflappable barrister husband as well as her brother and sister Peter and Margaret вЂ“ who is pluck to the backbone. One thing that interested me is how Heyer doesnвЂ™t hold onto all the plot cards until the end but reveals some key things all along the way. The style is a bit slower than modern stories allowing the details to be built up at a leisurely pace. The location of the country house and its past history are important but it was still fun to watch everyone suss out what was going on and how it was accomplished. Once clues begin to be dropped, I guessed who the major villain was though not what he was actually up to. The actual mystery isnвЂ™t that complex or hard to follow despite the sprinkling of red herrings and possible suspects. Our heroes and heroines are all upper-class (though not aristocrats) and the bumbling police constable as well as the local inspector are obviously considered working class. ThereвЂ™s also a fair amount of HeyerвЂ™s class distinction as well. ItвЂ™s very much a product of its time in language and details with a touch of post WWI sГ©ance and gothic overtones tossed in. I had never read a Heyer mystery before and saw this on offer for review.

But when a murder victim is discovered in the drafty Priory halls, the once unconcerned trio begins to fear that the ghostly rumors are true and they are not alone after all! With a killer on the loose, will they find themselves the next victims of a supernatural predator, or will they uncover a far more corporeal culprit?

Locals claim it is haunted and refuse to put a single toe past the front door, but to siblings Peter, Celia, and Margaret, the Priory is nothing more than a rundown estate inherited from their late uncle-and the perfect setting for a much-needed holiday. What begins as an adventure soon becomes a nightmareвЂ¦ Jayne B Reviews / Book Reviews 1930s / Classic Murder Mystery / crime fiction / England / haunted house / Historical 7 Comments JanuREVIEW: Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer

Footsteps in the dark