“The Murder at World’s End” by Ross Montgomery takes one to the English countryside in 1910 as Halley’s Comet is set to pass the earth. There is much chaos in the news stories and some fear the apocalypse is near. Lord Stockingham-Welt is determined to seal up his mansion to protect himself and his staff from poisonous gases but once the comet has passed, the Lord is the only casualty – murdered.
Stephen Pike has just arrived at the mansion, fresh out of prison and desperate for a job. Because of Stephen’s criminal background, the Inspector looks to blame him for the murder. Luckily, Stephen forms a bond with Miss Decima Stockingham – a very foul-mouthed 80 year old spinster, who has a surprising knowledge of science. She is also an outcast from her family, even though she lives with them in the mansion. Together, Stephen and Decima secretly investigate the family and staff of the mansion, determined to find the killer.
This novel is quirky and has lots of tongue-in-cheek humor, as well as the bawdy language of Miss Decima. I suspected the killer before the ending, but I enjoyed Miss Decima’s character immensely!! (I expect that she will return in future novels planned for this series.) There are lots of twists and turns in this closed-door mystery – I think the story was a cross between Agatha Christie and ‘Knives Out.’ I questioned the language Decima uses in the novel – but the author does explain that choice in the afterword Author’s Notes. If you like quirky closed-door cozy mysteries, check out this fun book!