About
In the Crypt with a Candlestick Synopsis
Sir Ecgbert Tode of Tode Hall has survived to a grand old age - much to the despair of his younger wife, Emma. But at ninety-three he has, at last, shuffled off the mortal coil.
Emma, Lady Tode, thoroughly fed up with being a dutiful Lady of the Manor, wants to leave the country to spend her remaining years in Capri. Unfortunately her three tiresome children are either unwilling or unable (too mad, too lefty or too happy in Australia) to take on management of their large and important home, so the mantle passes to a distant relative and his glamorous wife.
Not long after the new owners take over, Lady Tode is found dead in the mausoleum. Accident? Or is there more going on behind the scenes of Tode Hall than an outsider would ever guess....?
In the traditions of two great but very different British writers, Agatha Christie and P.G. Wodehouse, Waugh's hilarious and entirely original twist on the country house murder mystery comes complete with stiff upper lips, even stiffer drinks, and any stiffs that might embarrass the family getting smartly brushed under the carpet...
About This Edition
ISBN: |
9780349422473 |
Publication date: |
15th October 2020 |
Author: |
Daisy Waugh |
Publisher: |
Piatkus Books an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group |
Format: |
Paperback |
Pagination: |
289 pages |
Series: |
Tode Hall |
Primary Genre |
Crime and Mystery
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Other Genres: |
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Press Reviews
Daisy Waugh Press Reviews
One imagines that Waugh had nearly as much fun writing it as we do reading it - Catholic Herald
This is a marvellous rollicking read with brilliantly drawn characters. I finished it within 24 hours -- Mary Killen A work of sublime silliness. The knife-edge between crime and comedy is a tricky one, but Daisy Waugh negotiates it magnificently. The story is preposterous, as it should be in a book of this kind, and the author is clearly less interested in the finer points of crime plotting than she is in sharp observations and social satire. The result is a delightful book, witty, pacy and beautifully written. An irresistible, high-camp crime caper - deliciously entertaining An effervescent madcap whodunnit - Metro
Fizzles, crackles and sparkles A jolly farce that never takes itself too seriously - Red Magazine
A perfect antidote to wintry gloom - The Literary Review
What a triumph! It gave me enormous pleasure to read, plus of course a few appropriate shudders. [In the Crypt] lightens the darkness in a way that is both dark and light -- Antonia Fraser
Fans of PG Wodehouse and Agatha Christie should bag this madcap comedy whodunnit . . . Outrageous and over-the-top, a perfect antidote to all real-life craziness going on - Daily Mail
An irresistible champagne bubble of pleasure and laughter It's sharp, funny and just the right amount of farcical - the best sort of murder mystery - Tatler
Author
About Daisy Waugh
Daisy Waugh was our Guest Editor in September 2013 - click here - to see the books that inspired her writing.
Daisy Waugh writes novels, reads tarot cards and teaches yoga. Unlike Sir Ecgbert Tode, she cannot do the standing splits. She lives in London.
Click here to read the 'Ask the Author' feature on Daisy Waugh.
Author photo © Zeb de Sales
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