The Murder at World's End
A Novel
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Knives Out meets Downton Abbey! Secrets, murder, and mayhem collide as this unlikely sleuthing duo—an under-butler and a foul-mouthed octogenarian—hunt a killer in a manor sealed against the end of the world, in this locked-room mystery by #1 New York Times bestselling author Ross Montgomery.
Cornwall, 1910. On a remote tidal island, the Viscount of Tithe Hall is absorbed in feverish preparations for the apocalypse that he believes will accompany the passing of Halley's Comet. The Hall must be sealed from top to bottom—every window, chimney, and keyhole closed off before night falls. But what the pompous, dishonest Viscount has failed to take into account is the danger that lies within... By morning, he will be dead in his sealed study, murdered by his own ancestral crossbow.
All eyes turn to Stephen Pike, Tithe Hall's newest under-butler. Fresh out of Borstal for a crime he didn't commit, he is the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time. His unlikely ally? Miss Decima Stockingham, the foul-mouthed, sharp as a tack, eighty-year-old family matriarch. Fearless and unconventional, she relishes chaos and puzzles alike, and a murder is just the thrill she's been waiting for.
Together, this mismatched duo must navigate secret passages, buried grudges, and rising terror to unmask the killer before it's too late...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Children's bestseller Montgomery (I Am Rebel) pivots to adult fiction with this entertaining locked-room whodunit set in 1910 England. After ex-convict Stephen Pike is hired as a footman at Tithe Hall, a grand estate on a tidal island near Cornwall, he discovers that the estate's eccentric owner, Viscount Stockingham-Welt, believes the world is coming to an end with the arrival of Halley's Comet. In preparation, he insists on boarding up the house and sequestering everyone in their rooms. However, the viscount's tough, scientific-minded great aunt Decima demands that Stephen defy his new boss and escort her outside to view the comet. The next morning, the viscount is found dead with an arrow through his eye. A humorously inept Scotland Yard inspector arrives to investigate and, without proof, immediately assumes Stephen is guilty. Police scrutiny on Stephen escalates when the inspector is found bludgeoned to death with a marble bust. Fortunately, Stephen has the loyalty and brains of Aunt Decima on his side, and the two join forces to clear his name. With an unorthodox detective duo, lively prose, and a plot full of invigorating twists, this strong series opener will leave readers eager for more.
