A Trace of Poison - A Review

 Review

A TRACE OF POISON by Colleen Cambridge
The Second Phyllida Bright Mystery 

In order to help St. Wendreda's orphanage raise funds for a new roof Agatha Christie and fellow members of the Detection Club are holding a Murder Fête in the village of Listleigh. Eminently competent housekeeper Mrs. Phyllida Bright is there to make sure everything is just so and everything is running smoothly, that is until Father Tooley drops dead. It seems the good Father was poisoned. But was he the intended victim? With all of the suspects well versed in murder, finding the killer will be a challenge. Will Phyllida be able to guide the local constabulary to the correct suspect?

An actual murder at a murder fête? A fête filled with not only aspiring mystery novelists, but some of the greatest minds of crime fiction? What a fantastic concept, and one actualized brilliantly in A TRACE OF POISON. Who would know better how to plot an actual murder than a murder mystery author? And who better to solve it? While most members of the Detection Club are keen to solve the crime, Agatha Christie knows her friend and housekeeper, Phyllida Bright, is the woman who can puzzle it out, while keeping the press at bay.

I love how Mrs. Bright investigates, though she says she's merely guiding the police to the correct path. Listening to the servants, most of whom are in awe of her and keen to impress, following leads, and using her own little grey cells lead Phyllida on a path with plenty of twists and turns. I thought I had solved the thing only to discover I fell into one of the killer's traps. I also love how other real people from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction were brought in. Like some members of the fictional local writing club, I was also fangirling G. K. Chesterton and Dorothy Sayers. As a fan of Father Brown, I loved reading references about him as well. The combination of real historical people with fictional characters is handled with aplomb and adds something special to the story.

With an incredible cast of characters and a puzzling murder in a bucolic setting A TRACE OF POISON is a captivating read reminiscent of the novels from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.