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Mrs. Bradley #5
Death at the Opera
Hillmaston School has chosen The Mikado for their next school performance and, in recognition of her generous offer to finance the production, their meek and self-effacing arithmetic mistress is offered a key role.
But when she disappears mid-way through the opening night performance and is later found dead, unconventional psychoanalyst Mrs Bradley is called in to investigate. To her surprise she soon discovers that the hapless teacher had quite a number of enemies - all with a motive for murder...
But when she disappears mid-way through the opening night performance and is later found dead, unconventional psychoanalyst Mrs Bradley is called in to investigate. To her surprise she soon discovers that the hapless teacher had quite a number of enemies - all with a motive for murder...
Paperback
First published January 1, 1934
About the author
Gladys Mitchell
91 books129 followersAka Malcolm Torrie, Stephen Hockaby.
Born in Cowley, Oxford, in 1901, Gladys Maude Winifred Mitchell was the daughter of market gardener James Mitchell, and his wife, Annie.
She was educated at Rothschild School, Brentford and Green School, Isleworth, before attending Goldsmiths College and University College, London from 1919-1921.
She taught English, history and games at St Paul's School, Brentford, from 1921-26, and at St Anne's Senior Girls School, Ealing until 1939.
She earned an external diploma in European history from University College in 1926, beginning to write her novels at this point. Mitchell went on to teach at a number of other schools, including the Brentford Senior Girls School (1941-50), and the Matthew Arnold School, Staines (1953-61). She retired to Corfe Mullen, Dorset in 1961, where she lived until her death in 1983.
Although primarily remembered for her mystery novels, and for her detective creation, Mrs. Bradley, who featured in 66 of her novels, Mitchell also published ten children's books under her own name, historical fiction under the pseudonym Stephen Hockaby, and more detective fiction under the pseudonym Malcolm Torrie. She also wrote a great many short stories, all of which were first published in the Evening Standard.
She was awarded the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger Award in 1976.
Born in Cowley, Oxford, in 1901, Gladys Maude Winifred Mitchell was the daughter of market gardener James Mitchell, and his wife, Annie.
She was educated at Rothschild School, Brentford and Green School, Isleworth, before attending Goldsmiths College and University College, London from 1919-1921.
She taught English, history and games at St Paul's School, Brentford, from 1921-26, and at St Anne's Senior Girls School, Ealing until 1939.
She earned an external diploma in European history from University College in 1926, beginning to write her novels at this point. Mitchell went on to teach at a number of other schools, including the Brentford Senior Girls School (1941-50), and the Matthew Arnold School, Staines (1953-61). She retired to Corfe Mullen, Dorset in 1961, where she lived until her death in 1983.
Although primarily remembered for her mystery novels, and for her detective creation, Mrs. Bradley, who featured in 66 of her novels, Mitchell also published ten children's books under her own name, historical fiction under the pseudonym Stephen Hockaby, and more detective fiction under the pseudonym Malcolm Torrie. She also wrote a great many short stories, all of which were first published in the Evening Standard.
She was awarded the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger Award in 1976.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
August 6, 2015
I really like Mrs. Bradley as an eccentric sleuth but some of Mitchell's books are just too convoluted to be engaging throughout the whole of the story.
Certainly this one had a great premise - a body is found during a school production of The Mikado and the death is pronounced a suicide, even though the victim apparently managed to drown herself in a sink whilst sitting on a chair.
Circumstances and a whole cast of suspects persuade the schools headmaster to call on the psychological expertise of Mrs Bradley to find out the truth about the death.
I had seen the BBC adaptation of this installment and had rather high expectations, and unfortunately the book did not live up to it. This is one of the few instances where the adaptation seems to be better than the book, not only for starring Diana Rigg and David Tennant.
Review originally posted on BookLikes.
Certainly this one had a great premise - a body is found during a school production of The Mikado and the death is pronounced a suicide, even though the victim apparently managed to drown herself in a sink whilst sitting on a chair.
Circumstances and a whole cast of suspects persuade the schools headmaster to call on the psychological expertise of Mrs Bradley to find out the truth about the death.
I had seen the BBC adaptation of this installment and had rather high expectations, and unfortunately the book did not live up to it. This is one of the few instances where the adaptation seems to be better than the book, not only for starring Diana Rigg and David Tennant.
Review originally posted on BookLikes.
December 20, 2014
Ordinarily, I enjoy Golden Age mysteries. I got on to this series through a DVD of Diana Rigg's portrayal; this book is one of the ones that was adapted. I was curious to see how they compared, because the adaptation was peculiar, to say the least. I was pleased by the introduction that assured me that the novel was very different, and it was. Much more in depth, with a lot of characterization.
(Spoilers)
Miss Ferris, a thoroughly inoffensive lady (this is impressed multiple times throughout) nevertheless acquires some enemies. She managed to avoid linking up with a black widower during her summer vacation, but he's still hoping to persuade her. She is aware of the long-term romance between a widow on the staff and another staff member whose wife has been in an asylum for 11 years or more. (however, she has no intention of exposing them, either out of malice or hope of blackmail; she's too inoffensive.) By helping to finance the school's production of "The Mikado", she wins a role that should have gone to a better actress. She accidently damages a piece of sculpture by a high-strung and temperamental artist. So when she ends up drowned, there is a whole batch of suspects to choose from.
Mrs. Bradley arrives and sets to work sifting clues, motivations, and psychological profiles. This part was quite interesting. I didn't even mind when the black widower subplot suddenly appeared; I figured that it must tie in somehow, and it did. Another young woman, trying to blackmail the widower (who had been formally acquitted) ends up dead. So does the insane wife of the male half of the pair of lovers.
At this point, this entertaining story collapsed for me. None of the crimes are actually SOLVED. Mrs. Bradley has only the satisfaction of knowing whodunnem; there is no proof that can be taken to court. Although the police charge the black widower with the second woman's death, there is no assurance that the charge will stick. As for the death of the insane lady, another character, who cherishes an unrequited passion for the widowed half of the lover's pair, admits to Mrs. Bradley quite candidly that he decided to smooth the path to her happiness by hiring the black widower to kill the lady in the asylum. (all clear, now?) Now, even though a private confession could not hold up in court, there is no reason why Mrs. Bradley cannot drop a word in the ears of the police. She does not. Nor does she quietly inform the hapless lovers of the truth. The result is, that after 11 blissful years together, their love is poisoned by doubt and suspicion, with the man assuming that his lover has either killed his wife, or thinks that he did. Not to mention that the killer-by-proxy is left teaching innocent children at this school.
And poor, inoffensive Miss Ferris? She's too inoffensive. She was murdered by someone who didn't want her playing in the Mikado; the killer wanted to watch a better actress in the role. Never mind that the actress she wanted to watch was, in fact, the second choice for subbing for the missing Miss Ferris; it was only chance that the best actress took the part. Mrs. Bradley lets the killer off, seemingly for no other reason than that the killer is elderly. (although in good health and vigor.) It doesn't seem to occur to this psychiatrist that anyone willing to kill for such an appalling trivial reason might end up killing someone else, for equally trivial reasons.
Or perhaps Mrs. Bradley, who ends the book by writing an chatty, admiring letter to the killer requesting to visit, intends to either drive the killer to suicide, or--just maybe--dispose of the killer herself. She is entirely capable of it; there were hints in the only other book I read that she has, in fact, done so previously.
But, we'll never know. Everything is left hanging. Perhaps there is a follow-up in a future book, but I will never know. The first book I read, THE SALTMARSH MURDERS, was a horribly confusing mishmash. Two chances are enough; I won't try this author again.
(Spoilers)
Miss Ferris, a thoroughly inoffensive lady (this is impressed multiple times throughout) nevertheless acquires some enemies. She managed to avoid linking up with a black widower during her summer vacation, but he's still hoping to persuade her. She is aware of the long-term romance between a widow on the staff and another staff member whose wife has been in an asylum for 11 years or more. (however, she has no intention of exposing them, either out of malice or hope of blackmail; she's too inoffensive.) By helping to finance the school's production of "The Mikado", she wins a role that should have gone to a better actress. She accidently damages a piece of sculpture by a high-strung and temperamental artist. So when she ends up drowned, there is a whole batch of suspects to choose from.
Mrs. Bradley arrives and sets to work sifting clues, motivations, and psychological profiles. This part was quite interesting. I didn't even mind when the black widower subplot suddenly appeared; I figured that it must tie in somehow, and it did. Another young woman, trying to blackmail the widower (who had been formally acquitted) ends up dead. So does the insane wife of the male half of the pair of lovers.
At this point, this entertaining story collapsed for me. None of the crimes are actually SOLVED. Mrs. Bradley has only the satisfaction of knowing whodunnem; there is no proof that can be taken to court. Although the police charge the black widower with the second woman's death, there is no assurance that the charge will stick. As for the death of the insane lady, another character, who cherishes an unrequited passion for the widowed half of the lover's pair, admits to Mrs. Bradley quite candidly that he decided to smooth the path to her happiness by hiring the black widower to kill the lady in the asylum. (all clear, now?) Now, even though a private confession could not hold up in court, there is no reason why Mrs. Bradley cannot drop a word in the ears of the police. She does not. Nor does she quietly inform the hapless lovers of the truth. The result is, that after 11 blissful years together, their love is poisoned by doubt and suspicion, with the man assuming that his lover has either killed his wife, or thinks that he did. Not to mention that the killer-by-proxy is left teaching innocent children at this school.
And poor, inoffensive Miss Ferris? She's too inoffensive. She was murdered by someone who didn't want her playing in the Mikado; the killer wanted to watch a better actress in the role. Never mind that the actress she wanted to watch was, in fact, the second choice for subbing for the missing Miss Ferris; it was only chance that the best actress took the part. Mrs. Bradley lets the killer off, seemingly for no other reason than that the killer is elderly. (although in good health and vigor.) It doesn't seem to occur to this psychiatrist that anyone willing to kill for such an appalling trivial reason might end up killing someone else, for equally trivial reasons.
Or perhaps Mrs. Bradley, who ends the book by writing an chatty, admiring letter to the killer requesting to visit, intends to either drive the killer to suicide, or--just maybe--dispose of the killer herself. She is entirely capable of it; there were hints in the only other book I read that she has, in fact, done so previously.
But, we'll never know. Everything is left hanging. Perhaps there is a follow-up in a future book, but I will never know. The first book I read, THE SALTMARSH MURDERS, was a horribly confusing mishmash. Two chances are enough; I won't try this author again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 17, 2013
This is the first book by Golden Age mystery author Gladys Mitchell that I have read. Her detective is Mrs Lestrange Bradley, not the most endearing character in crime fiction but amusing and with an oblique take on the world. She certainly makes an impact with her odd appearance, mismatched clothing and mellifluous voice. The action takes place in a school where a member of staff died during a production of the Mikado. The coroner returned a verdict of suicide, but this does not satisfy the headmaster; thus the appearance of Mrs Bradley, to investigate foul play.
It's an enjoyable read, and a reminder of the days when teachers might risk their livelihoods because of a whiff of scandal - and so commit murder. There are lots of suspects, including pupils and outsiders. Mitchell perfectly captures the smell of chalk dust and the foibles of her characters. With the help of a Gladys Mitchell tribute site, I've picked out two more books for my reading list; not an easy task as she wrote a book a year from Speedy Death in 1929 until No Winding Sheet in 1983, the year she died.
It's an enjoyable read, and a reminder of the days when teachers might risk their livelihoods because of a whiff of scandal - and so commit murder. There are lots of suspects, including pupils and outsiders. Mitchell perfectly captures the smell of chalk dust and the foibles of her characters. With the help of a Gladys Mitchell tribute site, I've picked out two more books for my reading list; not an easy task as she wrote a book a year from Speedy Death in 1929 until No Winding Sheet in 1983, the year she died.
December 26, 2020
Wonderful
December 22, 2015
Oh dear. This is a bit of a mess. I really couldn't guess who was the culprit (which is usually a good thing with a mystery!), and kind of had the feeling the author just picked one at random so she could just stop writing (and therefore blamed it on someone with a totally ludicrous, unbelievable motive). Most of these vintage murder mysteries are a bit preposterous, and they all have a brilliant eccentric detective, but at least they mostly have something going for them so you can suspend disbelief for a while. I don't think this one really does. There's something morally wrong with the idea that you bring someone in to investigate a murder "just to see" if someone "bad" did it and should be punished, but if someone "not bad" did it, then sweep it under the carpet and pretend everything is ok. The stereotypes are laid on far too thick.
March 2, 2013
A meandering sort of mystery, and quite pleasing for that, which made the ill timing of a thoroughly-necessary red herring all the more irritating. Mrs. Bradley is one of the most morally amoral characters in English fiction; like a character from the more austere reaches of French literature who's tottered into the world of drawing room murder and decided to stay because she liked the tea and biscuits.
September 19, 2022
An excellent book from Gladys Mitchell. I think I’ve read this book 4 times and have enjoyed it once more.
August 6, 2017
https://shaletrjimmy.blogspot.in/2017...
It was the realisation on the importance of reading golden age crime fiction which led me to various renowned authors such as Daphne Maurier, Dorothy L Sayers, G K Chesterton, Gladys Mitchell etc. And it was 'Death at the Opera' by Mitchell, I chose to read first.
Since I was accustomed to the writings of certain authors whom I read incessantly, I always found it a bit difficult to adjust to the style of new authors at least for a couple of pages. To my surprise, Mitchell's writing did not pose any such hurdles before me. I was totally engrossed in the book right from the first page.
Miss Calma Ferris was dead. She chose to commit suicide on the night of opera in the Hillmaston school where she taught. She was found sitting in a chair with her head drowned in a wash basin full of water. Miss Ferris was supposed to play the potent role of ' Katisha' in the opera called ' The Mikado'. Since she was found missing on that night, her part was enacted by another staff, Mrs Boyle.
The coroner's verdict said it's suicide. But Mr Cliffordson, Headmaster of the school had his doubts as he found the pipe of wash basin was tampered with. It was blocked with clay.
Without wasting much time he sought the help of an elderly and sly psychoanalyst Mrs Bradley to investigate the case. The first few chapters were devoted to showing the kind of person Miss Ferris was. She had none except an aunt who was running a lodge. Though kind on her face, the aunt never had a sincere liking for Ferris.
Her life was colourless and moral values very high. But she was a sort of person who could be happy with all the goodness happening to others. Her life was sans expectations with little time for rantings and ravings.
It's rather surprising to know that an inoffensive woman like Ferris could get murdered.
Through her analysis, Mrs Bradley came across people who had the opportunity and motives to kill Calma Ferris. But she was caught on the horns of a dilemma for the people who had the motives to kill never had the opportunity and those with opportunity did not have the motives.
Even the motives did not seem like substantial ones that could make a person take somebody else's life. For instance,
1) Ferris had destroyed a clay statuette, Mr Smith, the art teacher was making, not deliberate of course. He was given compensation by Mrs Boyle, later.
2) She had witnessed Miss Cliffordson, another staff and Hurstwood, a student kissing. When the student was head over heels in love with Miss Cliffordson, she never forbade him from seeking any intimacy with her. She never loved him, though.
3) She had discovered the clandestine relationship between two senior staff Mr Hampstead and Mrs Boyle. The former's wife was an alcoholic and was admitted to an asylum and the latter was a widow. They were in a relationship for the past 11 years.
Just a few days before the opera, Ferris' aunt had sent a telegram warning him of a person called Helm whom she had met while staying in the lodge run by her aunt. That was the only clue which could make the reader think there was more to the plot. This took Bradley to Bognor and there comes the twist in the tale - Two more murders by drowning. ' An epidemic of drowning' as she would like to call them.
I cannot talk about my dislikes for the book I am reading her for the first time. Mrs Bradley is new to me and I am sure I will get to know the kind of person she is through her other stories. I like the method Mrs Bradley employs to deduce who's the culprit. It's helpful for a reader who wants to be a writer.
Even though Mrs Bradley was noting down the causes that could make someone a potential murderer, which also gave the reader a feeling that she/he was moving along with her in finding out the culprit, I failed to pinpoint the real murderer.
I was clueless who the murderer was until the end. But what I could not come to terms with was the motive that made the culprit commit the murder. It sounded flimsy. But I would like to think that a human being cannot be expected to behave in a certain way. Sometimes feelings and emotions can be betraying.
by Shalet Jimmy
It was the realisation on the importance of reading golden age crime fiction which led me to various renowned authors such as Daphne Maurier, Dorothy L Sayers, G K Chesterton, Gladys Mitchell etc. And it was 'Death at the Opera' by Mitchell, I chose to read first.
Since I was accustomed to the writings of certain authors whom I read incessantly, I always found it a bit difficult to adjust to the style of new authors at least for a couple of pages. To my surprise, Mitchell's writing did not pose any such hurdles before me. I was totally engrossed in the book right from the first page.
Miss Calma Ferris was dead. She chose to commit suicide on the night of opera in the Hillmaston school where she taught. She was found sitting in a chair with her head drowned in a wash basin full of water. Miss Ferris was supposed to play the potent role of ' Katisha' in the opera called ' The Mikado'. Since she was found missing on that night, her part was enacted by another staff, Mrs Boyle.
The coroner's verdict said it's suicide. But Mr Cliffordson, Headmaster of the school had his doubts as he found the pipe of wash basin was tampered with. It was blocked with clay.
Without wasting much time he sought the help of an elderly and sly psychoanalyst Mrs Bradley to investigate the case. The first few chapters were devoted to showing the kind of person Miss Ferris was. She had none except an aunt who was running a lodge. Though kind on her face, the aunt never had a sincere liking for Ferris.
Her life was colourless and moral values very high. But she was a sort of person who could be happy with all the goodness happening to others. Her life was sans expectations with little time for rantings and ravings.
It's rather surprising to know that an inoffensive woman like Ferris could get murdered.
Through her analysis, Mrs Bradley came across people who had the opportunity and motives to kill Calma Ferris. But she was caught on the horns of a dilemma for the people who had the motives to kill never had the opportunity and those with opportunity did not have the motives.
Even the motives did not seem like substantial ones that could make a person take somebody else's life. For instance,
1) Ferris had destroyed a clay statuette, Mr Smith, the art teacher was making, not deliberate of course. He was given compensation by Mrs Boyle, later.
2) She had witnessed Miss Cliffordson, another staff and Hurstwood, a student kissing. When the student was head over heels in love with Miss Cliffordson, she never forbade him from seeking any intimacy with her. She never loved him, though.
3) She had discovered the clandestine relationship between two senior staff Mr Hampstead and Mrs Boyle. The former's wife was an alcoholic and was admitted to an asylum and the latter was a widow. They were in a relationship for the past 11 years.
Just a few days before the opera, Ferris' aunt had sent a telegram warning him of a person called Helm whom she had met while staying in the lodge run by her aunt. That was the only clue which could make the reader think there was more to the plot. This took Bradley to Bognor and there comes the twist in the tale - Two more murders by drowning. ' An epidemic of drowning' as she would like to call them.
I cannot talk about my dislikes for the book I am reading her for the first time. Mrs Bradley is new to me and I am sure I will get to know the kind of person she is through her other stories. I like the method Mrs Bradley employs to deduce who's the culprit. It's helpful for a reader who wants to be a writer.
Even though Mrs Bradley was noting down the causes that could make someone a potential murderer, which also gave the reader a feeling that she/he was moving along with her in finding out the culprit, I failed to pinpoint the real murderer.
I was clueless who the murderer was until the end. But what I could not come to terms with was the motive that made the culprit commit the murder. It sounded flimsy. But I would like to think that a human being cannot be expected to behave in a certain way. Sometimes feelings and emotions can be betraying.
by Shalet Jimmy
May 19, 2017
#5 Dr. Beatrice Bradley, psychiatrist, Hillmaston School and Bognor Regis; darkly comic cosy. Yet another peculiar - but effective - classic mystery from a prolific author, with a very funny and sharply observed "advanced school" atmosphere and lots of death and mayhem, mixed in with a production the school is putting on of The Mikado, when the perfectly dreadful (in many, many ways) Katisha of the cast is found dead during the show and there are lots of folks who seem awfully glad. Mrs. Bradley is not to everyone's taste - she's one of those omnipotent sleuths, and unless you're willing to just go-with-the-flow of things at her leisurely pace this isn't your cuppa.
Hillmaston School is one of those "advanced" places so popular in the 1920s and 1930s - a learning atmosphere that doesn't adhere too closely to traditional rules and regulations, very tame by today's standards but rather shocking to many folks at the time. The staff members are quite eclectic (with a large complement of completely eccentric), and all had a fairly decent motive (to themselves, at least) for wanting poor Miss Ferris (the abominable Katisha) dead. As did several students, a phoney electrician, her Dear Auntie and companion, all present during the production, all suspects to the energetic Mrs. Bradley.
When the inquest returns a verdict of suicide, the Headmaster sends for Mrs. Bradley as he is not satisfied with that verdict, and hopes she can set his mind at ease. Alas, she does nothing of the sort, as one-by-one each member of the staff plus the students who took part in the production are quizzed by her, alibis gone over, stories cross-checked, and everything thoroughly examined. As she wends her way through all the suspects and motives, we are privy to some of Mrs. Bradley's thought processes and psychological reasoning, with a thoughtful little appendix placed at the back that indicates completely, in the final consensus, how she came to her conclusions.
Possibly too slow-moving for many modern readers, this is a lovely, if rather odd story that showcases many interesting characters, not the least of which is Mrs. Bradley herself. Her many quirks might soon move from the cute-to-endearing level up to the truly annoying, but here in my early going of reading as many of the novels as I can obtain in sequence, I've not tired of her schtick as yet. Peculiar she may be, but fascinatingly so, and, perversely, charming.
Has a surprisingly good ending, using pure misdirection and gentle obfuscation to the point where you simply forget about a couple of the suspects, including the actual murderer. Often compared to Christie, I find Mitchell to be far more subtle in her plotting and effects, and a mite more stagey in her finales (yes, that IS possible). Her work is an acquired taste and not for all palates, and her ethical sense seems, at times, to be a bit strange, but her stories are, to me, quite tangy, rather delicious, and gently wicked. Another trippy visit with Dame Beatrice, that irascible but very sharp old lady, who somehow manages to put it all together.
Also published as DEATH IN THE WET.
Hillmaston School is one of those "advanced" places so popular in the 1920s and 1930s - a learning atmosphere that doesn't adhere too closely to traditional rules and regulations, very tame by today's standards but rather shocking to many folks at the time. The staff members are quite eclectic (with a large complement of completely eccentric), and all had a fairly decent motive (to themselves, at least) for wanting poor Miss Ferris (the abominable Katisha) dead. As did several students, a phoney electrician, her Dear Auntie and companion, all present during the production, all suspects to the energetic Mrs. Bradley.
When the inquest returns a verdict of suicide, the Headmaster sends for Mrs. Bradley as he is not satisfied with that verdict, and hopes she can set his mind at ease. Alas, she does nothing of the sort, as one-by-one each member of the staff plus the students who took part in the production are quizzed by her, alibis gone over, stories cross-checked, and everything thoroughly examined. As she wends her way through all the suspects and motives, we are privy to some of Mrs. Bradley's thought processes and psychological reasoning, with a thoughtful little appendix placed at the back that indicates completely, in the final consensus, how she came to her conclusions.
Possibly too slow-moving for many modern readers, this is a lovely, if rather odd story that showcases many interesting characters, not the least of which is Mrs. Bradley herself. Her many quirks might soon move from the cute-to-endearing level up to the truly annoying, but here in my early going of reading as many of the novels as I can obtain in sequence, I've not tired of her schtick as yet. Peculiar she may be, but fascinatingly so, and, perversely, charming.
Has a surprisingly good ending, using pure misdirection and gentle obfuscation to the point where you simply forget about a couple of the suspects, including the actual murderer. Often compared to Christie, I find Mitchell to be far more subtle in her plotting and effects, and a mite more stagey in her finales (yes, that IS possible). Her work is an acquired taste and not for all palates, and her ethical sense seems, at times, to be a bit strange, but her stories are, to me, quite tangy, rather delicious, and gently wicked. Another trippy visit with Dame Beatrice, that irascible but very sharp old lady, who somehow manages to put it all together.
Also published as DEATH IN THE WET.
June 1, 2021
Straight from the horse's mouth....
Remember the agonies of high school? The poisonous cliques and deadly feuds. The passionate crushes and illicit romances. The fear that your deepest secrets might be exposed. And that's just the faculty!
Gladys Mitchell called being on the staff of a school "the most unnatural life in the world" and she knew what she was talking about. She taught English and History and coached girls' athletic teams for three decades until her books were making enough money for her to retire. Then she got bored and went back to teaching for another decade. So when she talks about the faculty at Hillmaston School, her characters are startling, but totally believable.
Hillmaston is a "freak school" - coeducational, lax in discipline, a day school (not a boarding school), with the emphasis on erudition, not on sports. The Headmaster is a charismatic leader and genuinely fond of both his students and his faculty. If they don't agree with him in every respect, they do appreciate the opportunity to work with such an agreeable man. He, in turn, views his colleagues tolerantly, willing to forgive their minor faults and overlook behavior that would be scandalous at a more traditional school.
The story opens at a staff meeting, with the decision to stage "The Mikado" as an end-of-term entertainment. To everyone's astonishment, the mousy Arithmetic Mistress offers to pay the expense of the play and (in turn) is offered a part in it. Miss Ferris is probably the least noticeable member of the faculty. A quiet, youngish spinster. Reasonably good at her job and with no personality to speak of. She is the epitome of "inoffensive" which makes it strange that she manages to offend so many of her co-workers.
As you might guess, a death occurs while the opera is being staged. The coroner is willing to call it a suicide, but the Headmaster isn't convinced. He persuades psychologist/crime solver Mrs Beatrice Lestrange Bradley to join the staff to investigate. Unfortunately, everyone has heard about Mrs Bradley, so the cat is quickly out of the bag. Somewhat to her surprise, no one on the staff disagrees with the Headmaster's opinion. They all agree that a murder was committed and they're all convinced that one of them is the murderer!
I've only read one book in this series that I didn't like, but I particularly enjoy the ones set in schools. Gladys Mitchell loved teaching, but that didn't blind her to the peculiarities of the profession. I was especially interested in her take on Hillmaston's Physical Training Mistress, since Mitchell was herself an enthusiastic Phys Ed teacher and coach. Miss Camden is one of the least appealing characters in the book - petty and usually seething with anger over some real or imagined insult. Not that she shows it, having (as the author says) "been trained to smile sweetly even after the bitterest defeat."
The picture on all of Mitchell's books shows a skinny old lady with a sardonic grimace. Indeed, she's much closer to her description of Mrs Bradley smiling "like an alligator which sees its evening meal within measurable distance of its jaws." Impossible to imagine her EVER smiling sweetly, although she was known and loved for her wit and kindness.
I warn you, it's a complicated story. First we must meet the faculty and learn about their backgrounds and private lives and speculate as to how they might have come to commit a murder. Then we must follow Mrs. Bradley to Bognor Regis, where Miss Ferris' aunt runs a seaside boarding house. It's here (on Spring Break) that Miss Ferris meets the mysterious Mr Helm who shows such an odd interest in her.
Mr Helm has a shadowy past and an even more suspicious present. Normally, I'd scream like a scalded cat if an author introduced a new set of characters and a new plot line in the middle of a book, but Mitchell manages it so skillfully that I was soon engrossed in the owners of the "Swinging Sign" inn and wondering how the drowning of a young girl there could be connected to the drowning in Hillmaston School.
Of course, there are students at Hillmaston and two of the older ones are involved in "The Mikado" and the tragedy that occurred while it was being acted out on stage. Today, we have scientific proof that the brains of adolescents (even intelligent, capable ones) aren't fully formed and that they lack the emotional maturity to make wise decisions in moments of stress. No one had to tell that to the experienced school mistress who wrote this book. She knew that teens are capable of crime, even murder, and her Mrs Bradley never lets sentiment color her judgment.
In the end, Mitchell ties it all up in a neat and completely believable way. I didn't guess who-dun-it before the end of the book, but I had no trouble accepting it. A bit shocked, perhaps, at Mrs Bradley's calm acceptance of a bizarre motive for taking a life, but aren't many murders committed for reasons that seem trivial to the rest of us?
Sadly, a few of the earlier books in this series are not available in Kindle editions, but I'm working my way through the others in order and having a great time. Mrs Bradley is surely one of the most eccentric, lovable detectives in crime fiction. I hope e-publishing will bring her a new generation of admirers.
Remember the agonies of high school? The poisonous cliques and deadly feuds. The passionate crushes and illicit romances. The fear that your deepest secrets might be exposed. And that's just the faculty!
Gladys Mitchell called being on the staff of a school "the most unnatural life in the world" and she knew what she was talking about. She taught English and History and coached girls' athletic teams for three decades until her books were making enough money for her to retire. Then she got bored and went back to teaching for another decade. So when she talks about the faculty at Hillmaston School, her characters are startling, but totally believable.
Hillmaston is a "freak school" - coeducational, lax in discipline, a day school (not a boarding school), with the emphasis on erudition, not on sports. The Headmaster is a charismatic leader and genuinely fond of both his students and his faculty. If they don't agree with him in every respect, they do appreciate the opportunity to work with such an agreeable man. He, in turn, views his colleagues tolerantly, willing to forgive their minor faults and overlook behavior that would be scandalous at a more traditional school.
The story opens at a staff meeting, with the decision to stage "The Mikado" as an end-of-term entertainment. To everyone's astonishment, the mousy Arithmetic Mistress offers to pay the expense of the play and (in turn) is offered a part in it. Miss Ferris is probably the least noticeable member of the faculty. A quiet, youngish spinster. Reasonably good at her job and with no personality to speak of. She is the epitome of "inoffensive" which makes it strange that she manages to offend so many of her co-workers.
As you might guess, a death occurs while the opera is being staged. The coroner is willing to call it a suicide, but the Headmaster isn't convinced. He persuades psychologist/crime solver Mrs Beatrice Lestrange Bradley to join the staff to investigate. Unfortunately, everyone has heard about Mrs Bradley, so the cat is quickly out of the bag. Somewhat to her surprise, no one on the staff disagrees with the Headmaster's opinion. They all agree that a murder was committed and they're all convinced that one of them is the murderer!
I've only read one book in this series that I didn't like, but I particularly enjoy the ones set in schools. Gladys Mitchell loved teaching, but that didn't blind her to the peculiarities of the profession. I was especially interested in her take on Hillmaston's Physical Training Mistress, since Mitchell was herself an enthusiastic Phys Ed teacher and coach. Miss Camden is one of the least appealing characters in the book - petty and usually seething with anger over some real or imagined insult. Not that she shows it, having (as the author says) "been trained to smile sweetly even after the bitterest defeat."
The picture on all of Mitchell's books shows a skinny old lady with a sardonic grimace. Indeed, she's much closer to her description of Mrs Bradley smiling "like an alligator which sees its evening meal within measurable distance of its jaws." Impossible to imagine her EVER smiling sweetly, although she was known and loved for her wit and kindness.
I warn you, it's a complicated story. First we must meet the faculty and learn about their backgrounds and private lives and speculate as to how they might have come to commit a murder. Then we must follow Mrs. Bradley to Bognor Regis, where Miss Ferris' aunt runs a seaside boarding house. It's here (on Spring Break) that Miss Ferris meets the mysterious Mr Helm who shows such an odd interest in her.
Mr Helm has a shadowy past and an even more suspicious present. Normally, I'd scream like a scalded cat if an author introduced a new set of characters and a new plot line in the middle of a book, but Mitchell manages it so skillfully that I was soon engrossed in the owners of the "Swinging Sign" inn and wondering how the drowning of a young girl there could be connected to the drowning in Hillmaston School.
Of course, there are students at Hillmaston and two of the older ones are involved in "The Mikado" and the tragedy that occurred while it was being acted out on stage. Today, we have scientific proof that the brains of adolescents (even intelligent, capable ones) aren't fully formed and that they lack the emotional maturity to make wise decisions in moments of stress. No one had to tell that to the experienced school mistress who wrote this book. She knew that teens are capable of crime, even murder, and her Mrs Bradley never lets sentiment color her judgment.
In the end, Mitchell ties it all up in a neat and completely believable way. I didn't guess who-dun-it before the end of the book, but I had no trouble accepting it. A bit shocked, perhaps, at Mrs Bradley's calm acceptance of a bizarre motive for taking a life, but aren't many murders committed for reasons that seem trivial to the rest of us?
Sadly, a few of the earlier books in this series are not available in Kindle editions, but I'm working my way through the others in order and having a great time. Mrs Bradley is surely one of the most eccentric, lovable detectives in crime fiction. I hope e-publishing will bring her a new generation of admirers.
September 23, 2018
I wanted to read this because I was so enamored of Diana Rigg in the TV series, but Ms Mitchell lets the murderer get away with it, and I can't abide this kind of ending with Beatrice LeStrange's complicitness. Call me a moral prude, but this is my one and only Mitchell.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2016
Ok, not one of her better books.
September 3, 2021
This author was recommended by someone whose judgement I used to trust. For the first two-thirds I thought excitedly of the other 65 novels featuring Mrs Bradley but after a great deal of tedium around some peculiar, over-detailed and unconvincing minor characters and absurd plot twists I asked my husband to forget my earlier request for him to ferret out any other books by ‘The (not-so) Great Gladys’. I wish I’d kept count of the number of times the author described her detective’s hands as being like claws and her little mouth as being beaky, but it was far too many. I kept on reading way beyond the point when my enjoyment in the book had evaporated, less to find out who the murderer was than to discover a reason for a portrait of a murderer to be kept hanging on the wall of the headmaster’s study but the revelation of the killer and their motivation was absurd and no reason ever was given about the portrait continuing to stay on that wall, even after a murder was committed in his own school.
This was a great disappointment as I really did think I had stumbled upon work by a prolific writer of intriguing murder mysteries from the early 20th century, containing wit, originality and refreshingly non-stereotypical characters. (I did love the headteacher, Mr Cliffordson, for his modern views and a level of tolerance for the life choices made by his staff which are quite unusual nearly a century later). Perhaps I shall give Gladys Mitchell one more chance; it is just possible that this book was her only dud.
This was a great disappointment as I really did think I had stumbled upon work by a prolific writer of intriguing murder mysteries from the early 20th century, containing wit, originality and refreshingly non-stereotypical characters. (I did love the headteacher, Mr Cliffordson, for his modern views and a level of tolerance for the life choices made by his staff which are quite unusual nearly a century later). Perhaps I shall give Gladys Mitchell one more chance; it is just possible that this book was her only dud.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2021
I think Mrs. Bradley just isn't for me. The setup was decent, and there were certainly enough suspects to start; I also liked how the victim was a "thoroughly inoffensive" type, unlike the many murder mysteries where the victim is an out-and-out villain.
It was the execution and the...moral universe/galvanizing impetus behind the investigation that didn't work for me. Everyone is convinced that Miss Ferris has been murdered, despite the inquest's suicide finding, but they don't seem to care a whit about actually bringing her murderer to justice. Far more energy is reserved for feeling sorry for, making excuses for, and protecting suspects than getting justice for a murdered woman. In fact two murderers are let go scot free!
Beyond the seriously screwed up morality, though, I also just found the execution of the plot underwhelming. And in addition, the setting (a performance of The Mikado), which was a big selling point for me, was used only as a plot point and didn't play a role in the story at all.
Disappointing. No more Mrs. Bradley for me.
It was the execution and the...moral universe/galvanizing impetus behind the investigation that didn't work for me. Everyone is convinced that Miss Ferris has been murdered, despite the inquest's suicide finding, but they don't seem to care a whit about actually bringing her murderer to justice. Far more energy is reserved for feeling sorry for, making excuses for, and protecting suspects than getting justice for a murdered woman. In fact two murderers are let go scot free!
Beyond the seriously screwed up morality, though, I also just found the execution of the plot underwhelming. And in addition, the setting (a performance of The Mikado), which was a big selling point for me, was used only as a plot point and didn't play a role in the story at all.
Disappointing. No more Mrs. Bradley for me.
October 22, 2016
Perhaps the first time in the early books when the full sense of Mrs. Bradley comes to the fore, this fifth outing revolves around a series of murders (an "epidemic of drowning"), the first of which is of a teacher at a school, who is drowned in a washbasin during a school performance of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Mikado. The naturalistic approach to the murder means that we learn a good deal beforehand about the victim, Miss Calma Ferris, and the other principals on the stage. But do we learn enough to deduce the murderer?
Wholly superior to the slapdash and seemingly low-budget BBC television adaptations, Death at the Opera is a twisting, turning ride, and a story that readers of mystery and detective stories won't want to miss. Four and a half stars.
Full review to follow.
Wholly superior to the slapdash and seemingly low-budget BBC television adaptations, Death at the Opera is a twisting, turning ride, and a story that readers of mystery and detective stories won't want to miss. Four and a half stars.
Full review to follow.
June 21, 2020
It’s not as brilliant as the Saltmarsh Murders, but it’s intricately plotted & readers get as much of the information you need to solve the case involving the deaths of three women as Mrs. Bradley. As always with Gladys Mitchell, the story is refreshingly devoid of misogynistic stereotyping & moral judgement even towards the not very likeable characters in the novel. It’s constructed as a very complicated puzzle, but Mitchell never uses her protagonist as mere plot generating devices. The setting in a co-ed college doing a performance of The Mikado and in a holiday pension in Bognor provides a very socially diverse cast, which are fun to read about, even without being a likely suspect for a murder.
May 16, 2023
Absolutely One of Her Best!
I have now, over a year or so, read nearly every single Dame Beatrice novel-65 in all. Not bragging about my reading, but about Gladys Mitchell's writing!
This one seemed to start off rather slowly, but when things start happening, WOW! It will definitely make you think and think again about whodunnit. Very well constructed, and entertaining until the very last page.
If you haven't read any of Gladys Mitchell's Dame Beatrice series, this would be a great one to start with.
They don't have to be read in any particular order, but when I reread them soon, I'll get them in order.
I hardly ever review any books- but this one and one other of this series have made me hurry to let readers know that these are Great!!*
I have now, over a year or so, read nearly every single Dame Beatrice novel-65 in all. Not bragging about my reading, but about Gladys Mitchell's writing!
This one seemed to start off rather slowly, but when things start happening, WOW! It will definitely make you think and think again about whodunnit. Very well constructed, and entertaining until the very last page.
If you haven't read any of Gladys Mitchell's Dame Beatrice series, this would be a great one to start with.
They don't have to be read in any particular order, but when I reread them soon, I'll get them in order.
I hardly ever review any books- but this one and one other of this series have made me hurry to let readers know that these are Great!!*
June 3, 2022
Four and a half stars: Although not much action takes place (it's mostly conversations between Mrs. Bradley and various suspects or interested parties) interest is maintained throughout. (About 7/8th's of the way through there seems to be an entirely different story introduced, but it's all connected in the end.) Mitchell is such a good writer that the dialogue doesn't get tiresome and the outcome -- while it may not be entirely satisfactory to some readers -- is logical.
While this was an enjoyable read, thinking about the plot and motives afterwards started me to feel it didn't really hold together that well. Plus there were a few too many coincidences for my taste.
While this was an enjoyable read, thinking about the plot and motives afterwards started me to feel it didn't really hold together that well. Plus there were a few too many coincidences for my taste.
September 24, 2019
Mrs Bradley is brought in to discover who murdered teacher Miss Calma Ferris. Miss Ferris who died during a school production of the Mikado. This is where it starts to get complicated as Bradley works herself through numerous suspects and goes off chasing after a contract killer who was murdering for hire and claiming the insurance. Although enjoyable it's seemed as though the plot went off in way too many directions before returning for the conclussion at Hillmaston School.
October 14, 2020
Liked this one a bit more than the last one, because it was less racist. Still a bit cringy with The Mikado ... but the Mikado is the Mikado, and not a human. In the end, the murderer's motive was more than a bit unbelievable (did it have to be murder? Surely there were other ways to achieve that end?). But the complications of the other murders were interesting.
March 20, 2022
The Mrs. Bradley mysteries often rely on ingeniously complex and unexpected explanations of a crime, but this one crosses the line a bit into frankly outlandish. I enjoyed the twists and turns, and the delving into the secrets and character foibles of the large cast of characters, but didn't find the ultimate solution very satisfying.
November 4, 2019
I was disappointed by this. It kept me really gripped until about 3/4 of the way through when an extra sub-plot, with a new group of characters, was introduced far too late, then I found the actual solution totally unbelievable.
And call me a snob, but shouldn't it be "Death At The Operetta"?!
And call me a snob, but shouldn't it be "Death At The Operetta"?!
March 19, 2024
The ending is very disappointing
Why read an entire murder mystery book if the end just states facts and supposition? Mrs. Bradley’s ethics also leave much to be desired as a professional psychoanalyst.
Why read an entire murder mystery book if the end just states facts and supposition? Mrs. Bradley’s ethics also leave much to be desired as a professional psychoanalyst.
November 1, 2018
Too convoluted for me and a week ending.
January 17, 2022
Not quite as good more like 3.5 stars rounded up. Still, lot's of fun.
December 5, 2022
Too tedious
This book had too many characters and was more dated than most of the Bradley mysteries. "Stretches" the plot and fails to generate interest!
This book had too many characters and was more dated than most of the Bradley mysteries. "Stretches" the plot and fails to generate interest!
December 20, 2022
Undeniably features a death at the opera
May 5, 2023
The first 2/3 very good. Lost its way in the last third and lots of problems with the end. Still fun to read
July 22, 2020
This story is as full of suspects as an old ship's biscuit is full of weevils.
Mitchell's characters often offer up exchanges and statements that contradict each other, without later clearing up the discrepancy. It makes these stories feel more like real life, but also more bewildering as you feel your way through the mystery.
This one is particularly larded with red herrings. To add to our enjoyment, we have Mr Cutler - a most enjoyably villainous villain -and a reappearance of that delightful cleric, Noel Wells (the Saltmarsh Murders), who absolutely shines in this story. It's nice to see how completely Mrs. Bradley has won him over.
The setting is a school, which Mitchell always writes extremely well.
Lastly, the absence of Laura continues to add to my pleasure. I don't HATE her. But her initial incarnation is so bumptious, and though less-so as she ages, her older self is forever holding up a large and shapely hand, or swarming over a high fence, or ... eh. I don't miss her.
Mitchell's characters often offer up exchanges and statements that contradict each other, without later clearing up the discrepancy. It makes these stories feel more like real life, but also more bewildering as you feel your way through the mystery.
This one is particularly larded with red herrings. To add to our enjoyment, we have Mr Cutler - a most enjoyably villainous villain -and a reappearance of that delightful cleric, Noel Wells (the Saltmarsh Murders), who absolutely shines in this story. It's nice to see how completely Mrs. Bradley has won him over.
The setting is a school, which Mitchell always writes extremely well.
Lastly, the absence of Laura continues to add to my pleasure. I don't HATE her. But her initial incarnation is so bumptious, and though less-so as she ages, her older self is forever holding up a large and shapely hand, or swarming over a high fence, or ... eh. I don't miss her.
June 10, 2012
The sly Mrs. Bradley solves yet another mystery in hilarious fashion. When a spinster schoolteacher at a forward-thinking co-ed private school ends up dead, the coroner's jury chalks it up as suicide. But the headmaster has private doubts and summons the formidable Mrs. Bradley to investigate.
Mrs. Bradley soon realizes that the victim, Calma Ferris, was murdered, and the psychiatrist-sleuth determines that Ferris wasn't the only one "done in."
The ending will really surprise you. My only quibble with the book was that Gladys Mitchell doesn't really play fair with the reader, as there aren't enough clues for a reader to determine who the real murderer is. That said, the novel is so delightful that I couldn't help giving it five stars anyway.
Mrs. Bradley soon realizes that the victim, Calma Ferris, was murdered, and the psychiatrist-sleuth determines that Ferris wasn't the only one "done in."
The ending will really surprise you. My only quibble with the book was that Gladys Mitchell doesn't really play fair with the reader, as there aren't enough clues for a reader to determine who the real murderer is. That said, the novel is so delightful that I couldn't help giving it five stars anyway.
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