A Hobby of Murder

In this classic cozy mystery, a retired botany professor visits an English country manor house where a dinner party turns into a hunt for a killer. The irresistible Andrew Basnett series may have been written in the 1980s and ‘90s, but its soul lies with the classic crime fiction of the 1930s. Here, for example, is A Hobby of Murder, with its setting at—wait for it—a classic country-house party, that staple of the Golden Age. Rounding out the guest list are, among others, a mystery writer, a lawyer with a reason to dislike him, a doctor, a retired teacher with a passion for photography, and the lord of the local manor, keen amateur chef Sam Waldron—so keen that he has recreated an 18th-century dinner. His skills may not match his ambition, but he didn’t mean to poison the coffee. Oh, no? The local police inspector isn’t so sure, but in the finest Golden Age tradition he’s rather an idiot, so when the bodies start piling up, it’s a good thing that Basnett is on hand to sort things out!