Murder at Maypole Manor - A Posie Parker Mystery, Book 3

I journey back to the the early 20th century for the next Posie Parker mystery.  Thus far, I have been thoroughly enjoying this series, and author L.B. Hathaway certainly has a way of making the reader feel like they are right there with Posie.  The setting, the clothing, the historical context - those early decades of the 20th century were some of the best for mysteries.  No cell phones, no computers, no easy to to find out information (having to depend on telegraphs, libraries, old fashioned research, and the like) puts the protagonist at a greater disadvantage than the detectives of today - so it makes for some very exciting reading to follow Posie and her cohorts as they try to find the clues they need to solve the crime.

This third mystery, Murder at Maypole Manor, finds poor Posie Parker alone on New Year's Eve, getting ready to enter 1922 all by her lonesome.  Her boyfriend, Alaric Boynton-Dale, is off on some adventure, and so Posie has resolved herself to a quiet holiday.  Until, that is, Inspector Lovelace calls and asks for her help with a mission!  He needs her to pose as his wife for a posh party at Maypole Manor, a glamorous mansion owned by the wealthy Lord Robin Glaysayer.  It seems there is to be a very important transaction involving some government plans during the course of the party, and Lovelace needs to be there to ensure there is no trouble.  Yet, as we well know, this is a mystery, so trouble is bound to come along, even before Posie ever sets foot on the train to St. Margaret's Bay (where she happens to see someone watching her ... or is that just her imagination?).

The party turns into a night of mystery when two bodies turn up - the first is a silent film actress who is so innocent and naive on screen, but obnoxious and downright rude in real life; the second is the host of the party.  The actress is found dead outside next to the maypole in the freezing blizzard; Lord Glaysayer is found dead from a gunshot wound in his office, a gun in his hand.  But Posie and Inspector Lovelace realize there is more going on than what it appears - the actress seems to have overdosed on drugs, but the former drug addict had been clean for quite a while according to her husband; and Lord Glaysayer appears to have committed suicide - but if that were the case, then why was the gun in his right hand, when he was left-handed?  Are the murders connected?  And who ransacked Posie's room at the manor, and why was the only thing stolen an old photo of her and Alaric?  And just what are all of the guests hiding?  Posie certainly intends to find out!

Hathaway provides a wonderfully plotted tale with more than the usual suspects.  The Lord's two adopted daughters, one of whom inherits everything upon his death, the other one physically impaired and seemingly left out in the cold.  The Italian nobleman and the woman on his arm - a woman who Posie immediately recognizes from the last adventure in Egypt as a photographer but who is apparently at the Manor in disguise!  The businessman from London who is actually helping Posie and Inspector Lovelace with the secret transaction.  Then there is the German, who Lord Glaysayer met back in Tanzania, who came to the party as a last minute guest.  And, of course, we can't forget the actress's husband, who is so broken up about his wife's death, he can't seem to hold it together.  And just who is the mysterious priest who shows up at the Manor in the middle of the blizzard that has everyone stranded there overnight?  And we certainly can't forget the American who has the blueprints that are being turned over to the British government that night - blueprints that the Germans and other factions would kill to get their hands on!

But Hathaway definitely does not make this easy.  While Posie quickly recognizes the photographer, she and the Inspector are completely unaware that others in the party are not who they say they are.  And those secret identities would definitely change the game in the most surprising ways - which they do during the exciting climax to the mystery!  It seems there is considerably more going on in this house than anyone is aware!  There are tunnels running underneath the house ... there is a secret door at the end of the upstairs hall ... there is a stuffed tiger that is laced with arsenic ... and there are plenty of strange noises coming from behind the walls (are they simply coming from the central heating system, or are they signs of something else entirely?) ... oh, and don't forget about the flashing lights coming from the cliff outside of the Manor.  With so many secrets, so many lies, and so many happenings, one wonders how in the world will Posie and the Inspector ensure the transfer of the blueprints takes place without a hitch?

By far, this third mystery is the best in the series so far.  Well plotted, plenty of suspects and surprises, and an unexpected twist at the end that will leave the reader with their eyes wide open in shock!  I don't know how Hathaway could possibly top this one, but I guess that's what we will find out as we keep reading the series...

RATING:  10 broken lipstick cylinders out of 10 for making murder so exciting to read about!