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Sir Lawrence Linwood is dead. More accurately, he was murdered—savagely beaten to death in his own study with a mediaeval mace. The murder calls home his three adopted children: Alan, an archeologist; Roger, an engineer; and Caroline, a journalist. But his heirs soon find that his last testament contains a strange proviso—that his estate shall go to the heir who solves his murder.
To secure their future, each Linwood heir must now dig into the past. As their suspicion mounts—of each other and of peculiar strangers in the churchless town of Linwood Hollow—they come to suspect that the perpetrator lurks in the mysterious origins of their own birth.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
June 20, 2023 -
Formats
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781950301058
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781950301058
- File size: 367 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from February 1, 2022
The three adult Linwood children lived in Sir Lawrence Linwood's shadow, and their father always challenged them. More challenges await them when they return home to Linwood Hall in 1921 for his funeral. They learn Linwood was bludgeoned to death beyond recognition. Each of them had been promised the estate. Instead, the will reads they are to split the estate, unless one of them can find Linwood's killer, to the satisfaction of the police. The child who can identify the killer will inherit everything. Detective Inspector Clarence Mowbray is not happy that the Linwoods are poking into his investigation. But Alan, Roger, and Caroline, with the help of Roger's girlfriend Iris, are the only ones who can piece together the truth about their pasts and their father. It's a puzzle that's been in the works for a quarter of a century. VERDICT Like Huang's A Gentleman's Murder, his latest mystery is a puzzle worthy of Golden Age detective fiction. Fans of historical mysteries and 1920s novels will welcome this twisted, complex story.--Lesa Holstine
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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Starred review from April 15, 2023
Huang (A Gentleman's Murder, 2018) is back with another stellar historical mystery that channels Agatha Christie, giving readers a tale that honors the past while providing thought-provoking fodder for our present. It's April 1921, and Sir Lawrence Linwood, the patron of a Yorkshire hamlet, has been murdered. His adopted adult children return for the funeral, Alan from an archaeological site in South America, Roger, a successful engineer, from London, and Caroline from Paris, where she is a journalist. The children find out that Linwood Hall will be left to the sibling who can solve the murder. The setup immediately draws readers in as Huang introduces the siblings in more detail, moving the point of view around and building the gripping backstory of their relationships with one other and their parents. This is an immersive read with satisfyingly intricate plotting, but where this mystery excels is in how Huang seamlessly incorporates issues from its time and makes them integral to the resolution--race, class, gender, eugenics, and PTSD are issues that will resonate with contemporary readers. A great choice for fans of family-drama-fueled mysteries featuring strong, likable characters, such as Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce mysteries or Lan Samantha Chang's The Family Chao (2022).COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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