During a banquet, the lights go out. A parrot’s screams are heard as it is strangled, and a dead man is discovered close by. Who was the intended victim?
Lord and Lady Faversham were holding a banquet to honor the new Prime Minister. They weren’t holding it out of their own desire, but they had been chosen to be the hosts because it was their turn.
The lights go out, screams are heard, and a dead parrot is discovered in the aviary amidst a pile of feathers. And then a murdered man, Winston Smythe, who worked for the Bank of England, is found. But who was the intended victim? Smythe or the parrot? This murder attracts worldwide attention and becomes known as the Faversham Manor Murder. Becoming famous by having someone murdered in your house isn’t exactly something anyone would desire.
When Scotland Yard has no success in discovering who the murderer is, they bring in a Belgian detective, Inspector Limply.
Lord and Lady Faversham are really not having a good time of it. The next morning, they are called down to the police station only to find their daughter has been arrested on suspicion of soliciting. Little did they know about what she was really up to.
Peter is a friend of Victoria, Lord and Lady Faversham’s daughter. Peter and Victoria consider themselves amateur detectives. Their first investigation is to find out who killed Peter’s Uncle James. WhenPeter’s father and Lord Faversham discover what they are doing, they put a stop to it. But that doesn’t stop the two from looking to solve the murder that took place right in the same house where Victoria lived.
The author did a good job creating the characters and not giving away who had committed the murder. False clues are planted by the ones who actually committed the murder, and the wrong people are thought to be guilty. Two hundred guests were at the party where Smythe was murdered, and each one is being investigated. Unfortunately, not everyone can be trusted.
This story is full of twists and turns. You do know early on that a gang of criminals is responsible for the murder, but I was never able to guess just who the members of that gang were until close to the end of the story where their identities were revealed.
I lived in England many years ago. One of the things I loved about that country was the unusual and sometimes humorous names of their pubs. The names of some of the pubs mentioned in this story—most likely fictitious ones—are the Boar’s Snout Pub and the Cross-eyed Crow Pub.
There are some comma mishaps throughout the story as well as some run-on sentences and a few misspellings. Even with those minor errors, the story succeeded in keeping my attention.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you are a fan of well-crafted mysteries with a hint of comedy, then you will enjoy this book. If you would like your own copy to read, I have provided an Amazon link for you below.
Amazon Link: The Case of the Strangled Parrot
imagination, colorful parrot couple, flickr
Favorite Sentences:
As if he were bowing to the group, the dead man’s upper body slowly crumpled forward.
Lady Jane was thinking her eyelids must be incredibly strong to stay open weighed down with all those cosmetics.
Rationalization is a form of insanity, twisting and bending facts to fit into the way the thinker wants things to be.
Like a chameleon rapidly changing its color, Gwen threw out the hats and modest dresses for party clothes.
Life had turned on a dime from ecstasy to a black pit of fear and worry.
dictionaries, wikipedia
New Words Learned:
anathema – a person or thing accursed or consigned to damnation or destruction
blot on one’s escutcheon – a stain on one’s reputation; disgrace
debaucher – one that seduces another from chastity
organdy – a fine, thin cotton fabric usually having a durable crisp finish, white, dyed, or printed: used for blouses, dresses, curtains, trimmings, etc.
tong– a fraternal or secret society, often associated with criminal activities
About the Author:
Aaron T. Knight is an American of Scandinavian descent. That probably explains why he spent the first seventeen years of his life in North Dakota. To survive seventeen winters in the Dakotas, he acquired a sense of humor. At seventeen, he enlisted in the military, and his mother reluctantly signed the papers letting him go. Three years of his four-year enlistment were spent in New York City, and that was a godsend. When discharged, he stayed in New York and attended NYU in the evenings after work. After graduation, he worked in the finance field for twenty years . His sense of humor was honed to a fine edge from living very close to his fellow New Yorkers every day. Writing fiction allows him to be humorous.
