Murder of a Lady

Dr. Eustace Hailey, amateur, but very experienced detective, is called to assist in the investigation of the murder of Mary Gregor, the elderly sister of the laird of Duchlan. It was a brutal murder made even worse by the fact Miss Gregor had a reputation for charity and good works. Who would want to kill her? To further complicate matters, Miss Gregor was found in a locked room, a room that no one could have gained access to from outside. The windows to the room were locked as well. So how did the killer get to her?

Dr. Hailey also becomes suspicious of the constant praises regarding Mary Gregor. She sounds too good to be true. In fact, the more he hears about her, the more he comes to realize that any number of people would had been glad to see her dead. She was selfish, controlling, cruel, and manipulative, but her family seems incapable of admitting it. Why? Then there is the long scar on her chest, the mark of another deadly attack long ago. This is something else the household claims to be totally ignorant of.

Hailey does not get very far into his investigation when Inspector Dundas, the official investigator shows up and three things quickly become clear about Dundas -

1. He is completely and utterly tactless and has a knack for offending everyone around him.

2. He does not want Dr. Hailey anywhere near the investigation.

3. He has no idea what he is doing.

Disappointed, Dr. Hailey leaves, but he cannot stay out of the investigation no matter how hard he tries. Finally, it becomes very obvious even to Dundas that he needs help and Hailey returns to take things over - and then there is another murder, this one just as inexplicable as the first. Hailey believes the murders are linked to that long ago incident that left the awful scar on Mary Gregor's chest - he just has to prove it.

Murder of a Lady is set in 1930 Scotland. Wynne depicts a world that has not entirely moved out of the 19th or even the 18th century ways. Duchlan still lives like a Scottish lord in the days of Mary Queen of Scots. He considers his servants his family and even refers to them as his "helpers." He shares his late sister's obsession with the past. One gets the feeling that he would have preferred to live in the Scotland of two or three hundred years earlier.

The sense of tradition and history pervades the story. I kept thinking of [a:Walter Scott|4345|Walter Scott|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1204065181p2/4345.jpg]. Of course, the problem for Duchlan and Mary Gregor is this is not feudal Scotland, but a 20th century one. Their attempts to turn back the clock have simply made things worse for everyone else. Tradition and history are fine, but they should not dominate one's existence.

The puzzle is a good one. The method of killing was ingenious and one I had never thought of before. I certainly never suspected the killer or the motive. You literally don't learn the identity of the killer until the very, very end, which keeps up the suspense.

This is easily the best of the British Library Crime Classics that I have read so far. It's a shame that Anthony Wynne is not better known for he wrote very good mysteries. I would definitely read more by this author.