Why Did She Die?: A Lady Lupin Mystery

By Joan Coggin

This novel takes place over a year, a short while after the end of WW2, and begins very light-heartedly and comically with Penelope Stevenson, her brother Dick and her pregnant sister-in-law, Betty worrying about the guests they have coming - Lady Lupin and her husband, Andrew Hastings. Many jokes are had about the guests, with the usual stereotypes clouding their perceptions of them. However, this is soon debunked by the young and vivacious Lady Lupin, who quickly warms to Betty and Dick.

The seemingly idyllic country village, country house and family begin to crumble further as the weird power and role Penelope possess are revealed. For example, Betty may have just given birth, but the congratulations from well-meaning villagers (including from the admiration-struck local vicar Mr Baker) go to Penelope, a woman who slept through the entire event. She is a fascinating character in the novel, whose initial helpful nature and unselfishness start to peel away, with both Lady Lupin and Andrew beginning to see a much darker side to her.

It is therefore not a surprise when Dick and Betty find Penelope shot in the garden. But was it suicide or murder? In life Penelope caused a lot of grief and pain, which the investigations by the police, Lady Lupin and her private detective friend Mr Borden expose, despite being viewed by the general populace as saintly and the epitome of the unselfish woman. But in death Penelope also causes further trouble as guilt-ridden, defensive and unreconciled to one another, Dick and Betty do not present a picture of innocence. Additionally, Penelope's death creates a vacuum, with many individuals acting out of character at her funeral, which also draws several annoying distant relatives that are comic genius on Coggin's part. With a pile of possible motives, multiple people confessing to murdering Penelope, and the suspiciously absent Colonel being nowhere to be found - despite the fact he went for a walk with Penelope on the fatal day - this is a mystery which will keep you guessing until the very end.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1917543247
• ISBN13: 9781917543248
• Release Date: April 2026
• Publisher: Galileo Publishers
• Length: 228 Pages
• Weight: 0.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.0" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

It seems that wherever Lady Lupin goes, murder follows

The Rue Morgue Press brings back vintage mysteries from between 1900 and the 1960's. Joan Coggin was primarily a writer of books for teenage girls, under the name of Joanna Lloyd, but took a brief foray into the world of mystery. Lady Lupin Lorrimer Hastings, the daughter of an earl, who is now married to Andrew, a vicar of St. Marks Parish in Glanville, Sussex, is the heroine and scatterbrained sleuth in Coggin's mysteries. There are four in all, and PENELOPE PASSES is the third of the series, first published in 1947. Coggin herself was the granddaughter of Edward Lloyd, founder of LLOYD'S WEEKLY LONDON NEWSPAPER. She graduated from Wycombe Abbey in 1916 and worked as a nurse under 1930, when her writing career began. She was an epileptic, and a woman of class. Lady Lupin and her husband, Andrew, now have two children and have seemed to settle down into life at the parish in Glanville. But it seems that wherever Lady Lupin goes, murder follows. This is a most unusual case, since Penelope Stevenson is a most beloved 39 year old, who has always taken care of her father and brother. The trouble is, her brother, Dick, is married and has just had a new baby. When their father dies, Dick thinks that Penelope will now be free to marry the man who has loved her for herself for the past twenty years. She has refused him once again, and suddenly there seems to be a big mystery surrounding her death and who she truly was in life. Therein lies the true puzzle, and it seems to be up to Lupin to solve it: "What on earth was she to do? What she wanted to do and what common sense told her to do was to go home tomorrow. She would take Christopher with her and there would be Andrew and Peter and Jill! It wasn't as if she could do any good here. Or could she? Was there anything left for her to do? Surely Mr. Borden would be able to clear up everything. She probably made things much worse with her cockeyed notions. Lady Deering, for instance! One could hardly imagine Lady Deering strolling into the garden on a Sunday evening, shooting Penelope and returning to the hall to sit at the head of the dinner table, looking charming in gray chiffon." PENELOPE PASSES is an exquisite mystery, and Lupin is endearing. A great read! Shelley Glodowski Senior Reviewer