The Rising of the Moon

by Gladys Mitchell

Book Overview

Could there be a Jack-the-Ripper copycat in the sleepy village of Brentford? Two women have been found brutally murdered, each under the light of a full moon. When a third mutilated body is... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312684428
• Release Date: January 1984
• Publisher: St Martins Pr
• Length: 223 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Very well written

Mitchell was a wonderful writer and this book is very satisfying. Its narrator is a 13 year old boy (although he seems older than his years), who with his 11 year old brother lead a comfortable life despite losing both parents and having to live with their older married brother. The murders start almost immediately, but Mrs. Bradley doesn't appear for 100 pages, so it's mostly the boys observations that carry the story. My one minor gripe is the absence of a map of the area, since there are so many descriptions of the layout of the town and various canals, bridges, streets, farms, manor houses, etc., that it would have been fun to follow the travels along graphically. Recommended.

A Beguiling Tale of Murder

Young women are dropping like flies in this tale of murder in a small, pre-WWII English village, but this is not quite a 'cozy' tale. The narrator, Simon Innes, is 13 years old and describes himself as the Watson to his 11-year old brother Keith. They live with their brother, Jack, and his slightly shrewish wife and with their lodger, a lovely young woman named Christina, whom the boys adore...and perhaps Jack adores as well. As as it is school holidays, they have time on their hands to investigate. A second murder seems to implicate Jack. The town is populated by the odd but intriguing keeper of an 'antique' shop, the local constable who is one of Christina's admirers and the mysterious, repellent 'rag and bone' man. Scotland Yard is called in, and arrives with Mrs. Bradley, a psychologist with 'claw like hands' who is, in fact, the true detective of the piece. It takes a talented writer to use the point of view of children to tell a tale, but allows an innocent voice to suggest that what they see is better understood by the reader than the narrator. Simon and Keith both charming, not quite fearless, and dogged in their pursuit of trying to figure out who done it. Gladys Mitchell has done a lovely job of putting you into the place, the time and the mindset of a gentler time, when murder was a more horrible happenstance than in modern day. Her characters take a little bit of a stretch to be entirely believable, but the reader who is willing to suspend disbelief for a while will find the exploits of the kids, and the clear eyed conclusions of Mrs Bradley a well done and thoroughly enjoyable read. The need to accept the characters and a somewhat confusing description of the streets and byways of the town (a map would have helped) is what kept me from 5 stars, but it is a niggling complaint. I definitely am going to read more of Gladys Mitchell. If you like English murders from the Golden Age (Ngaio Marsh, Margaret Allingham, Josephine Tey, Catherine Aird and the like), and you like good writing with a literate voice, you will like The Rising of the Moon.

Wonderful classic mystery story

After the first 30 pages I almost gave up. Oh too stilted I thought. Old fashioned. But as I had no other book ready at hand I continued. Then the stilted started to form its own wonderful world into which I began to fit myself comfortably. I felt at home in this small English village. The people were charming. I was caught. It's a small book, 184 pages. Such a delight. I'm glad I didn't miss it. The two young boys playing detective right into the teeth of real danger remind me of Tom Sawyer or the hero of Treasure Island. Unique. Mrs.Bradley, the lead detective, has a flavor of all the old Agatha Christie sleuths, wise, witty and warm, and a bit unknowable. Wonderful mystery to keep you company on a rainy night.