Who Killed the Curate?: A Christmas Mystery

By Joan Coggin

Book Overview

Meet Lady Lupin Lorimer Hastings the young, lovely, scatterbrained and kind-hearted newlywed wife to Andrew, the vicar of St Marks parish in Glanville, Sussex. When it comes to matters clerical, she is rather at sea. Nevertheless, she is determined to make her husband proud of her.... or at least not to embarrass him too badly.

When, on Christmas Eve, Andrew's unpopular, blackmailing curate gets himself murdered, things all get a bit (hilariously) overwhelming for poor out-of-her-depth Lady Lupin: "Who was in your sitting room during that interval? Say four-thirty on Tuesday, and ten or eleven yesterday morning?" "If you had ever lived in a vicarage you wouldn't ask questions like that; people just walk in and out all day long. When Andrew asked me to marry him, he said he was afraid I should find it very quiet here, and what he meant I can't imagine If I wanted quiet I'd rather retire to the Tower of Babel with a saxophone."

Lupin enlists old society pals Duds and Tommy Lethbridge, as well as Andrew's nephew, a British secret service agent, to get at the truth. Lupin refuses to believe that Diana Lloyd, 38-year-old author of the children's detective stories, could've done the deed and casts her net over the other parishioners. But all the suspects seem so nice - very much more so than the victim.

Who Killed the Curate? was first published in 1944 and was the first of four murder mysteries penned by Joan Coggin (1898-1980). Dancing with Death (1947) was reissued most successfully by Galileo in 2022. Her works have very strong plots and are written in a stylish and humorous manner which delighted critics at the time, and will surely equally delight the growing audience for Golden Age Detective fiction.

Lady Lupin Mysteries from Galileo Publishers:
Who Killed the Curate? (9781915530134)
The Mystery at Orchard House (9781915530929)
Dancing with Death (9781912916603)

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 191553013X
• ISBN13: 9781915530134
• Release Date: January 2024
• Publisher: Galileo Publishers
• Length: 228 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Vintage Read That Still Interests

This book follows two story lines. The most obvious, of course, is in the title. Who, indeed, killed the curate? By the time you have finished the book, you will have the answer. The second, and much more interesting story line, follows the seemingly empty-headed, twenty-one year old socialite Lady Lupin after she meets and quickly marries a man no one would have ever thought she would find attractive. The man in question is a 43 year old vicar of a small church in a small town. This second story line follows her somewhat difficult adjustment to life in a small town as a young vicar's wife. This is why I rated the book as deserving four stars. The author writes convincingly of Lady Lupin missing her easy-going, fun-seeking single life in London while still finding the sacrifice worth while in her happy marriage. If you are looking for a tight, logical, and riveting mystery, you probably want to keep looking. However, if you like a bit of a cozy British mystery with character development, look no further. The author introduces us to Lady Lupin and her husband, but you also get to know some other characters that I hope make an appearance in the subsequent novels written by this author. Further, I enjoyed the setting-- England in the late 1930's I believe-- and through the authors writing of the story, I got to know what life was like during that time.

Wonderful and Funny

I enjoyed this book so much. Would make a wonderful play, the dialog is witty and quick and the mystery intrigues you. A real British classic. Don't miss it, I can't wait to read more.

Agatha Christie meets Amelia Bedelia

Rue Morgue has done mystery fans a favor with their reprints of vintage British mysteries, and I found this story by Joan Coggin (known also for her school stories written as Joanna Lloyd - sadly, these are long OP) absolutely charming. Lady Lupin and her friend Duds are inane detectives but are very funny and well intentioned. Vicarage life is depicted in a way that seems both realistic and hysterical. I can't wait to read more.