Books › A Most Contagious Game
A Most Contagious Game
First published 2007 · 200 pages
A classic English village mystery where the serene facade of country retirement hides centuries-old secrets and dual crimes.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like settling into a comfortable armchair in an old English manor, only to realize the walls are whispering with centuries of secrets. The pace is steady and deliberate, perfectly matching the rhythm of a quaint British village where outward serenity masks deep-rooted guilt. It offers a cozy yet secretive mood, drawing the reader into a dual-layered puzzle that bridges the modern day with historical intrigue. The prose is traditional and observant, guiding the reader through a satisfying emotional arc from quiet retirement to active deduction. It is an absolute delight for fans of classic mysteries who relish the collision of past and present, and who love watching long-buried skeletons finally be laid to rest.
- Mood
- secretive
- quaint
- atmospheric
- cozy
- Tone
- observant
- traditional
- intriguing
- understated
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- hidden histories · village secrets · the weight of the past · deceptive appearances
- The writing
- Classic and measured, delivering traditional British mystery tropes with a focus on historical detail and quiet deduction.
- The arc
- Moves from the peaceful anticipation of a quiet country retirement to an engaging, dual-layered curiosity, culminating in the satisfying resolution of long-buried truths.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love classic English village mysteries where historical puzzles intertwine with modern misdeeds.
Content notes
- murder
About the book
From fantasticfiction dot com: "When Thomas Harding retired to the Manor House of Easterbrook he soon discovered that it contained rather more than the house-agents had advertised. It became apparent, more-over, that Easterbrook, despite its outward serenity, had more than one skeleton in the parish cupboard. What for instance was the guilty secret which the village seemed to share with the ancient family of the Barbarys, and what connection could there be between this and the handiwork of an Elizabethan craftsman? Intrigued by these questions, Thomas Harding found himself helping to solve two crimes at once-the one modern, and the other one-and-a-half centuries old. And it was only after he had found the answers to these questions that the various skeletons could he laid to rest." This is Aird's only book that does not feature Detective Inspector Sloan and the Calleshire police, and like her other mysteries, it does not disappoint.
Description from Open Library.
Books like A Most Contagious Game
See why they match
Parting BreathAird, Catherine.A classic English police procedural where methodical deduction meets the hidden secrets of the ivory tower.
Stiff NewsAird, Catherine.A methodical unraveling of quiet suspicions within the closed doors of an English nursing home.
A Man Lay DeadNgaio MarshA classic parlor game turns deadly in a quintessential country house puzzle that balances aristocratic wit with methodical detection.
The Killings at Badger's DriftCaroline GrahamA delightfully sharp excavation of the ugly secrets festering beneath the picture-perfect facade of an English country village.
The Saltmarsh MurdersGladys MitchellA delightfully eccentric Golden Age mystery that spikes the traditional cozy village formula with Freudian psychology and macabre wit.
Police At the FuneralMargery AllinghamA tense, traditional mystery where the stifling weight of Victorian family resentments gives way to chilling, ingenious murder.