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A review by elysephone_escapes
In the Crypt with a Candlestick by Daisy Waugh
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
If you've already read any number of reviews for this, you'll have already seen a handful of low ratings that deliver the same message - this is not comparable to Agatha Christie, who is name dropped in the blurb, nor is it a particularly strong/interesting murder mystery. The cover is largely misleading - it's not set in the 1920s, not even a 1920s themed MM party! There isn't even much description of Tode Hall being art deco themed, unless I missed it, so that was a personal loss for me as someone who specifically judged this book by it's cover 😢. You may go in expecting a jazz age murder mystery, and instead you'll get rich senior citizens shenanigans, accompanied by a murder not many people are that bothered about and a random ghost.
For many people this is enough to put them off - which is fair - but I actually want to give a lukewarm defence of this story. Overall, it's quite fun! It's a bit quirky, the characters similarly so, and Daisy Waugh shows she has some decent writing chops. While disappointed with the lack of 1920s, they made some of my favour back by having a random ghost for just the heck of it. I can see why some people would be thrown of by it, but I was kinda just vibing with it.
The marketing of this book really set it up for disappointment. It feels more like a rich-people satire book, contemporary and comical and a little camp, that you're not meant to take too seriously.
If you want something Saltburn-esque, perhaps, but with British rich folk who are over 50, hammed up characters, a middle-aged mother who smokes joints and tries to avoid solving a death that every grandmother (ghostly or otherwise) seems to believe is foul play, and you're a fan of going to National Trust sites and have always fantasied how the other half there live, this might be the book for you. If you can get over the random moments of old rich people reminding you that homosexuality is not of the old-timey rich people culture, that is (it's not too bad, in my opinion, I think it's mainly for character authenticity or something, but depending on your sensitivity to that sort of thing, it's a recurring theme. There a few off-hand comments like this, like randomly alleging that the Italian character has mafia ties and then never mentioning it again and you can't tell if it's serious or a ridiculous rumour or not).
The murder mystery itself is quite tame and while it is the main plot, the entertainment of this book is mostly the family, it's occupants and the estate itself. It's not a flawed premise - not to me - but it certainly is a killer of expectations. I might even read the sequel, as I found the characters rather entertaining. To disregard Waugh's writing (as I was seeing some ppl on Goodread's doing) due to nepotism felt a bit mean-spirited: the book was marketed and hyped very poorly, and desperately needed a new angle to target a slightly different, adjacent audience, but I think Waugh still produced a good story with fun characters and hijinks that entertains and makes for a decent holiday read.
For many people this is enough to put them off - which is fair - but I actually want to give a lukewarm defence of this story. Overall, it's quite fun! It's a bit quirky, the characters similarly so, and Daisy Waugh shows she has some decent writing chops. While disappointed with the lack of 1920s, they made some of my favour back by having a random ghost for just the heck of it. I can see why some people would be thrown of by it, but I was kinda just vibing with it.
The marketing of this book really set it up for disappointment. It feels more like a rich-people satire book, contemporary and comical and a little camp, that you're not meant to take too seriously.
If you want something Saltburn-esque, perhaps, but with British rich folk who are over 50, hammed up characters, a middle-aged mother who smokes joints and tries to avoid solving a death that every grandmother (ghostly or otherwise) seems to believe is foul play, and you're a fan of going to National Trust sites and have always fantasied how the other half there live, this might be the book for you. If you can get over the random moments of old rich people reminding you that homosexuality is not of the old-timey rich people culture, that is (it's not too bad, in my opinion, I think it's mainly for character authenticity or something, but depending on your sensitivity to that sort of thing, it's a recurring theme. There a few off-hand comments like this, like randomly alleging that the Italian character has mafia ties and then never mentioning it again and you can't tell if it's serious or a ridiculous rumour or not).
The murder mystery itself is quite tame and while it is the main plot, the entertainment of this book is mostly the family, it's occupants and the estate itself. It's not a flawed premise - not to me - but it certainly is a killer of expectations. I might even read the sequel, as I found the characters rather entertaining. To disregard Waugh's writing (as I was seeing some ppl on Goodread's doing) due to nepotism felt a bit mean-spirited: the book was marketed and hyped very poorly, and desperately needed a new angle to target a slightly different, adjacent audience, but I think Waugh still produced a good story with fun characters and hijinks that entertains and makes for a decent holiday read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Xenophobia