Get Even More Visitors To Your Blog, Upgrade To A Business Listing >>

FFB: The Mynns' Mystery

George Manville Fenn (1831-1909) was an English novelist, journalist and editor. Although primarily self-taught, he went on to become a schoolmaster and magazine publisher, attracting the attention of none other than Charles Dickens. He was rather prodigious in his literary output, with numerous articles, short Stories, a few plays, some nonfiction books, and something like 140 novels, although several of those were YA stories for boys.

The title setting of The Mynns' Mystery, published in 1891, is an Old English manor home owned by a elderly rich man, who is dying. He adopted a young woman named Gertie, and the elderly man fears that an opportunistic suitor, Saul Harrington, will marry the girl for her inheritance and treat her no better than a slave. So he decides to leave the bulk of his estate to his long-estranged grandson George, whose parents emigrated to America, in hopes that he'll marry Gertie. But as the story progresses, the question arises as to who is the greater villain, the opportunistic Saul or George?

After the old man dies and leaves a codicil in his will that if George dies, Saul inherits everything, you know that murder won't be far behind. But in one twist, the hunter becomes the hunted, and the chase is on. As one might expect from the era the book was written, and the fact that the author specialized in children's stories, the writing is a bit facile and overly melodramatic. But it has a credible plot (for its day), some decent characterization, and a great dog named Bruno.

       


This post first appeared on In Reference To Murder, please read the originial post: here

Share the post

FFB: The Mynns' Mystery

×

Subscribe to In Reference To Murder

Get updates delivered right to your inbox!

Thank you for your subscription

×