Nest of Vipers (1979)

My review:

Late, but excellent, Mitchell, in which Dame Beatrice (under the alias of Mrs. Farintosh—c.f. Watson's Choice) goes to stay at a country-house converted into a block of flats, inhabited by a group of picturesque and sinister eccentrics, in order to clear the landlord of a murder committed on the premises. She tackles a poison-pen, a sinister dwarf, pseudo-bigamy, a bizarre antique shop and its mysterious owner, and a sinister witchcraft cult devoted to the ritual sacrifice of virgins. These imaginative elements, the interesting characters with their equally interesting names (e.g., Mandrake Shard, Latimer Targe), and the careful plotting, all go to show that Mitchell has not lost her grip after fifty years.

Note similarities to Merlin's Furlong.

Image provided by Jason Hall.

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