The Affair of the 39 Cufflinks
By James Anderson

     The Earl and the Lady are cultured . . . and evidently cursed. Each time they have a house party, a house guest is murdered. The rumor stems from the Eighth Earl and the words of an angry gypsy. Curse or not, having guests in Alderley, his 17th-century county home, is far from the Earl’s mind, until Aunt Florrie dies. With the funeral taking place on the property, the lawyer requests the use of Alderley to read the will. Much against the Earl’s approval, a will reading turns into a stayover, and soon, a murder.

    Aunt Florrie likes talking about her funeral plans with her companion, Jean. She has changed her will and knows her time is most likely near; after all, she’s ninety-six. Florrie promises that everyone will be remembered in her will, in some way or another. Florrie also warns Jean not to conjure her up in a séance . . . although she believes it wouldn’t take one for her to reappear at Alderley. It was one of the most exciting places she’s visited. Someone who does reappear at Alderley is Detective Chief Inspector Wilkins, once a victim is found.

    Anderson seems to be a perfectionist when it comes to setting up a mystery. In the first nine chapters, family members are brought up by the aunt, then the reader is updated on each member’s life. It’s an entertaining overview of Florrie’s relatives, and just the beginning of the layers and twists.

     I read and enjoyed Anderson’s last two British mysteries. They were hard to solve and carried that wonderful 1930’s flair. Anderson has a wonderful gift of conjuring up the Thirties era in his characters and their surroundings. However, for me, The Affair of the 39 Cufflinks didn’t quite have that locked-door effect that Anderson’s first two mysteries did, but the mystery was still complicated enough. The Affair of the 39 Cufflinks is definitely another entertaining read. I highly recommended it, as well as The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cozy and The Affair of the Mutilated Mink.