The Wintringham Mystery

Cicely Disappears

By: Anthony Berkeley, Tony Medawar

Narrated by: Mike Grady

Republished for the first time in nearly 95 years, a classic winter country house mystery by the founder of the Detection Club, with a twist that even Agatha Christie couldn’t solve!

Stephen Munro, a demobbed army officer, reconciles himself to taking a job as a footman to make ends meet. Employed at Wintringham Hall, the delightful but decaying Sussex country residence of the elderly Lady Susan Carey, his first task entails welcoming her eccentric guests to a weekend house-party, at which her bombastic nephew – who recognises Stephen from his former life – decides that an after-dinner séance would be more entertaining than bridge. Then Cicely disappears!

With Lady Susan reluctant to call the police about what is presumably a childish prank, Stephen and the plucky Pauline Mainwaring take it upon themselves to investigate. But then a suspicious death turns the game into an altogether more serious affair…

This classic winter mystery incorporates all the trappings of the Golden Age – a rambling country house, a séance, a murder, a room locked on the inside, with servants, suspects and alibis, a romance – and an ingenious puzzle.

First published as a 30-part newspaper serial in 1926 – the year The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was published, The Wintringham Mystery was written by Anthony Berkeley, founder of the famous Detection Club. Also known as Cicely Disappears, the Daily Mirror ran the story as a competition with a prize of £500 (equivalent to £30,000 today) for anyone who guessed the solution correctly. Nobody did – even Agatha Christie entered and couldn’t solve it. Can you?

©2021 Anthony Berkeley, A. Monmouth Platts, Tony Medawar (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"Detection and crime at its wittiest - all Berkeley’s stories are amusing, intriguing and he is a master of the final twist." (Agatha Christie)

"Anthony Berkeley is the supreme master not of the 'twist' but of the 'double-twist'." (Milward Kennedy in the Sunday Times)

Charming Light-hearted mystery

Wonderful entertainment for those who enjoy cozy mysteries from the Golden age. A particularly endearing example of the genre.

Just Ok

This is OK, but not as enjoyable as his other classic mysteries written under the alias Frances Iles, such as Before the Fact (basis for the film Suspicion) and Malice Aforethought. This one is a bit hokey and the narration is OK, but not great.

A great old fashioned mystery

I listened because it was written in 1926 and I wanted to hear the idioms and culture of the time between the world wars, when British aristocracy was undergoing tremendous change. I was not disappointed. The story is just plain old fun and the narration “spot on, old boy”. It’s a glimpse into British life of almost 100 years ago. If you aren’t an Anglophile you probably won’t enjoy it. If you are, you’ll love it.

Golden Age Favorite

Just good fun following our H and h along a tangled trail of clues and red herrings

Excellent! A 20s mystery written in the 20s!

As a fan of 20s mysteries this was thrilling! All the banter and ridiculous twists of contemporary “20s” stories fully justified. Here is the authentic article. Love it.

More fun than an Agatha Chrstie

I finished this Audible book faster than
any other I've listened to. Not only was this a good mystery in the classic British style, it was also funny in many places. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The performance was excellent as well. I can't wait to listen to more Audibles by Anthony Berkeley.

Great classic mystery!

Hard to believe this mystery was written almost 100 years ago! It stands the test of time with multiple plot twists and many potential suspects among the cast of characters. I highly recommend it!

Fun

Fun. Great narrator voice. Easy to listen to. And I didn’t guess the ending. (But it was entirely plausible!)

That was a true mystery!

I had a feeling about one of the characters but the rest was a shock but made sense in the end. Bravo for making it a real mystery!

A Nostalgic British Mystery With a Witty Cast of Characters

This was both a good whodunnit and a good character study, with a vastly diverse cast who engage in the witty repartee we’ve come to expect from novels published during the “golden age” of crime fiction (the 1920s-30s)…Fun, frothy & elegant, The Wintringham Mystery sits among the best of murder “cozies.”