Before
Winnie-the-Pooh and Hundred Acre Wood, before Agatha Christie published The Mysterious Affair at Styles, A. A.
Milne wrote The Red House Mystery. This is the only mystery Milne wrote,
apparently since he found much success with his Winnie-the-Pooh series.
His
ability to spin a twisted tale of murder and intrigue is worthy of Christie but
he seems to have drawn inspiration from Sir Ian Fleming. His two main characters, who act as sleuths,
refer to each other as Holmes and Watson.
Milne’s
mystery is a stylish early twentieth century British story, with a body, a
missing man, eavesdropping maids, secret passages and a mysterious visitor. His writing style is replete with head hops
and changes in point of view, so it is difficult to keep track of who is speaking
and whose thoughts we’re reading. He
also peppers the dialogue with all the British cliché phrases like: “I say, old
man.”; “Dash it all.”; “I daresay”.
One
of the most interesting aspects is the interaction between the two main
characters Antony Gillingham and Bill Beverley.
Although Milne does not expand on their sexual orientation, one could
take some things said in their conversations as innuendoes:
“…offered
to beat Antony at billiards, to play him at piquet, to show him the garden by
moonlight…”
Later
in the book:
“Then
where do I sleep tonight?”
“Officially,
I suppose, in Felham Palace.
Unofficially, I suspect, in my bed, unless they’ve got another spare
room…”
It
sounds like both men are keen on each other.
Of course, in the context of the story, these comments are not sexual in
nature since, considering the time and place the novel is set, but it is interesting
to hear this sort of exchange between two supposedly straight men.
Despite
the challenges of Milne’s writing, The Red
House Mystery is an engaging and satisfying read. Not much action at all, and it is slow to build
but it does become exciting as Gillingham and Beverley close in on the final
solution.
The biggest
drawback is the ending. Although Milne
wraps up the mystery, nice and neat, he leaves one big, open thread,
unforgiveable unless he plans a follow-up.
Which
he didn’t.
