The Murder of My Aunt

Originally published to wide acclaim in 1934, this entry in the British Library Crime Classics series from Hull (1896–1973) holds up well with its wry humor and delicious descriptions of people and places. Edward Powell, the effete but daftly amusing narrator (think Bertie Wooster with a mean streak), is financially dependent on his rich Aunt Mildred, with whom he’s forced to live in her rambling house outside the small “and entirely frightful” town of Llwll, Wales. The novel opens with an amusing rant: “How can any reasonably minded person live in a place whose name no Christian person can pronounce?” Edward’s only means of escaping his blighted existence is to do away with Aunt Mildred, his sole guardian and trustee. He confides his dissatisfaction and his various schemes for precipitating the old girl’s demise to his diary, which makes for lively reading. The book fairly races along to its surprising resolution. Fans of vintage crime fiction will hope for more reissues of Hull’s work. (Sept.)