Loved this book from beginning to end! Not my usual genre but I was thoroughly hooked throughout.

It's fast paced, intriguing, funny, and keeps you on your toes. Look out for Miss Decima, he humour and wit is fantastic. Stephen as the other main character is likeable and I was rooting for him though the book. It is a great 'locked room' murder mystery that I must admit surprised me at the end.

I would love to see a follow up book about how Miss Decima and Stephen get on in London.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ross Montgomery and the publishers for the arc for this book.

As a massive fan of Montgomery’s books for children, I was thrilled to get my hands on his murder mystery for adults. Murder at World’s end does not disappoint. The characters are wonderful - eccentrics, layered, and bound by relationships that are usual and quirky. While I did manage to guess the ending ahead of time, it didn’t dampen the enjoyment. I devoured this book.

This book was very well written and kept me enthralled from start to finish. I didn't expect the end result and was completely surprised. Highly recommended read. I was lucky enough to read an advance copy and leave this review willingly.

I loved reading this book. It was like an old fashioned murder with a great twist at the end. Thanks for the early read.

A new author for me and one, I an delighted to say, I will follow for future reads.

Stephen Pike has been released from Borstal for being, basically, an idiot. He receives, whilst satting in a half way haouse, a letter inviting him to come to Tithe House on the island of Worlds End in Cornwall. He is there barely a day when he becomes involved with Miss Decima, an octogenarian whose language would put a sailor to shame!

Above the Earth Hally's comet approaches and the house, On the orders of the the owner, Miss Decima's nephew, Conrad, the house is locked down, Literally. Every crevice, crack, window, fireplace is boarded up. Keyholes are filled with wax. Everyone is locked in their rooms as Conrad believes the comet will turn the everything upside down and the world will end with the few remaining having to start again.

The world does not end but when the study, where Conrad had decided to stay for the night, remains closed the door is broken open and Conrad is found dead, an arrow through his eye.

It now comes down to Miss Decima and Stephen to discover not only the murderer but to ascertain how, exactly, it was done.

There are plenty of red herrings, obnoxious relatives and puzzles. Written from Stephen's point of view this is an amusing, enjoyable, addictive read and I look forward to more of the duos adventures.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgally for the ARC.

An historic upstairs downstairs mystery with a golden age feel set in the historic time of Haley's Comet when there was a wave of panic and belief that it was the end of the world.

The story is told from Pike's point of view, a London ex con who is desperate to turn his life around and believes the footman role at a grand house will help him achieve that aim. But then he is put in charge of helping the crazy great aunt Stockingham that everyone hates, including her family.

The murder is unsurprising but the locked room aspect is well done. The bodies build up quickly and there is an extremely offensive detective to deal with along with the misogyny of the age which Stockingham has been dealing with all her life. However her character can be over the top offensive which made me feel less sympathetic.

The location of a mysterious castle like house across an often inaccessible causeway adds even more isolation to the story and the glimpses of emerging science and technology are fascinating to see.

I enjoyed the story and it’s a good start to the Stockingham and Pike mystery series.

I loved this book, kept me captivated from the beginning to the end with plenty of twists and turns and potential for a follow on book. I liked the fact of the historical setting with lots of interesting characters and an amazing setting.

A really fun and entertaining murder mystery. I loved the relationship that developed between Stephen and Miss Decima - the wealthy older lady, and the young man still rough around the edges from Bow. With the approach of Halley’s Comet in 1920, the grand house makes ready to face a new world. But one death leads on to others and it is down to Miss Decima and Stephen, plus a willing young maid Temperance, to solve. With hostility between the extended members of the family, the little team are not short of suspects.

An amusing, fast paced and very addictive read. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for granting me a copy of this ARC for review.

What a cracker old fashioned whodunnit!!!!!?
I absolutely loved it....written with humour and such well thought out personalities. And better than anything....a great ending with all loose ends tied up beautifully .

The book is set in Cornwall 1910 just as Halley's Comet was making the news.
A murder is committed in Tithe Hall the night they thought the world would end but who done it.

A sleuthing great aunt....whose is highly unconventional in her ways and an absolute hoot, joins forces with the new member of waiting staff just out of Borstal. Together they don't have long to find the killer before he strikes again.

Highly recommend this book. Brilliantly written right to the end.

Fabulous read ! It’s novel, exciting and rich in detail. Fairly rattles along and takes you with it on a rude note easily forgotten. This characters are well drawn and I kept reading well into the night !

Stephen Pike arrives at Tithe Hall to take up a new position which he desperately needs- he is destitute and has somewhat of a history. On arrival he finds no such position but fortuitously they need more staff, especially as they are shutting out the world for safety due to the passing of the comet. This is 1910 and the rich out power the scientists in what they believe and what they would have their household believe. However the woman who wrote the letter getting Stephen employment, Decima, has her own thoughts and plans. When there is a murder the night of the comet when everyone has been locked in their rooms, the two try to discover who the culprit is.

This is my first foray into Mr Montgomery’s work and won't be the last- I loved it. It grabbed me from the outset. The characters are so well described that they come to life between the pages and the plot, a locked room (literally!) is a clever one and well thought out with lots of plot twists along the way. I liked Stephen and his naivety of life in the big house which came across well. Decima is wonderful in so many ways and provides a smile more than once, not least of all with her colourful language (remember the era).

A thoroughly enjoyable book I loved. Off to find more from this very talented author.

I raced through this book in one sitting—I couldn’t put it down! Ross’s adult debut is packed with everything I love: a clever mystery, delightfully mischievous characters, a charmingly inept detective, and just the right amount of twists to keep me guessing until the very end.

The plot is sharp and well-constructed, with clues layered throughout that come together brilliantly. The characters were quite delightful. Their back-and-forth is so entertaining, and their chemistry adds so much charm to the story.

There’s a real classic mystery style atmosphere here with a modern, playful twist. It’s the perfect mix of mystery, chaos, and humour, I’m already looking forward to seeing where Decima and Stephen go next. I highly recommend it!

Stephen Pike has been invited to take a position as second footman at Tithe Hall, a remote stately home on a Cornish island. He has just been released from Borstal after serving two years for a gang fight in a Bow pub. An orphan whose only living relative died while he was in Borstal, he knows that this is his last chance to redeem himself.

When Stephen arrives he finds that the house is boarded up, yet there are family, guests and staff inside. The owner, Lord Conrad Stockingham-Welt firmly believes that Halley's Comet will bring death and destruction to the World and the only way to survive is to seal everyone inside the house until it has passed over.

Stephen is immediately set to boarding up fireplaces, locking people in their rooms, sealing locks with wax and stuffing wadding around door frames etc (although thinking about it, if the house is sealed from the outside why do they also need to seal people up individually as well?). Then he his handed the poison chalice of being forced to look after Miss Decima Stockingham, a foul-mouthed elderly woman who resides in a separate wing of the house and has terrorised all the maids.

Much to his surprise, Miss Decima pooh-poohs Conrad's fears and instead insists that Stephen take her outside so that she can chart the comet's progress across the sky.

The next morning when Stephen, the first footman Lowen, and the butler Mr Stokes start unsealing the rooms Stephen makes a grisly discovery. Conrad has been murdered by a crossbolt through the eye ... in a sealed room (duh duh duh). Stephen is terrified, as the newest member of staff, with a criminal record he is obviously going to be the primary suspect, something which is borne out when the police inspector arrives from the mainland. Only Miss Decima believes him and together they set out to discover who killed Conrad and why. Was it his cousin Edwin Welt, MP, who expects to inherit the money and the house on Conrad's death? Or his cousin Read Admiral Jolyon Welt, the alcoholic? Of Lettice Welt, who has allegedly seen off her husband, daughter and son-in-law? Or Lettice's grandson the foul Gilbert? What about Conrad's German friend and co-founder of his Halley's Comet society Professor Wolf Muller? What about one of the servants?

This is a good old-fashioned, locked-room mystery. Loved it. Plenty of obnoxious suspects. Plenty of red herrings. Lots of accusations, dead fish, a suit of armour, a maze, missing laundry, a change of will.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

It is 1910 and Comet Halley, harbinger of doom, is approaching the Planet Earth. The king is dead, people are panicking, and young Stephen Pike, released from prison, is heading for World's End, an island off the coast of Cornwall that is cut off at high tide, with a letter from a cousin of Lord Stockingham=Welt, the Viscount of World's End, offering him the post of second footman.

It doesn't start well. The butler is not expecting him, but the house is being barricaded against an "end of the world" scenario and he needs extra help. The first footman is hostile, the house is in uproar, and Stephen finds himself tasked with assisting Miss Decima, the Viscount's elderly aunt, a potty-mouthed invalid with a foul temper and a scientific mind. Night arrives and along with it the Comet. The house is boarded up against the Viscount's predicted poisonous gases and floods but Stephen and Miss Decima spend the night outside while she takes observations. Morning comes, the world is safe, but the Viscount lies dead, shot through the eye with a cross-bolt inside his boarded up and locked study..

Stephen, who is immediately accused of the murder, teams up with Miss Decima and the maid, Temperance, (hampered by a incompetent police detective) to discover the real culprit. from amongst the staff and thoroughly unlikable family who have taken shelter at World's End.

A thoroughly enjoyable "golden-age" style mystery. I hope there will be more of Miss Decima and Stephen in future.

The Murder at World’s End by Ross Montgomery is a great locked room mystery. It’s set in 1910 and specifically when Halley’s Comet enters the inner solar system and can be seen. The location is grand house, World’s End, on a remote island off the coast of Cornwall cut off by a causeway.

The book centres on Stephen Pike, who has just left Borstal after wrongfully being sentenced for attempted murder. A mysterious benefactor has organised a job in service as a footman at World’s End. He arrives to a house in panic and the staff preparing for an end of the world scenario. It’s the Viscount’s belief that the comet will cause massive destruction and he has invited his closest family to World’s End for their safety. All staff and all family will be locked into their rooms for their safety. (I loved the press coverage at the time that was sprinkled throughout the book, which fed into the fear of the phenomenon and that it was an omen.)

On Stephen’s second day in his new job, he finds the Viscount has been murdered. It’s an impossible crime and a perfect locked room mystery. Stephen is concerned that owing to his criminal record he will become the prime suspect.

Local police and then police from Scotland Yard arrive to solve the crime, but aren’t up to the task. Miss Decima, the Viscount’s aunt, takes it upon herself with the help of Stephen to investigate. Miss Decima is an aged woman, an educated woman, a woman of science. She is however considered a loose canon by her family and she lives separately to them within the house. She is a woman who knows her mind and doesn’t beat about the bush and could make a sailor blush. Her rapport with Stephen was a delight to read.

The Murder at World’s End is a pitch perfect read. It’s a period whodunnit, there’s great warmth and humour to it.

As an aside, I loved the artwork on the cover of the book, it really embodied the era and tone of the book.

It looks like the Stockingham & Pike series will continue and I can’t wait to see what Decima and Stephen do next and where their adventures take them.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Penguin General UK, for making this e-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I started reading this based on the fact that two of my favourite authors were raving about it!
It was a blast, lovely dialogue which made me chuckle and great characterisation.
A great locked room mystery perfect for a slow read. I did guess whodunnit quite early but despite that there were still lots of twists and turns that were unexpected and I still really enjoyed it.

BRILLIANT! I enjoyed this book so much that, even only a few chapters in, I was ready to give it five stars!

It was fast-paced with a good “locked room” murder mystery and mixed with a good dollop of humour as served by the delightful Miss Decima! The lead characters were definitely Miss Decima and Stephen who were funny yet kind. Miss Decima was also extremely intelligent with a particular specialism in science.

I would LOVE to read another murder-mystery with this wonderful duo of Decima and Stephen who were an absolute delight to read, from start to finish. I enjoyed this book SO much that I will be purchasing a hardback copy once published!

In my opinion, not as earth-shatteringly funny as the blurb made it out to be, but nevertheless an amusing story.
Excellent characterisation and a very good plot line.
Some very unexpected twists at the end meant that the killer was not who I had worked it out to be!
Overall, well worth reading and I would be very happy to read further boks by this author

When was the last time you picked up a book and simply couldn’t put it down? For me, it was The Murder at World’s End, which is so absorbing that I read it in one afternoon and immediately elevated it to my top reads of the year.

Set on a remote Cornish island in 1910, the story brings a classic locked-room puzzle to life, complete with anxious atmospherics thanks to Halley’s Comet and a house sealed so tightly even the keyholes are waxed.

Newly hired footman Stephen Pike finds himself babysitting the glorious chaos that is Great Aunt Decima: an 80-year-old, sharp-tongued matriarch who is as devious as she is hilarious.

But when a member of the household is found murdered in a locked room, Stephen and Decima become the island’s unlikeliest sleuthing duo.

Stephen is a nervous wreck, but endearing. Decima absolutely steals every scene, and their evolving alliance is as delightful as the central whodunnit.

And yes, Miss Decima swears like a trooper, but I thought it was hilarious and that it really added some comic value. A perfect counterbalance to the tension, with moments that made me genuinely laugh out loud.

The supporting cast of suspects are all brimming with secrets, greed, and grudges, which keeps the guessing game alive until the last page.

If you love classic mysteries but want fresh characters and banter, this book is for you.

With thanks to NetGalley for the early copy in return for an honest review.

What a joy to read. This is such a fun mystery. The plot is tightly controlled and laden with clues that all come together in the end. It is a fast paced read, engaging right from the start. The best part though is the characters. Both Stephen Pike and Great Aunt Decima are excellent, but especially Decima. Their interaction is so amusing. There are multiple laugh-out-loud moments in the book. I can't wait to read more about this couple.
Well written and highly recommended.