I devoured this brilliant book in one sitting. Ross's adult debut contains all of my favourite things. A cracking whodunnit, incorrigible characters who make you laugh out loud, a hapless detective and enough twists and turns to keep me guessing to the very end. With echoes of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, it's a perfect blend of murder, mayhem and larks aplenty. This is an absolute triumph of a book, I can't wait to find out what Decima and Stephen get up to next.

I am a big fan of Ross Montgomery’s books for children and when he announced his debut adult fiction, I was intrigued. I love mysteries and from the cover reveal and premise, I knew it was a book I needed to read. Luckily, a browse on Netgalley had me downloading and reading quicker than I could have hoped.
Stephen, a young man from London, has his sights set on World’s End, a large estate set detached from the world by a causeway that floods with the tides daily. Carrying a letter from one of the family who own the estate, he is keen to re-build his life and start fresh. The head butler gives him a grilling but eventually agrees to hire him, as the house is in chaos. The current Lord, Conrad, believes that the imminent arrival of Halley’s Comet is going to cause the end of the world. Locking and sealing everyone in the house into separate rooms is his grand plan for survival.
The butler, Stephen and the first footman, Lowen, being ensuring that doors and windows are sealed and that locks are filled with wax. Lord Conrad will be the last to be sealed inside,
Stephen is to stay with Aunt Decima, an elderly relative who has a reputation for cruelty towards the servants. She takes a liking to Stephen and they ignore the “lockdown” and head into the gardens to watch the comet. Decima is a scientist and disagrees wholeheartedly with Conrad’s belief in the world ending, she has rather scathing views of the entire family!
That very night there is a murder! It’s the quintessential locked room murder only it takes place on a stranded island in a house where all the inhabitants are locked away- so who committed the crime?
This was a formidable debut and the first in what I hope to be a brilliant series featuring Decima and Stephen, an unlikely but perfectly matched pair. Decima bowls off the page with her cursing, firm views and opinions. She likes to shake things up like hornets in a jar! She is absolutely fantastic. Stephen has to atone for his own sins and history and begins to do so with the help of Decima,
There are twists and turns to keep readers guessing and guessing again. There is so much more to the story and I was hooked from the beginning. Cleverly woven in are parts of history around this “world ending comet” and some of the beliefs as shared in reports,
It’s a masterful mystery! Bet you can’t guess whodunnit!

This was a delight! Surprising, hilarious, touching, and with a solid mystery plot at its core. About a third of the way through I thought I could foresee the entire plot of the novel and I’m so pleased I was spectacularly wrong. Excellent characters, excellent story, and I can’t wait for the next.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! The mystery is cleverly plotted and the characters had me laughing out loud at times. This is Ross Montgomery's first book for adults, and I am pleased to note that the cover bills this as 'A Stockingham and Pike mystery', implying that there will be more to come! This is a classic locked room mystery. In fact, all the players are literally sealed into their rooms at the time of the murder, owing to the victim's belief that the end of the world is coming. The house is set on an island which is only accessible from the mainland via a causeway at low tide. The only two characters not in their rooms are the 80 year old Lady Decima, (who uses language that would make a sailor blush!) and the new under-butler, Stephen, whose job it is to look after her. They set out to discover who the killer is, no easy feat when the house is full of suspicious characters. This was such an entertaining read, with plenty of red herrings, an inept police inspector and the brilliant duo of Stockingham and Pike. Long may they reign!!

Thank you to NetGalley for this e-arc.

Wow, what a treat! I went into The Murder at World's End with zero expectations but I was hooked from the outset. I already can't wait for the next Stockingham and Pike mystery.

The story takes place in 1910 in a country mansion. The Lord of the Manor has invited his family to watch the passing of Halley's comet which he thinks will bring about the end of the world. He orders the house sealed and he locks himself in his library where he is found dead the next morning with a crossbolt through his eye. That's right people, this is a locked room mystery!

Our narrator, Stephen Pike, is a servant who recently arrived to the house under questionable circumstances. His unlikely sleuthing parter is Great Aunt Decima, the black sheep of the family, who swears like a sailor and is always the smartest person in the room.

There's sleuthing, red herrings, class struggles, bumbling detectives, unlikely friendships and a possible ghost. Honestly, what more could you want?

I had a blast reading this. I didn't get the solution until right towards the end but it was a satisfying conclusion and well thought out. I loved the characters and didn't want to leave them behind at the end. More please.

It was an impossible murder. Or was it?

This story is full of twists and turns as together we follow Stephen Pike and Miss Decima Stockingham on a journey to uncover the locked-door killer.

As with all wealthy families and their staff this household has no shortage of secrets, which leaves our team with plenty of suspects. Can they catch them before they escape?

Whilst Miss Decima is ready to suspect the worst in everyone, Stephen balances her out as he believes the best in people. As a result, the relationship that develops between them is incredibly endearing.

Speaking of Miss Decima, she was one of my favourite things about this book. She a was strong willed, witty, foul-mouthed matriarch with a flair for dramatics and great puzzle solving skills. I also found myself having a huge soft spot for her as she had been treated so poorly by her family members, just because she dared to speak her mind.

This book had me laughing out loud, Miss Decima did come out with some of the best lines. Such a joy to read which I would recommend to any mystery lover, who also loves a good dose of humour.

Thank you to the publishers for the early copy via NetGalley.