This was a fab read! It was the best parts of Jonathan Creek and Poirot!

While attending a funeral of a friends former acquaintance, Mr Quayle is thrown into quite a mystery! The deceased is alive and well, however those attending his 'funeral ' are being picked off.

This one kept me guessing..I read it in one sitting . The plot was fun, fast and intruguing. The writing really captivates the imagination and allows you to sit in the room with the guilty party. There was no over the top motive or murder, just matter of fact action.

I am definitely going to read all books by this author !

4 stars

This is an intricate, complicated little mystery. It is 1926.

Lord Featherstone’s family has joined together at his mansion located on an island - an isolated island. During storms, the island becomes surrounded by sea water. Nearly landlocked.

Several relatives and in-laws show up. They are a contentious bunch. There is an additional someone who accompanies them, a Mr. Quayle.

Having received notice of Lord Featherstone’s unexpected death, they are all at once shocked to find him most alive.

What follows is a delightful tale of avarice, grudges, backstabbing, and profound family dysfunction.

The surprising Mr. Quayle is on the case. He ferrets out through being watchful, listening and his talent for parsing the intentions of the others he is observing. Murders! Oh my!

This is a very well written book. It is interesting, easy to read and fun. I appreciate novels set in the early 20th Century. It was a time unto itself. Mr. Slayton gets so much right. The attitudes of the characters - how very polite everyone appears to be, even though they may hate each other, is a case in point. It's delightful.

I want to thank NetGalley and Ink and Dagger Press for forwarding to me a copy of this good book. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

Major-General Augustus (also known as Goose) Featherstone is sitting with his lawyers in his isolated home on an island, which is connected to the mainland by a causeway, it's a stormy night with the wind howling and rain lashing against the windows, when ther doorbell rang, who would be out on a night like this??

The door is opened to reveal the whole of Goose's family, 1st wife, 2nd wife, 1st love, various children, and siblings, who had recieved notice of his death and had been summoned by letter for his funeral and for the reading of the will, Who could have invited everyone, and why?

Luckily Lady Constance, who was Goose's first love came to the supposed funeral with her brother and his secretary, the secretive and quite indomitable Mr Quayle, who has a knack for sorting mysteries out.

Great, cosy mystery. Recommended

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Anthony Slayton for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for A Terribly Savage Killing coming out April 13, 2026. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’ve read the first book in this series. I really enjoy this author’s writing. I love 1920s mysteries. It was a fun book with interesting characters. I would check out more books by this author.

Anthony Slayton has achieved the voice and atmosphere of the Golden Age mysteries with his Mr. Quayle series. In A Terribly Savage Killing, all the classic elements are here: a locked-room puzzle, aristocratic intrigue, an amateur sleuth, and a remote estate cut off from help (even a dark and stormy night). It may sound contrived, but it absolutely works.

In this latest installment, Quayle accompanies his employer, Lord Unsworth, and Unsworth’s sister, Lady Constance, to the funeral of Major General Augustus “Goose” Featherstone, who was once romantically linked to Constance. Upon arrival, however, they discover that Goose is very much alive. The question quickly becomes who would orchestrate such a deception, and is Goose actually in danger?

It isn’t long before a body appears, and Quayle is drawn into the investigation. With a house full of suspects and no clear motive, the mystery unfolds with all the intrigue of a classic whodunit.

Slayton also deepens the series by offering glimpses into Quayle’s past, particularly his experiences during World War I. I hope Slayton will explore this more depth in future books. If you like a vintage whodunit, give the Mr. Quayle mysteries a try.