If P. G. Wodehouse had set out to write a murder mystery, it would have been a lot better than this one... but there is no doubt that Faith Martin intends to give a Wodehouse-lite feel to this 1920s village-set murder mystery. Arbuthnot (Arbie) Swift could indeed be a Wodehouse central casting character, generally interested in enjoying himself and not troubling his brain excessively. But for a lark he has written a best-selling book combining ghost hunting exploits with a travelogue, and so gets hauled in with Val, the Amazon-like daughter of the local vicar, to sort out mysterious happenings at a local house that lead to murder. The problem with Arbie is that, although he has the indolence of a Bertie Wooster, he is a sharp thinker, able with the assistance (and growing affection) of Val to work out what is happening, solve a locked room mystery and generally bring things to a positive if murderous conclusion. It isn't by any means a bad cosy crime novel - it trundles along with ...