I haven’t read as many of the British Library Crime Classics as a lot of the other bloggers I follow, but of the few that I have read this one is the best so far. It’s not really a whodunnit so there’s no puzzle to solve or clues to decipher, but that doesn’t matter at all – the fun is in wondering whether the crime described in the novel will succeed and, if so, whether the culprit will be caught.
Our narrator, Edward Powell, is a self-obsessed, miserable and bitter young man who lives with his Aunt Mildred in a small Welsh village with a name (Llwll) he finds impossible to pronounce. With his little Pekingese dog and love of French novels, Edward feels out of place in Llwll and longs to move to somewhere more lively and fashionable. Unfortunately, being financially dependent on his aunt, it seems that he will have to stay where he is for now…unless he can think of another solution.
Given the title of the book, I’m sure you will have guessed what Edward’s solution is! Now, under normal circumstances I would be horrified at the thought of somebody plotting to murder his aunt, but I did have some sympathy for Edward as Aunt Mildred is portrayed as such a thoroughly unpleasant woman. She constantly criticises him, complains about everything he says or does, and goes to great lengths to make him look stupid in front of the entire village. Had Edward been a nicer person I could almost have given him my support, but he is no more likeable than she is – he’s lazy, selfish, and believes he is much cleverer than he actually is. Needless to say, the murder of his aunt proves to be more difficult than he expected!
Will Edward’s plans succeed? Obviously, I’m not going to tell you and will leave you to enjoy the story for yourself, but what I will say is that things don’t go smoothly and there are plenty of twists and turns before we reach the end. But the plot is only part of what makes this book so enjoyable; Edward’s narrative voice is wonderful too and transforms what could have been a very dark novel into a very funny one. From the beginning, when he spends the whole of the first page trying to explain how to pronounce Llwll, there is a strong thread of humour running throughout the entire story which is why, despite Edward and his aunt being such unlikeable people, their battle of wits is so entertaining to read.
As well as being funny, there’s also a sense that Edward’s narration could be unreliable. Is he correctly interpreting people and situations? Is Aunt Mildred really as horrible as he thinks she is or is his own negative view of the world distorting the way he sees her? Although this isn’t a mystery in the conventional sense, there’s still plenty of suspense as we wonder whether our questions will be answered, and when – and how – the murder of Edward’s aunt will take place.
The Murder of My Aunt was Richard Hull’s first novel, published in 1934. Having enjoyed it so much, I am looking forward to reading more of his books. Excellent Intentions is also a British Library Crime Classic, while a few others have been reissued by Agora Books. Have you read any of them?
She Reads Novels 
This is one BLCC that I want to read. I read Excellent Intentions by this author which was also good.
Yes, I remember that you liked Excellent Intentions. I’m looking forward to reading that one.
This one was fun.
Yes, it was!
The title is so clever it made me want to read the book, and your review makes me want to read it too.
That’s great, Terra – I’m glad you’re tempted!
I want to read this one – in fact I have a copy waiting to be read and also Excellent Intentions. I’m so glad you enjoyed and am now looking forward to reading both books asap.
I hope you enjoy this one. I’m sure I’ll be reading Excellent Intentions soon too.
I have this one lined up for a read, and I must admit I’m looking forward to it!
I’ll look forward to hearing what you think of it!
I always enjoy an unreliable narrator.
Yes, me too!
I’m definitely going to read this one. I’ve read a lot of these books and with quite a few of them I’ve thought they didn’t really merit being reprinted, that obviously isn’t so with this one.
I haven’t read as many of them as you, but I thought this one was great and definitely deserved the reprint!
Oh, you make this one sound sooo good. Naughty is what it is. 😉 I’ll keep it in mind in case I encounter it again.
It’s a great book – definitely worth keeping in mind!
I’m getting hooked on these British Library Crime Classics! They all sound like so much fun. I’ve only read one, but I intend to read many more. 🙂
They all sound tempting, don’t they? I think you would like this one!
I loved this one so much it won my Vintage Crime Book of the Year Award! To be honest, I wasn’t so keen on Excellent Intentions, but really because it was a style I don’t enjoy so much – lots of checking of alibis and stuff rather than concentration on motivation. But I could see that it was good of its kind, so I hope you enjoy it!
I think it was a deserving winner of your award! I remember that you didn’t like Excellent Intentions as much, but I’m hoping I’ll have better luck with it.
Brilliant! I saw this in a shop the other day, now I’ll have to go in and get it!
I hope you do! I really enjoyed it. 🙂
I read this book earlier this year and really really enjoyed it…..so glad you liked it
It’s a great book, isn’t it? I’m glad you enjoyed it too!