Jumping Jenny by Anthony Berkeley

 When Roger Sheringham attends a 'murder' party in the country, as a criminal fiction writer he finds the pretend gallows rather 'charming'! He enjoys himself watching all the different characters there in costume as murderers or victims. However, everyone finds Ena Stratton either irritating or 'nuts' or both, and when she is murdered, Roger wants to study the investigation. However, he begins to find himself at the centre of it...

This may be a bit macabre for the liking of some readers, but Roger is a sympathetic, likeable character, and it's a clever and fast-paced murder mystery, which keeps you interested. Some of the author's attitudes to women won't go down well with today's readers. One character, a doctor, even wishes that he could put Ena into an asylu,m, and others think that she needs a 'good beating' fr,om her husband! You have to keep in mind that this was published in 1933.. It's modern in some other respects, though - the author was understanding towards divorce, for example.

I will certainly read more of Anthony Berkeley's novels. I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.