Footsteps in the Dark

by Georgette Heyer

The Priory may look ramshackle in appearance, but Peter, Margaret, and Celia, are totally charmed by their newly-inherited country house.

But there's more to The Priory than meets the eye.

Left empty for years, hardly a single person has set foot inside and, down in the village, the locals whisper of a ghostly figure that roams the halls . . .

When a murder is committed, the new owners start to fear the rumours are true – but is their new home really haunted, or is someone trying to scare them away?

Dark secrets, an unexplained death and an old country house lie at the heart of Georgette Heyer’s classic murder mystery.

'A writer of great wit and style' DAILY TELEGRAPH

'Her characters and dialogue are a delight' DOROTHY L. SAYERS

'Georgette Heyer is unbeatable' INDIA KNIGHT

• ISBN10: 0099493691
• ISBN13: 9780099493693
• Publish Date: 4 January 2007 (first published 1932)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 11 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Cornerstone
• Imprint: Arrow Books Ltd
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Footsteps in the Dark is a British golden age murder mystery by Georgette Heyer. Originally released in 1932, this edition came out 1st Jan 2019, is 432 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats (other editions are available in most formats).

This is the first of the author's thrillers. She was apparently displeased with the result, but I disagree. This one in particular is a sort of Scooby Doo / Nancy Drew / Agatha Christie mashup. The dialogue is sparkling and (mostly) witty. The characters are varied and well written. The humor is dry. The denouement is foreshadowed but well within the 'rules'.

I adore golden age interwar mysteries. The whole 'creepy country house' vibe is wonderful and this one doesn't disappoint.

Enjoyable read and I was sorry to see this one end. I was happy to see that Sourcebooks was reformatting and re-releasing them to a new reading public.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

[MurderByDeath]

What a great, fun read! I was almost late for dinner out with friends because I didn't want to put it down until I reached the end. Great British humour throughout the story, really well blended with the mystery, the setting, the atmosphere. The ghost story was really done well too. I found this to be just an excellent cozy mystery in every sense of the word.