Hilton channels Christie. Having just plowed through two disappointing mysteries I reread this since"Random Harvest" and "Lost Horizon" are favorites. Like some other British books, it takes a while to get the terminology about "masters" and "Prefects" and the school hierarchy, but the writing is great: "There had been nearly a month without rain. and the parched fields and rusty roads seemed to stare hopefully at the clouds massing above them." On rereading I thought it was a little too long and the hero a little foolish; plus you can spot the culprit way before the unmasking. Still, the writing and evocation of a time and place makes it a worthwhile read.

P.S. This book was originally released in 1931 under the title "Murder At School" under a pen name of Glen Trevor.

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