Is your social calendar a bit light this month? Are you craving the society of irascible people? Do you fancy a peek into a 1920’s country house party where anything can happen – and where you might have a say in what follows?
To be honest, I don’t know what will follow, but here is how it began: a group of my fellow bloggers and I were checking in with each other, and one of us, I don’t remember who – okay, it was Moira. Moira receives the credit for getting this ball rolling – Moira, Moira, Moira – said that she would rather spend time in a Golden Age mystery fantasy than in this apocalyptic sci-fi novel in which we seem to have found ourselves. And then she set about creating the character that she would play in just such a fantasy.
Of course, the rest of us followed, and before you could say “Ronald Knox’s Ten Commandments of Detective Fiction,” we had a party going on. Now, I’ve never been a fantasy-game player, and I’ve eschewed video games because, well, 1) there are very few whodunnit mystery games in the Western world, and 2) it would wreak havoc on my waistline!
Still here I am, hunkered down in my home for a time period that looks like it might extend till June, looking for ways to connect with all you mystery lovers out there. And so I welcome you to . . .
MURDER AT DUNGAREES: An Interactive Mystery!!!!!!!!
“Greta stepped gingerly out of the Duesenberg coupe and stood on the sandy path that led to the great house. A forbidding sky cast a cold, grey light and extended the shadows that emanated from the towers of Dungarees Castle. The rows of windows glinted opaquely, hiding their secrets.
“Greta stared at the paneled front door of Dungarees . . . and panted.”
Don’t worry. I’m not about to inundate you with purple prose. OR . . . AM . . . I?????
Here is the premise:
It is 1928, and we find ourselves in the British countryside at Dungarees, the palatial estate of Lord Petty, who has invited a group of friends and acquaintances for a week or two of shooting, dining, and other . . . interesting pursuits. The house party consists of the following (and I have identified the name of each character’s creator for you):
Lord Benjamin Petty (BKF): Petty was, for many years, a doctor, but he retired abruptly and has recently arrived in this part of Newbury. He amassed his great wealth in varied ways, not all of them apparent. He has a wide variety of interests and pursuits . . . not all of them apparent. He purchased this estate from the Lancasters, a locally prominent but impoverished family, and has recently entered Parliament.
Henrietta (“Hetty”) Petty (BKF): Petty’s beautiful – and much younger – American wife, a former actress possessed of immense charm, passion and ego. Back in the States, she was a rising silent star, said to rival the likes of Pickford and Gish, but her career ended suddenly. Rumors had it that her voice wasn’t well suited to the emerging sound technology, but anyone listening to her sultry contralto tones would know this to be untrue. On an ocean crossing aboard the Mauretania, she crossed paths on the dance floor with Dr. Petty . . . and the rest is history.
Countess Sophronia Lancaster (Moira, Clothes in Books): the young (well, –ish) glamorous and secretive daughter of the previous owner, whose parents have fled to the Cote d’Azur. Sophronia arrives with a fabulous wardrobe, a slightly sinister maid, and an inexplicable habit of wandering round the old house late at night looking for a new book from the library. And not just sensational novels either, as the Countess has a remarkable facility with technical knowledge of all sorts.
Zuzana Materska (Moira again): the Countess’ Slovakian maid, as cold and imperious as her mistress is warm and friendly. What horrors has she escaped? What intrigue does she bring with her???
Peter Moss (JJ, The Invisible Event): The gardener, a taciturn man who keeps sneaking down to the coastline late at night. For what reason? Wouldn’t you like to know…
Diogenes Pratt (Aidan, Mysteries Ahoy): the village chemist whose status in the village has skyrocketed with the news that he is Lord Petty’s nephew. Although Horace’s mother is estranged from her brother, Petty, with no children of his own, has developed a fondness for his nephew. Horace is a genial, florid man, fond of his meat and beer, and with a mad pash for every young and nubile thing. Many a barmaid and servant girl has fallen prey to his charms. And of course, he has a wide and varied knowledge of chemistry.
J.K. Diebehnkorn (Brad, Ah Sweet Mystery): a film director as renowned as Cecil B DeMille’s tailor.. Stylish in his jodhpurs, garish sweater vests, he sports a chic goatee, a monocle and a glorious silver streak in his well-pomaded hair. He has formed a friendship with Lord Petty through his wife and seeks financing for his new epic – and first sound film – a musical mystery set in a bootlegger’s speakeasy called 100 Proof!
Greta Frink (Kate, Cross Examining Crime): J.K. Diebehnkorn’s personal secretary, recently hired for her cool demeanor. When people meet her, they remark, “She’s so serious and career-minded and dresses so sensibly.” Little do they know what lies beneath those sensible glasses and well-plaited hair . . .
Lucinda Leaharlan (Bev, My Reader’s Block): The curvaceous Lucy owns the village bookshop and was hired by Lord Petty to catalogue his extensive library. Petty is not exactly the bookish type, being more interested in figures (hers in particular at the moment) than the written word and doesn’t realize that he has a fortune in first editions on the shelves.
Rounding out our party is an unexpected guest whom you will meet in our next installment. Rest assured that this gathering abounds with dark secrets, hidden relationships, and inexplicable and downright inexcusable behavior. At Dungarees, nobody slacks off.
HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED????
As the story unfolds, much will be revealed, and much will remain murky. You are invited to participate, as an armchair detective, a commentator, or a driver of narrative if you wish. All you need do is suggest a twist in the narrative in the comments below. I will consult with my part-time collaborators, all of whom have their own chaotic lives and amazing blogs that you should visit. If we deem your twist worth using, you will receive a nod of credit and our deepest thanks.
And so, my friends, feel free to follow along as . . . . something happens. My plan is to provide a new installment every Saturday for as long as I can sustain this. And just remember: no matter how chaotic things may seem – in the real world or on the stormy estate of Dungarees – at the end of a mystery order is restored.
Stay safe and healthy out there.
Ah Sweet Mystery! 
Oh, my goodness! What a fabulous idea for a story, and for a way to stay connected and to enjoy the Golden Age. It sounds like so much fun! I know you’ll have a wonderful time. I’ll be watching…from the solicitor’s office where I work for Jamison Hargreaves, who handles the family’s legal business. You see, Hargreaves… (Please, don’t put all this in your story – it’s yours. Just got me thinking.) Well done, all of you!
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Dear Margot, I won’t put it all in the story, but of course a man of as many affairs as Lord Petty must have a solicitor . . . and you never know when someone will be required to read a will!!! 🙂
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Love it! I’d buy the book in a minute! Vision issues make it impossible for me to join in, but keep me informed! All the best in this intriguing project! 👍👍👍
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Thank you, Jim. I only hope I have the fortitude to fill my Dungarees well!!
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What larks! Loving the idea and will also be following your shenanagins from a distance as one of the embittered Lancasters – you know, the one with the multiple personality disorder. Somedays I’ll be Mick and some days I’ll be Nick. You’ll never know who is going to turn up. Will it be M or N?
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Now, now, Mr. Lancaster – you know that Nick is the dominant personality!!! So we have to ask the question correctly: will it be N or M?!?
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Aha! So Mick’s evil plan is working and people think Nick is the dominant personality whereas in reality behind the scenes Mick is really pulling Nick’s strings and making him look like the dominant one when all the time Mick is the one really calling all the shots. You really don’t know much about this multiple personality disorder, do you, Brod?
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Love my photo–though I did think that was a private photoshoot just for dear, dear Petty-poo. He only likes his books when adorned beautifully. It’s a shame we can’t have color in our photos….to show off my auburn locks.
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I found a couple that showed off your hair, but WordPress forbade me from publishing them . . .
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LOL
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May I suggest the klepto parlour maid who listens at doors? Who knows how much she knows?
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Yes, I didn’t trust that maid as soon as I created, er, hired her! Thanks, Linda!
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Sounds interesting! A way to keep tabs on all my favourite blogs/bloggers at one go!
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With regards to Zuzana, the maid, surely she is from Herzoslovakia? Being from a real country normally precludes someone from being an escaped Royal/spy etc.
And on behalf of my Slovak friends, there is no such thing as a Slovakian!
Looking forward to the next installment.
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No such thing as . . . . ?!? Then we must keep our eyes on the maid!
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Great idea. Who is going to be the (first?) murderee? I’ll go for the gardener. I can’t remember too many murdered gardeners in GAD.
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The gardener goes everywhere and sees a lot…but he’s taciturn, so I like to think I’d keep what I know to myself. Who can tell what mysteries are hidden behind that moustache?
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Such a fabulous idea!
And then there is Worth, the butler who served the Lancaster family (as did his father, and grandfather) and was kept on by Petty because every nouveau riche land owner requires an old family retainer. He knows everyone’s secrets…and hides a few of his own.
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Such a Worth-y idea, Laurie! Consider it done!
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I was hoping someone would add a burner! Bravo. Worth is perfect. But what if the guesses? See comment below…
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Ugh. Messy typing should be A butler!!! And guests. Cursed autocorrect
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Glad to be able to supply a character (is he going by Diogenes or Horace?) for this. It should be fun! 😁
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Horace Pratt sounded too much like Horace Blatt. I thought Petty’s sister might have had airs when naming her only son.
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It makes sense. I like Diogenes – it definitely conjures up a young man with pretensions.
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The gardener’s behaviour is really suspicious ! I learn that he has a blog site in every post of which there appear several pictures of black and brown dogs though they have no relevance to the topics under discussion. Why ? Are these pictures meant to convey secret messages ?
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It’s 1928, Santosh. Pete Moss has no idea what this blog business you speak of is about, but he assures you that the dogs are well-treated, loved more than humans, and have been known to attack critics . . . 😉
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Oh! I confused him with his creator !
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Just movie folk as guests? What about Lord Petty’s old school chum? The Honorable Sebastian Flyte-Kansilld. Sent down from Cambridge for dallying with the girls in the pub (and anywhere else he met them) and then, once expelled from school, retreating into a sordid world of backwater night clubs and seedy cabarets in France. He’s a talented pianist, of course, and preferred music to medicine anyway. He hears of the party and gate crashes as he usually does relying on charm and smarm to gain entry and get his ways. He brings with him a lovely chorine Clotilde Lenoir whose suspiciously androgynous looks and reedlike flapper girl figure lead to whispers and rumors of an unnatural friendship. Sebastian has an ulterior motive in attending the party and Clotilde is his secret weapon.
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Ah, Sebastian Flyte! I have such fond memories of watching TV in college as a very sweaty, naked Sebastian and Charles formed an inseparable bond that would wreck them both! Would you settle for an Irish wolfhound named Maurice?
And there’s only ONE film guest, two if you count the secretary – and she’s got something very un-filmlike up her well-tailored sleeve. There’s a landed countess, a nouveau riche couple and villagers, lummox-y and buxom both. And don’t take your eyes off the gardener, whose name is Pete but now I wish we’d called him Chauncey.
See what you do to me, John? I’m getting all literary here.
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Can’t tell from your response if Sebastian or Clotlide are in or out. I’m guessing out. I’m always last to the party, but unlike Sebastian I don’t gate crash I just walk away shaking my head.
No matter. I’m a hospital worker and I still have to report to work every day even though I’m doing it all from home on my laptop. Only have time at night as usual to peruse blogs when I’m not looking at the Actor’s Fund videos hosted by Seth R and James. Did you watch any of the Rosie Show online? Went on too long. Didn’t much like that latter portion after Kelli O’Hara’s beautiful rendition of “Take Me to the World”.
Wait! I’m snapped back to the world of Dungarees. Would an aristocrat invite villagers and a bookseller to his party? Is this a true fantasy where no classist attitudes exist?
Enjoy the party! Sebastian will slink off to the French underwolrd and star in his own series of short stories. I’ll stick to reading and reviewing books no one will ever find or read. I live in a fantasy world too! Back to work…
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Well, first and foremost, John, thank you for your service. My sister-in-law is a hospital nurse, another hero. Stay safe and healthy!
I can’t help it if you and TomCat both review these delicious books that I would love to read/own but are completely unavailable. Thanks to a recent TC review, I now own a beautiful copy of Nicholas Wilde’s Death Knell. I DO pay attention to what you guys recommend.
You ask, “Would an aristocrat invite villagers and a bookseller to his party?” I haven’t even posted the first installment, so I am thrilled by your impatience to have your questions answered!! See you here on Saturday.
Again, be careful, John!
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This is amazing Brad, just wonderful. You took my flimsy sliver of an idea and made something brilliant for it. Can’t wait for developments.
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Very promising! Did I miss a link to the next part? Or is it too soon for that? 🙂
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The first part went up last night, Gerda! Hope you enjoy!
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