Envious Casca
(also published as A Christmas Party)
Georgette Heyer
1941
4/5 stars
Joseph Herriard, against the wishes of his brother Nathaniel, plans a Christmas house party at Nathaniel's home, Lexham Manor. In addition to himself and his wife, Joseph's house party includes his niece and her playwright friend, his nephew and his unsuitable fiancé, a cousin, and Nathaniel's business partner, most of whom have cause to argue with -- or at least annoy -- Nathaniel and each other. Nathaniel is found stabbed on Christmas Eve, inside his room with the door locked. Inspector Hemingway of Scotland Yard is put on the tricky case and struggles to discover how the murder could have been committed. Meanwhile, the quarrelling continues, accusations flourish, and speculation abounds, making for a truly unpleasant holiday.
Heyer's talent for conversation, absurd situations, and well-thought out plots is apparent in this clever mystery. The characters, though not deeply-drawn, were generally believable and the near universal unlikableness of them added realism to the story. I suspected the correct one immediately, but not how the crime was accomplished, and enjoyed the slow revelation of both. One point did stand out for me as not fully reconciled, but overall, Envious Casca is an entertaining yuletide read.
