A Death After Dinner

Review

Jul 18, 2026 | 2026 Articles, Autumn Trapani, Books & Tales, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Autumn Trapani

All Professor Liam Cuthbert (“late of King’s College”) wanted was to have a nice quiet weekend at his sister’s country estate, Chatterfield Park. Despite the fact that Oscar Maxwell, a distant cousin of Liam’s brother-in-law, will be present, he is still looking forward to a good time, partially because he has a new friend, Bruce Babcock, to join him. Things take an unexpected turn when Oscar collapses and dies during a game of billiards. When evidence is found pointing to Bruce as the killer and the young man is jailed, Liam investigates.

This mystery takes place in England in 1951, and as such, the characters are very proper in their manners, dress, and speech. However, since Oscar was a very unpleasant man given to taunting and verbally attacking people, there are still many barbs thrown around under the guise of “polite conversation.” I was highly entertained by the subtle viciousness of some of the comments.

There is also a gay element to the story, as Liam is a gay man (the reason that he is “late of Kings’ College.”) Many of the references and discussions related to the homosexuality of certain characters is, due to the time period of the story, very measured. It got me thinking about how far we have come as a society that our conversation around such subjects is far more direct.

The story is very much in the mold of Agatha Christie and “drawing room” type mysteries, which means that there is a great deal of talking amongst the characters and a lot of description. I found this an excellent way to get to know each character and I found the characters compelling. Also, the dinner after which the death occurred is delightfully described. I thoroughly enjoyed A Death After Dinner and look forward to reading more books by David Pederson.