The Rising of the Moon Hardcover – 1 Dec. 1984

A well told story from a different perspective with the help of the brilliant mrs Bradley.

Whilst I have enjoyed other books by Gladys Mitchell more than this one it is still very good when compared to the classic whodunit genre as a whole.It is unusual in that the story is narrated by a man recalling events from his childhood.Mrs Bradley herself doesn't put in an appearance until about halfway through and the Michell's other regular charcters, apart from George en passant, do not feature at all.For anybody to whom this is a first taste of Gladys Mitchell and who didn't find it to their tastes should certainly try at least one other of her books before giving up on this great authoress.

It was the BBC Series that introduced me to Mrs. Bradley and her strong, silent type of a chauffeur. The Rising of the Moon is written from the point of view of two adventurous schoolboys and it takes a while to work out where Mrs. Bradley's going to fit in, but so she does, although without the light flirting that the BBC kindly adds for us. Here we have a serial killer, tracked by the boys who are determined to prove their older brother's innocence and almost get their throats cut a few times along the way. It's an exciting tale of plucky young chaps that could almost have been written for schoolboys to read, but it's just a little too gruesome, with enough suspense to give everyone nightmares.When seemingly innocent young girls are being seen off on a regular basis, the whole town (not called Brentford, but that's where it was set) starts to panic, speculate and point fingers. There's a troubled marriage, some inappropriate relationships and a whole circus thrown in to give us enough red herrings to feed a football team. Mitchell's writing flows beautifully, building up then calming us down again over and over, before the nail-biting finish. It also gives us a great insight into everyday life of inter-war Middlesex. Do get your hands on a copy.

Being a non reader really, this book has kept my attentionSo that has got to say something about it

Not as good as some to complicated .

This is great - full of period atmosphere - I think its her very best novel

Loved this story! It's written as by an adolescent boy 80 odd years ago - by which I mean he could spell and understood the basics of grammar. True - they were carrying weapons but they were so polite and respectful to grown-ups that you felt it was OK. It's a grand romp of a mystery story with villains and heroes and I heartily recommend it.

I found difficulty continuing with the story and would not seek out other books by this author.The book itself was in the conditionas stated and delivery etc was very good

Book was early and in great shape. Much better than I expected from a book published in 1945.Very happy

Great read

Young women are dropping like flies in this tale of murder in a small, pre-WWII English village, but this is not quite a 'cozy' tale. The narrator, Simon Innes, is 13 years old and describes himself as the Watson to his 11-year old brother Keith. They live with their brother, Jack, and his slightly shrewish wife and with their lodger, a lovely young woman named Christina, whom the boys adore...and perhaps Jack adores as well. As as it is school holidays, they have time on their hands to investigate. A second murder seems to implicate Jack. The town is populated by the odd but intriguing keeper of an 'antique' shop, the local constable who is one of Christina's admirers and the mysterious, repellent 'rag and bone' man. Scotland Yard is called in, and arrives with Mrs. Bradley, a psychologist with 'claw like hands' who is, in fact, the true detective of the piece.It takes a talented writer to use the point of view of children to tell a tale, but allows an innocent voice to suggest that what they see is better understood by the reader than the narrator. Simon and Keith both charming, not quite fearless, and dogged in their pursuit of trying to figure out who done it. Gladys Mitchell has done a lovely job of putting you into the place, the time and the mindset of a gentler time, when murder was a more horrible happenstance than in modern day. Her characters take a little bit of a stretch to be entirely believable, but the reader who is willing to suspend disbelief for a while will find the exploits of the kids, and the clear eyed conclusions of Mrs Bradley a well done and thoroughly enjoyable read. The need to accept the characters and a somewhat confusing description of the streets and byways of the town (a map would have helped) is what kept me from 5 stars, but it is a niggling complaint. I definitely am going to read more of Gladys Mitchell.If you like English murders from the Golden Age (Ngaio Marsh, Margaret Allingham, Josephine Tey, Catherine Aird and the like), and you like good writing with a literate voice, you will like The Rising of the Moon.

I just finished the Rising of the Moon by Gladys Mitchell and it was the best yet! I'm glad that Kindle Unlimited doled out her novels in such a seemingly haphazard manner. I've read most of the 65 books and have preferred to read any of The Dame Beatrice /Mrs Bradley seriesthan anything else in this past year or so. Mrs Mitchell created the most interesting characters in the series-Mrs Bradley, who later becomes Dame Beatrice, her secretary and Watson, Laura, and Laura's husband, Gavin, who works his way from cop to a high position in Scotland Yard.(+ Mrs Bradley's relatives and friends). But this story is told by a 13 yo boy, as he and his younger brother are on the scene when the murders begin-

Could not put this down. Every word composed in such a fashion as to keep drawing you deeper into this classic English set mystery. Can't wait to start the next one.