Scandal at High Chimneys: A Victorian

Victorian era

The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...

 Melodrama

Melodrama

The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...

is a historical mystery novel by John Dickson Carr

John Dickson Carr

John Dickson Carr was an American author of detective stories, who also published under the pen names Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson and Roger Fairbairn....

. It was published in the USA and Canada by Harper & Row in August 1959.

The story is set in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, 1865, and concerns a house called High Chimneys where secrets are hidden among the household members.

Plot introduction

Clive Strickland, lawyer and author, was to discover a bewildering and terrifying slice of Victorian life when his friend Victor Damon asked him to visit the family estate. The Damon family home, a huge and formidable mansion, plays host to a multitude of characters. Strange things happen at the Damons': a ghost like figure threatens; Matthew Damon gets murdered under impossible circumstances and it take the brilliance of Jonathan Whicher to solve the tangled puzzle.