A. A. Milne

The Red House Mystery: a Magic Lamp Classic Mystery A. A. Milne Reprint edition

The Red House Mystery is a mystery novel by A. A. Milne, published in 1922. It was Milne's only mystery novel; he is better known for his children's stories like "Winnie the Pooh" and poems. The Red House is an English country house loaded with guests, including a British major, a willful actress, and a young jock athlete. Tony Gillingham arrives at the Red House moments after a gunshot is heard. The room is locked, the murderer has disappeared and, in Tony's opinion, the police are going about it the wrong way. Antony, who was looking for a new profession anyway, decides to solve the murder himself, with a little help from his friend Bill. The Red House Mystery was immediately popular; Alexander Woollcott called it "one of the three best mystery stories of all time," but Raymond Chandler complained that the amateur detective's success comes only because the police are incompetent.