Just finished Brian Flynn's 'The Billiard Room Mystery' and wow - what a delightful surprise! This 1927 hidden gem had me hooked from the cricket week setting to that absolutely bonkers murder method (strangled AND knifed? Talk about overkill!).

Anthony Bathurst makes for such an interesting detective - he's got that Sherlock Holmes vibe but with his own brand of smug charm. Though honestly, I wanted to shake him sometimes with his know-it-all attitude. His Watson, Bill Cunningham, balances him out perfectly though.

The country house setting is classic Golden Age - stolen jewels, secret passages, and all the upper-class drama you could want. But what really got me was how Flynn plays with expectations. Just when you think you've figured it out... BAM! Plot twist!

Not gonna lie, the ending had me staring at the page like 'Wait... WHAT?' in the best possible way. It's one of those solutions that makes you want to immediately reread to spot all the clues you missed.

If you're into cozy mysteries or Golden Age detective stories, this is a must-read. Dean Street Press deserves major props for bringing Flynn back from obscurity - I've already bought the next three in the series!