A Review of Karen Baugh Menuhin’s Heathcliff Lennox Series by E. B. Davis

English author Karen Baugh Menuhin didn’t start writing until she turned sixty. And then she turned out a series that is historical, humorous, and very British cozy. Her success heartens those of us who are close in age. The eighth book in the series will be published in September. A few of the books are available on Kindle Unlimited. The first book in the series, Murder at Melrose Court, introduces main character Major Heathcliff Lennox (his mother’s choice of first name vexes him). Most other characters still refer to him as Major although his butler calls him Sir. Lennox will inherit a title since his relations are titled gentry. But his prowess as a pilot during the Great War supersedes the old-world title. 

Lennox is a modern man of the 1920s. By the end of the war, Lennox lost both his parents. He inherited his house, and, we gather, investments on which he lives. He has a telephone. He has staff, his butler Greggs, who had been his batman/valet during the war years, Cook, and Cook’s young nephew Tommy Jenkins, who we gather would be homeless without Lennox’s support. But his relationships with his staff are not those of upstairs/downstairs. Although Greggs is an excellent butler, he also takes to his bottle. Lennox doesn’t judge and can only compliment Greggs on his choice of spirits. Lennox has a cocker spaniel named Mr. Fogg, due to his lack of clear thinking. In the second book, Lennox acquires a cat. He never travels without taking the pets with him. 

During a murder investigation, he meets Inspector Swift of Scotland Yard. They are adversaries at first, but begrudgingly realize that they complement each other. One is quick witted and has entry into the upper classes. The other has police authority and is schooled in the detective arts. They become friends. Although who is whose sidekick is always in question. 

What is lovely about the series is not only the humor, but the historical detail. Technological inventions and societal changes are incorporated in the plots. In one book, Menuhin includes Russian expatriates. With the demise of imperial Russia in 1917, lesser nobles flee the country to find peers and homes in England. Lennox’s uncle becomes the target of one such Russian princess, who seeks a fortune. In another book, a new invention, the metal detector, is used by Lennox. Menuhin also adds notes at the end of some books that are interesting asides to the historic details she uses in the plot. She shows her research in the notes, which she wisely didn’t try to put into the manuscripts. One such note about the metal detector involves the assassination of President Garfield. In another, she tells of Winston Churchill being able to get liquor from Walgreens during the Prohibition. The real-world anecdotes are interesting additions to her fictional depiction of history. 

I highly recommend this series. Lennox’s thoughts and attitudes are funny and progressive. There’s always dinner by the fireside, a pet to pet, and the comradery of good men and women (and one such woman captures his romantic interest) who fight for justice in war and in murder investigation. Although it’s Lennox in the end who figures out whodunit.