8 h 27 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 8 h 27 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Who can you trust when murder reaches the room where a small town keeps its power?
In the Mayor's Parlour by J. S. Fletcher brings murder into the world of an English town and its council. The setting points toward civic duty, quiet influence and secrets behind public respectability. At the heart of this mystery lies a troubling question: how well can people know the neighbours they trust?
This is a puzzle for readers who like to pause, question and piece facts together. Political corruption and hidden secrets put local power under scrutiny, while the small-town setting gives trust a personal weight. Fletcher's plain, steady storytelling invites close attention rather than a rush toward sudden danger.
What you’ll discover
- Power behind closed doors Enter a civic setting where public dignity sits beside the quiet use of influence.
- Secrets close to home Explore a murder mystery rooted in ordinary places, among people whose trust matters.
- A puzzle worth patience Enjoy the measured pleasure of questions, close attention and facts slowly coming together.
- The weight of reputation Consider how standing in a small community shapes whom people choose to believe.
- Questions of local justice Look beyond the crime to the uneasy relationship between law and neighbours' judgments.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy a country-town mystery with sealed rooms, secret passages, inquests and courtroom surprises, and anyone drawn to stories of local politics, rival factions and a stranger who refuses to leave.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A Mayor Climbs the Stairs and Dies
- A Locked Hall and a Burned Handkerchief
- Gossip, a Rapier and a Surprising Will
- The Inquest and the Anonymous Letter
- A Stranger Decides to Stay
- The Nineteen Minutes and the Doctor's Silence
- A Newspaper Coup and a Daring Rescue
- Loose Ends and Dangerous Secrets
- What the Book Says About a Town
Who’s who
- Richard BrentA blunt London journalist and the Mayor's cousin, he stays in Hathelsborough to find the killer and carry on his cousin's reforms.
- John WallingfordThe reforming Mayor, a shrewd solicitor, investigates the borough's finances and makes powerful enemies.
- Simon CroodA wealthy tanner, Deputy Mayor and Town Trustee, he speaks in smooth sympathy and guards the old ways.
- Queenie CroodHis quiet niece hides spirit and wit, longs for the London stage, and becomes Brent's ally.
- Superintendent HawthwaiteThe slow but stubborn police chief follows clues and keeps his plans secret until he is ready to act.
- Mrs. SaumarezA rich, clever widow who loves politics and company, she asks Brent for her letters and avoids publicity.
- PeppermoreThe eager editor of the Monitor loves a scoop and backs Brent with headlines and a special edition.
- Krevin CroodSimon's brother is a polished, shabby former solicitor who lives on a pension and knows every corner of the old town.
Formats and delivery
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 8 h 27 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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El salón del alcalde
by J. S. Fletcher · 1922
A mayor dies in a guarded medieval hall, and his cousin Brent faces a town where everyone keeps secrets.
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In short
In the Mayor's Parlour is a murder mystery by J. S.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Mayor Climbs the Stairs and Dies
The story opens in the market square of Hathelsborough, a town that prides itself on being old. A great church stands at one end, and the fortress-like Moot Hall stands at the other. Two medieval crosses sit in the square, and the curfew bell still rings every night, an hour after sunset. On an April evening, Bunning, the caretaker of the Moot Hall and a retired soldier, stands at the iron gates smoking his pipe and admiring the view.
He sees the Mayor, John Wallingford, hurry across the square. Wallingford is a small man in careless clothes, carrying papers and a worn umbrella. He has lived in the town for only about twelve years, and he was elected Mayor by a single vote. He tells Bunning he will be in the Mayor's Parlour and must not be disturbed. The one exception is his cousin, Mr. Brent, who is expected from London.
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What is In the Mayor's Parlour about?
It is a murder mystery set in the old English borough of Hathelsborough. The reforming Mayor is found stabbed in his official room, and his cousin, a London journalist, investigates while challenging the town's corrupt financial ruling group.
Who is Richard Brent?
Brent is Wallingford's cousin and heir, a sharp-eyed London journalist. He decides to stay in Hathelsborough, buys a house to become a burgess, stands for the Town Council, and keeps searching for his cousin's killer.
What are the Town Trustees?
The Town Trustees are three men who control the borough's money under an ancient charter. They choose their own successors and answer to no one. Wallingford wanted to abolish the system and put the finances under the elected Corporation.
The author
J. S. Fletcher
1863–1935 · English mystery novelist
Joseph Smith Fletcher (1863–1935) was a British journalist and author who lived in England. He was born in Halifax, Yorkshire. He wrote historical fiction, detective novels and poetry during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His novels include Ravensdene Court, The Herapath Property and In the Mayor’s Parlour.
More by J. S. Fletcher
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