The Kindness of Strangers

42 Tregunter Road in Chelsea is a sort of glamorous boarding (glamboarding?) house, crowded with quite the menagerie of residents. In this classic golden-age murder mystery set just in post-World War II England—chocolate is finally no longer rationed—it’s a stranger’s arrival that sets the story into motion. The old Victorian houses the owner, Mrs. Honor Wilson, a Bohemian who publishes a literary journal; writer Robbie; Mina, would-be detective; debutante George; and Saul, who would like to forget his refugee past. Then into the cozy home arrives Jimmy Sullivan, whose presence sets everyone else atwitter, and who smoothly moves into the attic (Honor claims he is a friend of the family. No one believes her). From there the story really takes off as Jimmy’s secrets, lies, and schemes come tumbling out, leaving one of the group most resolutely dead. A delightful period piece as sophisticated as it is humorous.