The Mystery at Rake Hall: C.S. Lewis investigates (The Times Best Crime Fiction of 2025 So Far) (C.S. Lewis Investigates, 1)

'Satisfyingly violent' The Times, Best Crime Fiction of 2025 So Far'Sprightly and elegantly written mystery' The Daily Telegraph'A marvellous literary thriller' Clare Chase'A clever and refreshing take on the mystery novel' Jo Silva?In post-war Oxford, secrets lie behind every door. In 1947, with rationing still biting and the black market thriving, university don C.S. ‘Jack’ Lewis finds himself pulled into a mystery straight from one of his friend Dorothy Sayers’ novels.Susan Temple, his brightest student, has hidden herself away at Rake Hall - a hostel for unmarried, outcast mothers - and hasn’t been heard from since. With no experience beyond catching the occasional student plagiarist, Lewis is hardly a detective.But when Susan’s absence continues to haunt him, he teams up with her concerned friend Lucy and together they delve into the disturbing rumours of a nasty racket at Rake Hall.Can Lewis’s nose for the truth separate fact from fiction?In The Mystery at Rake Hall, Maureen Pato