Laurels Are Poison (Rue Morgue Classic British Mysteries)

This is a vintage murder mystery. You can rediscover Gladys Mitchell - one of the 'Big Three' female crime fiction writers alongside Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. The witchlike psychologist and detective Mrs Bradley takes up the position of warden at a girl's college in order to investigate the ominous disappearance of her predecessor. Her arrival coincides with a series of sinister practical jokes - a student's hair is hacked off, clothes are slashed, then the cook's body is discovered in a river near the college. With the help of her sub-warden and a trio of intrepid students, Mrs Bradley hunts down the culprit. Opinionated, unconventional, unafraid... If you like Poirot and Miss Marple, you'll love Mrs Bradley.