1920s Mysteries
for 21st Cantury Readers
Hello, Sleuth.
So, which of our suspects will you accuse of causing Mr Iremonger's death?
​
Freddie Houston, angry at being abandoned, angry at being left with the family shame hanging over him, and angry that, even so many years later, he was being forced to clean up his father's mess yet again?
Lilith Iremonger, who, on top of everything her brother was dealing with, had to choose between the man she loved and the business that supported not only herself, but so many other people?
​​
Lilith’s boyfriend, Alf Fewkes, exacting revenge on a man whose actions may scupper not only her business, but also her love life?
​
Maxwell King, the business partner who had brought their enterprise back from the brink once already but now facing another disaster?
​
Isodora Whelk, a landlady finally snapping after discovering who Mr Ireson really was - and what he was worth - after years of late rent payments?
​
Augustus Headley, the lawyer who lost his daughter in the accident Mr Iremonger caused?
​
Edwin Gouldby, the lawyer's clerk who lost his fiancée in the accident?
​
Or have I thrown you a huge plot twist and Mr Iremonger took his own life after discovering he'd been conned?
​
Make your accusation below, and reveal what really happened...
Freddie Houston Mr Frederick Houston may have loathed his father. He may disown him as often as possible, choosing to use his mother's maiden name in preference to his own to further distance himself from the tragedy his father caused. If he'd have known his father was still alive, he may have wished him dead. But he's not our killer. At the time Mr Iremonger was meeting his maker, Freddie really was downing champers with the lads, and doing his part to save the Gilded Moon Line. He was telling the truth about not knowing Mr Iremonger was still alive, and it wouldn't have changed anything if he had have known. Freddie would have continued not acknowledging his father's existence, and working hard to repair the family business for the sake of his mother and sister.
Lilith Iremonger Though heartbroken at the thought of having to choose between the man she loves and saving her family's business, Lilith was unaware her father was still alive. Incidentally, she has decided that, since coming into her father's money (which she and her brother cashed out of the Ponzi scheme before it collapsed), she no longer needs to marry the awful ex-boyfriend to save her financial situation, and is getting her happily ever after with Alf.
Alfred Fewkes As Alf and Lilith met several years after her father's disappearance, and neither knew he was still alive, Alf is not our killer.
Maxwell King Max is a successful entrepreneur, and a surprisingly honest person. Had he been aware of his former friend still being alive, he would have turned him over to the police rather than sending threatening blackmail letters and conducting an elaborate murder plot. As he's been eating, sleeping, and breathing The Gilded Moon Line for the past decade, Max wouldn't jeopardise that for anything - not even revenge - and so, even if presented with the opportunity, wouldn't have taken it.
Isodora Whelk Yes, her description of Mr Iremonger sounded a little too good to be true - and it was - and though any good landlady may understandably take exception when someone like him tried to pay his debts without money - and she did - it simply isn't good business to go bumping off regular payers. Even if they are late on rent occasionally and try to pay in kind...
Augustus Headley Though he had plenty of motive for killing Mr Iremonger, Augustus Headley would have found other ways of making the man pay - literally. But, not through suspicious blackmail notes luring him to abandoned houses in the dead of night. No, Mr Headley's revenge would have been slow and lucrative, taking the form of complicated legal processed and the bills to match. Mr Iremonger probably wouldn't have even realised he was being bled dry financially... Which would have made the revenge so much better.
Edwin Gouldby ...
Mr Iremonger Okay, so this would have been a fun twist to throw you, but Mr Iremonger simply isn't the type to take his own life. If he was, he'd have done it years ago, through shame or desperation. But, as one of life's eternally hopeful chancers, no matter how bad it got, his luck was always just about to turn for the better. And the people on the Peony Princess? A shame, of course, but he didn't know them. Why should he lose sleep over the lives of a few strangers, when it meant he could get his hands on the money he valued far more than human life? He is unlikely to be missed...