Reginald Willard, the central character of A. A. Milne's novel Two People seems to lead the perfect life. He has plenty of money, a stunning country house and garden and his beautiful young wife, Sylvia. Despite their age difference, they are very much in love. Reginald has a go at writing a novel which is published to great acclaim and it is now that Reginald begins to realise he has has little he has in common with his wife other than their shared years together. The rift between them is exacerbated when they move to London where Reginald is drawn to the intellectual and artistic set which holds no appeal to his wife. Reminiscent in style and subject to Evelyn Waugh, A. A. Milne's novel carries echoes of his own marriage to his wife Daphne.

In her critically acclaimed, ingenious memoir, Sarah Messer explores America’s fascination with history, family, and Great Houses. Her Massachusetts childhood home had sheltered the Hatch family for 325 years when her parents bought it in 1965. The will of the house’s original owner, Walter Hatch—which stipulated Red House was to be passed down, "never to be sold or mortgaged from my children and grandchildren forever"—still hung in the living room. In Red House, Messer explores the strange and enriching consequences of growing up with another family’s birthright. Answering the riddle of when shelter becomes first a home and then an identity, Messer has created a classic exploration of heritage, community, and the role architecture plays in our national identity.

From Mark Haddon, the bestselling author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, comes a dazzlingly inventive novel about modern family life. Richard, a wealthy doctor, invites his estranged sister and her family to join his family for a week at a vacation home in the English countryside. Against the backdrop of a strange family gathering, Haddon skillfully weaves together the stories of eight very different people forced into close quarters. The Red House is a symphony of long-held grudges, fading dreams and rising hopes, tightly guarded secrets and illicit desires, painting a portrait of contemporary family life that is at once bittersweet, comic, and deeply felt.

Compiled in one book, the essential collection of books by A. A. MilneBelindaFirst PlaysHappy DaysThe Holiday RoundIf I MayMr. Pim Passes ByNot that it MattersOnce a WeekThe Red House MysterySecond PlaysThe Sunny Side

Classic crime, at its very best. With a new introduction by Gyles Brandreth. The Red House is a country residence far removed from the world of the Hundred Acre Wood but its story has much of the same charm and wit. There is, of course, a murder, and when the local police fail to solve the crime, an amateur sleuth readily steps in. What follows is a delightful whodunnit with humour, excitement and a suitably surprising twist at the end. A. A. Milne loved detective stories and pays homage to Sherlock Holmes in his detective - the clever and charismatic Anthony Gillingham- and his assistant, Bill Beverley. This is classic crime at its very best. 'I love his writing' P.G.Wodehouse

"The Red House Mystery: The Piccadilly Novels" by Duchess Margaret Wolfe Hungerford was an Irish novelist whose light romantic fiction was popular throughout the English-speaking world in the late 19th century, prompting her to adopt the pen name "Duchess." In this book, readers are taken on a winding adventure of a mystery to solve a murder. Suspicious behavior, old foes, and secrets are all revealed in a way to keep audiences guessing until the end.

A classic Golden Age locked-room cozy mystery by the author of Winnie-the-Pooh — hailed as one of the “20 Best Classic Murder Mystery Books of All Time (Town & Country, 2023) "Has the pacing equivalent of perfect pitch . . . and spiced with funny comments on the clichés of the mystery novel" — Molly Young, The New York Times (2024) In a quaint English country house, the exuberant Mark Ablett has been entertaining a house party, but the festivities are rudely interrupted by the arrival of Mark's wayward brother, Robert, home from Austalia. Even worse, not long after his arrival the long-lost brother is found dead, shot through the head, and Mark is nowhere to be found. It is up to amateur detective Tony Gillingham and his pal Bill to investigate. Between games of billiards and bowls, the taking of tea and other genteel pursuits, Tony and Bill attempt to crack the perplexing case of their host’s disappearance and its connection to the mysterious shooting. Can the pair of sleuths solve the Red House mystery in time for their afternoon game of croquet? The Red House Mystery marked Milne’s first and final venture into the detective genre, despite the book’s immediate success. Praised by Raymond Chandler and renowned critic Alexander Woolcott, this gem of classic Golden Age crime sparkles with witty dialogue, an intriguing cast of characters, and a brilliant plot.