Mary Roberts Rhinehart, the American Agatha Christie (or you can consider Agatha Christie to be the English Mary Roberts Rhinehart, however you prefer) writes similarly to her English counterpart, by means of cozy mysteries and minimal actual violence and gore.
The Bat is about a robber villain who strikes terror in the heart of a country village and Miss Cornelia van Gorner, a shrewd older woman, isn't having any of it. The book takes place in her house, along with several friends (and enemies), and maybe a gun or two. Overall, the story reads more like a play, with multiple complex scenes happening at once and minimal scene changes. Suspenseful story, with minor twists and turns but in the end, nothing too extravagant.