Originally penned some time around 1938, this is a very twee, and gentile murder mystery.


I would like to think, that like Nostradamus, the prediction of world war being in full throw during the setting of the book. Were, that of the author. However, I think that this may have been edited into the work to give it the extra impetus. Not that this detracts from the story itself.



It is everything that you would expect from a work that is circa 80 years old. A part of the Crime Club books. Having read some of the blurb at the start of it, Mr. Hull, helped Agatha Christie hone her skills for the Murder Mystery genre, that was popular at the time of the original release. However, I digress.


To the story. Like I have already said, it twee, gentile and exponentially British. In a tongue of the time, there are times when you are left wondering about a word or two. But it flows. You don't necessarily need a dictionary with you. Because sometimes the words just leaves a satisfying buzz in your ear as all the others around it draw you in.


A man back from the war, discharged on medical grounds, an MD, Government contracts, accountants and London's finest. The twists and turns, meander. Not in a bad way. But, are present.


A very British framing, featuring manipulation, coercion and suggestion.


This may not be for everyone, but it does give insight into just how different things were. It does take a little getting used to the prose. But overall, a good read.


Status: Completed


Rating: 3.9 / 5.0

There is something about this author that resonates with me, the skill with words makes up for anything missing from the actual deaths and the ensuing revelations. Once again, I used my husband to measure the random reactions of someone other than me. I left him the task of keeping the kindle page from going off, and to read the page if he felt like it in the meantime. Although it was the middle of the chapter, with no proper introductions to the people in the story, he found it intelligent and entertaining. 

The story is straightforward, and the solution is plain to see, but that is almost beside the point of reading this book. It is more about the interesting conversations that the 'ordinary people' have. The civil servants are the fodder for the tale. Their monotonous jobs(or that's how they are portrayed) and their self effacing manner of speaking is featured in a very entertaining fashion.  We are introduced to one company that is the focus of this particular incident. The two directors are talking about one of them confessing to a murder. The twist comes when the police given the case want to prove the man innocent. Then the story proceeds down the standard route giving us a play by play of the process. We have witness being hunted, people being questioned and alibis being checked. During all of this, the brilliant narration continued to hold me and make me chuckle. Below are two statements that I highlighted initially, but beyond that, I kept doing it so much that it became too much to put down anywhere, so I stopped:

"He had not taken a liking to the face of the man slumped in the chair by the fireplace. Perhaps he had not made enough allowance for the fact that the man was not looking his best-"

"..failing to make any impression on him, he was reduced to putting his discourtesy into words"

It may not be for those who are on the lookout for an intriguing plot and a twist to top all twists, and it will not keep anyone glued to their seats, but it is still worth picking up just for the intelligence behind those words that are strung together. I just wish I had the forethought to request the other books by the author, which the publishers re-published recently.

Financial shenanigans, much meddling and murder in a classic Richard Hull mystery. Typically well crafted, cleverly plotted and full of trademark wit - an entertaining and enjoyably quirky read.

How do I talk about this book and not give away the solution? Well, I’ll try.
Hull has once again surprised me with the format of a story. Almost from the first page, I got the feeling that all not is as it should be. It just doesn’t add up, nor does it to Detective Inspector Hardwick. It might just be that a trap has been laid for the Inspector, and by extension the reader. But by who? And why?
The solution to this mystery is pretty obvious. Instead, of wondering who committed this coldblooded murder, I found myself held in suspense as our rather ordinary heroes try to get gather the evidence to convict the killer. The author did a wonderful job of maneuvering his characters through an increasingly contradictory set of circumstances. For a while, I just couldn’t see how he was going to get them all out of the tangle they were in. Toward the end, I couldn’t put it down. Would the Inspector be able to sort through the red herrings and conflicting emotions?
There were several curse words, more than I have found in other books Hull wrote. Aside from those, it is a very clean book.
I received this book as a free ARC through NetGalley and Agora Books. No favorable review was required, and it was my pleasure to provide my honest opinion.