Death by BEquest would be better than the current silly title for this long English cosy from 1933, the only mystery story from this couple. The elderly Reverend Joseph Colchester narrates how young Lord Malvern is gassed in a supposedly locked room at a house party. Suspicion is thrown in turn on the young girl who was supposed to be his lover; on her fiancee, the son of the house; on the servant who was attempting to blackmail them; on Malvern's estranged wife. A young private investigator arrives from London in a fast two-seater, promptly falls in love with the widow and clears it all up with her help.
Competently written and occasionally witty, but with no real surprises; once everyone puts aside their absurd reasons for not telling the truth the business is sorted out fairly quickly. Even the twist at the end is predictable from first-time mystery writers wanting to make an impression.
The Johns might have gone on to make a mark on the mystery world; but they obviously felt that public reaction to this one was not exciting enough to make it worth their while. And I can't really blame them.
Jon.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
