Chitterwick's Own Case
A brave and highly readable attempt at a classic misdirection mystery which doesn't quite come off. Ambrose Chitterwick, a year or two after his success in The Poisoned Chocolates Case, is dining alone at the crowded Piccadilly Palace Hotel. He meets the eye of a redheaded man across the way and is stared down; but later, returning his gaze, sees the man's hand hovering over the coffee cup of his elderly female companion. Chitterwick is called to the phone, and when he returns the man has gone and the woman is dying of prussic acid poisoning.
Catapulted into the limelight as a major witness, Chitterwick is feted by the press and befriended by the police. His testimony makes it possible to arrest and charge Major Lynn Sinclair, the murdered woman's nephew. Surely this is an open-and-shut case? But Mr Chitterwick has his doubts, and these only grow when he is recruited to aid the accused man's family and friends.
The heart of the story lies in Chitterwick's burgeoning suspicions, and how these are confirmed. Diffident but determined, Chitterwick slowly gathers the threads into his hand. Called on to visit witnesses, trick suspects and mislead a murderer, he gains confidence as he goes, ultimately acquiring enough savoir-faire to defy an aunt of Wodehousian proportions. There is the Incident of the Pepper-pot, and the Curious Case of the Overdone Accents. The final throw of the dice requires a mercy dash: lives are saved, and Mr Chitterwick drops his surprise-ending bombshell with panache. There is a good deal of humour along the way.
And yet.. somehow there just aren't enough suspects to make the ending that much of a surprise. By deferring the start of the real investigation to page 77 (out of 192), Berkeley doesn't leave his hero sufficient room to spread red herrings about. A less determinate set-up would have given more scope for misdirection.
But Mr Chitterwick and his aunt are delightful enough to make up for the slightly disappointing ending. B plus for a good effort.
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