Monday, December 16, 2019

Another British Library Crime Classic...

A locked train compartment.
A mysterious red light in the Blackdown Tunnel.
A gun under the seat.
A missing ticket stub.
Sir Wilfred Saxonby found dead.
Was it suicide....or murder?

"If you find a man dead in a locked railway carriage, with the weapon which killed him within a couple of feet, the suggestion of suicide is bound to be pretty strong. But, all the same, there are certain objections to the suicide theory ....  We don't know enough about Saxonby and his affairs. We may find that he had a reasonable and sufficient motive for committing suicide. It is equally possible that we find that somebody had a reasonable and sufficient motive for killing him."
So begins Inspector Arnold of Scotland Yard's investigation into Sir Wilfred's death. There are a lot of questions to answer, but each answer only leads Inspector Arnold to more questions. And more suspects. I'm glad it wasn't up to me to figure this mystery out; I had no clue as to who did what, or why. Arnold and his friend, Desmond Merrion, an amateur criminologist, did a very good job of ferreting out every last detail of the crime. I enjoyed the way this mystery unfolded piece by piece. I thought it was very reminiscent of those puzzling murders that Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot seems to figure out so easily. Miles Burton's Death in the Tunnel is both well-written and entertaining. It's not exactly a suspenseful page-turner, but I liked it all the same. It was well worth the 25¢ I paid for it at the library's used book sale last year.

Happy Reading!



20 comments:

  1. Sounds like a good read and I agree it's very reminiscent of Agatha Christie's books, which I like. Will keep this book in mind. :)

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    1. It did remind me a lot of a Christie mystery. (Although not quite as good as hers are.)

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  2. It's always a good day when you enjoy a book that you paid only 25 cents for...and this one sounds like fun. :-)

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  3. I have read one of Miles Burton's other books, The Secret of High Eldersham and thought it was entertaining but not great. This one sounds much more appealing to me - I'm glad you liked it!

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    1. This is the only Burton mystery I've read, and I did like it. :)

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  4. This sounds great! I love a good classic British mystery. :)

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  5. Replies
    1. :D I wish there was a library sale everyday!

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  6. You can't go wrong with a book you buy for a quarter!

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  7. I need to get this one, especially since I mostly liked the other Miles burton mystery I read. Plus that cover!!

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  8. Sounds like a real bargain! I love it when a book turns out to be a gem like that.

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  9. Wow, you can't beat that price! Ever time I read a review of a British Library Crime Classic I think I really should read them. They are right up my street in terms of the kind of mystery I typically enjoy. :D

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    1. And there are so many of them to choose from! I've only read five, but I've enjoyed them all and hope to read more in the new year. :)

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