Excellent Intentions

August 1, 2018
Originally published in 1938, this British mystery ponders which of several people could have killed a rich man everyone agreed was better off dead.Henry Cargate, the new owner of Scotney End Hall, went out of his way to annoy and insult people. He made no friends in the village when he brought in from London every supply and most of the servants. So when he dies on a train, there is little sadness but some confusion. Was it his bad heart--or murder? The novel unfolds within the structure of a courtroom trial, with droll mental observations from the judge and the foreman of the jury as the case is presented. Interspersed are accounts of interviews conducted by the deceptively simple investigator from Scotland Yard. If it was murder, which of four suspects could it be--the secretary, the butler, the village vicar, or a dealer in rare stamps who had called on Cargate? The novel has several earmarks of a Golden Age mystery--the manor house setting, the stately pace (this is not a book to skim), and the distinctions of class. But while there are true moments of dry humor, the author (The Martineau Murders, 1953, etc.) indulges in rather too much repetition of who-could-have-when scenarios, and the ending will leave many readers unsatisfied if not downright puzzled.While one applauds the idea of reissuing classic crime novels, this isn't the choice to reawaken fans' interests or to charm new readers to the genre.

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Starred review from August 27, 2018
This droll and inventive golden age mystery, first published in 1938, from Hull (1896–1973) offers a courtroom-based whodunit with a twist. A murder defendant, unidentified for the bulk of the book, stands accused of poisoning Henry Cargate by mixing powdered potassium cyanide into his snuff while traveling on a train. As the deceased was perversely hostile to almost everybody, Scotland Yard has no shortage of suspects, including a stamp dealer whom Cargate accused of fraud, and the investigation focuses on who could have had the opportunity to introduce the poison into Cargate’s snuffbox. The court scenes, presented from the perspective of the presiding judge, the jury foreman, and the advocates for and against the accused, are artful examples of an author’s using wit as a method of diverting attention from vital clues, making the identity of the suspect a genuine surprise. This reissue exemplifies the mission of the British Library Crime Classics series in making an outstanding and original mystery accessible to a modern audience.