*****
When Belgian paramour Raoul Vernet is found with his head bashed in on the night of a particularly dense fog, suspicion naturally falls on members of the house he was visiting at the time. While no-one appears to have been in the immediate vicinity when Vernet was killed, Inspector Charlesworth is certain someone in house must be responsible. The family, however, are keen their good name should not be tarnished and call on the services of old friend Inspector Cockerill, who soon gets to work interviewing all concerned.
Originally titled ‘London Particular’, this is the first of Christianna Brand’s Inspector Cockerill mysteries I’ve read (though I’ve seen the film version of Green for Danger many times). Her writing style took me a little while to get used to, but by chapter five, I’d tuned in and began to enjoy it. The story seems to wander around a lot, without giving us any real clues, but then it all begins to fall into place as we learn how each of the suspects has a motive for murder. By the time it got to the court case for the prime suspect (although this isn’t necessarily the killer 😉), I was completely enthralled.
An interesting and clever book that ably demonstrates Brand’s reputation as one of the Queens’ of Crime.
Colin Garrow 