Book Review- Forgotten Fiction

Death of a Star (1932) by G.D.H. and M. Cole

Synopsis:

The story begins with a typical London scene: a black taxi, the River Thames and a traditional uniformed policeman. We are introduced to Police Constable Wedderburn as he is making his usual night time patrol alongside the River. He is stopped by a cabbie, seeking directions after dropping off their last fare.

The driver mentions a parcel, which was left behind by their passenger, and how uneasy it makes him feel. Upon investigation in the moonlight, the parcel of crumpled newspaper wrapped in a fish bag is found to be a decapitated head with 'eyes wide open and staring'.

How did the head come to end up in the taxi? How did the head come to be separated from the body, a head quickly identified as that of famous starlet Rita Morning? And just where is the body?

These are all questions PC Wedderburn, Inspector Hennessy and Chief Inspector Camp will have to answer. Members of the public, Patrick Sayle and Everard Blatchington also offer their assistance, after they stumble across the scene.

    Having been intrigued by the idea of a husband and wife writing books together, this was the first of their books I have read.

As you can surmise, there is no one overall detective, in contrast to Agatha Christie's works featuring the famous Poirot. This is where the whole books becomes slightly confusing, flashing from one narrative to another. It hardly seems important who will solve the case, just as long as the case ends up solved.

    I was expecting one main 'hero of the hour' who would wade through the red herrings and deceit to solve the murder of poor Rita Morning. The constant stream of sleuths, some working together and others putting in a solo effort, made for a fast paced read that rattled along nicely.

No sooner had one policeman cursed himself for a lack of progress in the case, then another member of the police force took up the reins. They would promptly sniff out three clues, overturn an alibi and whittle down the suspect list. No bad for one chapter's work!

    I presumed one of the main characters would be Patrick Sayle. It is in his road that the taxi turns up, and he resolves to solve the mystery before the police blame it on the taxi driver. Interesting class prejudice- the taxi driver is worried he will be the scapegoat. "Law's different for poor men, sir", he remarks mournfully. So our people's champion, Sayle, decides to investigate the case. The Coles then decided not to mention Sayle for three long winded chapters, by which time I had promptly forgotten how he came in be involved in the whole matter.

Admirable Art Deco inspired title page

    After several days of inquests and interrogations, the case is solved by Chief Inspector Camp (not Sayle!). The choice of perpetrator seems to come completely out of the blue, making for a surprising ending.

    I found the story enjoyable, although the abundance of policemen of varying ranks and characters did take some getting used to. Several plot points are explored, and then never mentioned again until the summing up in the final chapter. I hadn't a hope in hell of solving the mystery, or of guessing the killer's identity!

    Still, all writers’ styles take some getting used to and I have already earmarked some more books by Mr. and Mrs. Cole for the future. Their quick style engages the reader, and I found the concept of a taxi passenger 'accidentally' misplacing a hacked off head both original and fresh!

Drinks mentioned: 

Whisky

A nice whisky cures all problems, even finding a human head! 

'His face was white and glistening under the lamp.

"Find a double whisky, quick, will you?"

More whisky!

'The inspector....seized from the tray the large double whisky which was his daily portion'

Drinking to excess

"Death of the Morning - jolly good poster," he said, chuckling over his sixth whiskey-and-soda.'

 

Punch

It is drunk a party, described as a 'good stiff drink' and 'golden'.

Afternoon tea

'Lady's Christine's club was comparatively cool and comparatively pleasant to look at, and they secured a cool table in the window and a large selection of sandwiches.'

 Rum

Chosen as it works quickest on the drinker! 'He stretched a vague hand for the glass, automatically splashed some soda into it, and took a deep gulp.'

Body Count: Just the one, the unfortunate head-less Rita Morning.

 

Overall verdict: 3 and a half champagne glasses out of 5

Have you read any books by G.D.H and M. Cole? Do you have any suggestions of forgotten authors for future reviews? Leave a comment below!

-bodyinthelibrary