Customer Reviews

Love Lies Bleeding

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"Love Lies Bleeding" (1948) is the fifth of the Professor Fen mysteries, falling between "Swan Song" (1947) and "Buried for Pleasure" (1948). It involves foul play at the Castrevenford School for Boys, the second of Crispin's mysteries to take place outside of Fen's usual haunts in Oxford.

From 1943 to 1945 the author, Bruce Montgomery a.k.a. Edmund Crispin worked as an assistant master at Schrewsbury School, and he attributes his "knowledge of the criminal in human nature" to this experience. I'm certain the fictional Castrevenford School and its inhabitants bear a close resemblance to Schrewsbury School and its inhabitants. In fact, my Penguin edition of "Love Lies Bleeding" does not include the usual disclaimer about 'work of fiction whose characters bear no resemblance, etc. etc...'

Hopefully, there weren't quite as many homicides at Schrewsbury.

One of my favorite characters in the Fen mysteries, the ancient and possibly senile Professor Wilkes, is missing from "Love Lies Bleeding." However at Castrevenford, Professor Wilkes has an eerie alter-ego in the ancient and possibly senile mixed Bloodhound, Mr. Merrythought. In fact, the dog almost steals the stage from Fen:

"'Good God,' said Fen in a muffled voice.

"The dog was a large, forbidding bloodhound, on whose aboriginal color and shape one or two other breeds had been more or less successfully superimposed. He stood just inside the doorway, unnervingly immobile, and fixed Fen with a malevolent and hypnotic stare....

"'He ought to be put away, really,' said the headmaster, regarding Mr. Merrythought with considerable distaste. 'The trouble is, you see, that he's liable to homicidal fits.'

"'Oh,' said Fen. 'Oh.'"

Mr. Merrythought turns out to be a hero, not a murderer although there are plenty of those to go around. Fen is invited to Castrevenford by his old friend the Headmaster, as a last-minute substitute to give out the prizes on Speech Day. By the time Fen arrives, a student from the nearby Castrevenford Girls' High School has gone missing. By the end of the day, two of the teachers at Castrevenford School for Boys are dead.

"Love Lies Bleeding" is less farcical than many of the Fen mysteries. The school setting and its characters are marvelously depicted, without the exaggeration that Crispin sometimes used in his other books. If it weren't for the murders, "Love Lies Bleeding" could be classified as a minor gem of an English pastoral. It's my favorite Fen.

Of course, no Fen mystery is complete without a thicket of literary allusions. If you are familiar with Wordsworth's poem, "Love lies bleeding," then you may be able to guess the fate of the missing schoolgirl:

"You call it, "Love lies bleeding,"--so you may,/ Though the red Flower, not prostrate, only droops,/ As we have seen it here from day to day,/ From month to month, life passing not away:/ A flower how rich in sadness!..." (William Wordsworth)

"'Do you never read Matthew Arnold?' demanded Fen. 'Oxford is proverbially the home of lost corpses.'"

In this, the fifth Gervase Fen novel, Crispin has set a plot rife with intrigue and entertainment in a style which is inimitably his. Taut and clever, 'Love Lies Bleeding' revolves around events which begin at the Castrevenford Schools, separate boys and girls institutions where small disturbances have surprising ramifications.

Gervase Fen, the Oxford Professor of Language and Literature, who has been called in to speak for the schools' Speech Day by the Headmaster, an old university acquaintance, is soon in the thick of a mystery which grows deadlier as it becomes more inexplicable. Was young Brenda Boyce assaulted, and, if so, by whom? Who has broken into the chemistry laboratory, and what have they stolen? And what, if anything, is worth the risk of committing murder?

As Fen pursues the increasingly convoluted path toward the truth, he discovers that the motive behind these events may be one that is very old indeed, and a motive which he, in his professional capacity as a scholar, may understand better than anyone else involved.

The Gervase Fen detective novels are certainly among the best undiscovered treasures that many devotees of mystery fiction could hope to unearth. A perfect combination of suspense, humour, and intelligent dialogue, these tales are not to be missed.

This is a literate British cozy that takes place in a school setting. The mystery begins with a missing schoolgirl, the murder of two faculty members, and a theft from the chemistry lab. Eccentric characters include the amateur detective, Oxford English professor Gervase Fen; a rustic innkeeper; a ponderously Johnsonian carpenter/lay preacher and his obsequious assistant; and an elderly bloodhound mix, Mr. Merrythought, an unlikely hero who saves the day. Well written, with a light touch, "Love Lies Bleeding" is full of literary allusions and plenty of humor. If you like Michael Innes' mysteries, there's a good chance you'll like Edmund Crispin's too.

Having become a fan of the publishing house of Felony and Mayhem they have done mystery fans a great service in making available titles like "Love lies Bleeding". Having read most of the other Fen novels I found this to be the best, an excellent story with Fen in top form. One of the things I enjoy most about Crispins' novels is his skill in using vocabulary not usually associated with mysteries, half the fun is learning new words to impress family and friends with. For anyone looking for an enjoyable and intelligent reading experience you couldn't do better than the Gervase Fen novels.

"Love Lies Bleeding" (1948) is the fifth of the Professor Fen mysteries, falling between "Swan Song" (1947) and "Buried for Pleasure" (1948). It involves foul play at the Castrevenford School for Boys, the second of Crispin's mysteries to take place outside of Fen's usual haunts in Oxford.

From 1943 to 1945 the author, Bruce Montgomery a.k.a. Edmund Crispin worked as an assistant master at Schrewsbury School, and he attributes his "knowledge of the criminal in human nature" to this experience. I'm certain the fictional Castrevenford School and its inhabitants bear a close resemblance to Schrewsbury School and its inhabitants. In fact, my Penguin edition of "Love Lies Bleeding" does not include the usual disclaimer about 'work of fiction whose characters bear no resemblance, etc. etc...'

Hopefully, there weren't quite as many homicides at Schrewsbury.

One of my favorite characters in the Fen mysteries, the ancient and possibly senile Professor Wilkes, is missing from "Love Lies Bleeding." However at Castrevenford, Professor Wilkes has an eerie alter-ego in the ancient and possibly senile mixed Bloodhound, Mr. Merrythought. In fact, the dog almost steals the stage from Fen:

"'Good God,' said Fen in a muffled voice.

"The dog was a large, forbidding bloodhound, on whose aboriginal color and shape one or two other breeds had been more or less successfully superimposed. He stood just inside the doorway, unnervingly immobile, and fixed Fen with a malevolent and hypnotic stare....

"'He ought to be put away, really,' said the headmaster, regarding Mr. Merrythought with considerable distaste. 'The trouble is, you see, that he's liable to homicidal fits.'

"'Oh,' said Fen. 'Oh.'"

Mr. Merrythought turns out to be a hero, not a murderer although there are plenty of those to go around. Fen is invited to Castrevenford by his old friend the Headmaster, as a last-minute substitute to give out the prizes on Speech Day. By the time Fen arrives, a student from the nearby Castrevenford Girls' High School has gone missing. By the end of the day, two of the teachers at Castrevenford School for Boys are dead.

"Love Lies Bleeding" is less farcical than many of the Fen mysteries. The school setting and its characters are marvelously depicted, without the exaggeration that Crispin sometimes used in his other books. If it weren't for the murders, "Love Lies Bleeding" could be classified as a minor gem of an English pastoral. It's my favorite Fen.

Of course, no Fen mystery is complete without a thicket of literary allusions. If you are familiar with Wordsworth's poem, "Love lies bleeding," then you may be able to guess the fate of the missing schoolgirl:

"You call it, 'Love lies bleeding,'--so you may,/ Though the red Flower, not prostrate, only droops,/ As we have seen it here from day to day,/ From month to month, life passing not away:/ A flower how rich in sadness!..." (William Wordsworth)

The Gervase Fen detective series has a lot of enthusiastic fans, who have given those books some highly positive reviews, so I gave "Love Lies Bleeding" a try. Probably the wrong book to start with. From the title--which is a weak play on one of the characters' names--to the overly convoluted plot, this was anything but engaging or even especially interesting, in my opinion.

Two particular problems with the story were the protagonist himself, Gervase Fen, who could not lack more presence and be less actively engaged in the run of the plot; and the resolution of the mystery where it takes some 30 pages to sort through various suspects alibis, which leads the reader to conclude that a big surprise is the offing. Instead of that bang up surprise, there is a kind of sputtering fizzle out where the protagonist literally falls asleep as he explains the ending to a colleague. Strangely, as long and complicated as the ending is, it still leaves a number of loose ends unexplained. In fact, the sleepy detective admits that he wasn't able to figure it all out.

I'm sure that other Gervase Fen titles are more exciting, but I think I'll stick with Rankin, Hill, and other Brits who write challenging and highly enjoyable stories pretty much every time out of the box.

"Love Lies Bleeding" (1948) is the fifth of the Professor Fen mysteries, falling between "Swan Song (Felony & Mayhem Mysteries) (Gervase Fen Mysteries)" (1947) and Buried for Pleasure (Pan Classic Crime) (1948). It involves foul play at the Castrevenford School for Boys, the second of Crispin's mysteries to take place outside of Fen's usual haunts in Oxford.

From 1943 to 1945 the author, Bruce Montgomery a.k.a. Edmund Crispin worked as an assistant master at Shrewsbury School, and he attributes his "knowledge of the criminal in human nature" to this experience. I'm certain the fictional Castrevenford School and its inhabitants bear a close resemblance to Shrewsbury School and its inhabitants. In fact, my Penguin edition of "Love Lies Bleeding" does not include the usual disclaimer about `work of fiction whose characters bear no resemblance, etc. etc...'

Hopefully, there weren't quite as many homicides at Shrewsbury.

One of my favorite characters in the Fen mysteries, the ancient and possibly senile Professor Wilkes, is missing from "Love Lies Bleeding." However at Castrevenford, Professor Wilkes has an eerie alter-ego in the ancient and possibly senile mixed Bloodhound, Mr. Merrythought. In fact, the dog almost steals the stage from Fen:

"'Good God,' said Fen in a muffled voice.

"The dog was a large, forbidding bloodhound, on whose aboriginal color and shape one or two other breeds had been more or less successfully superimposed. He stood just inside the doorway, unnervingly immobile, and fixed Fen with a malevolent and hypnotic stare....

"'He ought to be put away, really,' said the headmaster, regarding Mr. Merrythought with considerable distaste. `The trouble is, you see, that he's liable to homicidal fits.'

"'Oh,' said Fen. `Oh.'"

Mr. Merrythought turns out to be a hero, not a murderer although there are plenty of those to go around. Fen is invited to Castrevenford by his old friend the Headmaster, as a last-minute substitute to give out the prizes on Speech Day. By the time Fen arrives, a student from the nearby Castrevenford Girls' High School has gone missing. By the end of the day, two of the teachers at Castrevenford School for Boys are dead.


"Love Lies Bleeding" is less farcical than many of the Fen mysteries. The school setting and its characters are marvelously depicted, without the exaggeration that Crispin sometimes used in his other books. If it weren't for the murders, "Love Lies Bleeding" could be classified as a minor gem of an English pastoral. It's my favorite Fen.

Of course, no Fen mystery is complete without a thicket of literary allusions. If you are familiar with Wordsworth's poem, "Love lies bleeding," then you may be able to guess the fate of the missing schoolgirl:

"You call it, "Love lies bleeding,"--so you may,/ Though the red Flower, not prostrate, only droops,/ As we have seen it here from day to day,/ From month to month, life passing not away:/ A flower how rich in sadness!..." (William Wordsworth)

It is necessary to understand that Edmund Crispin was the pen name of Robert Bruce Montgomery, a scholar of English, organist, science fiction writer and anthologist, teacher, and film score composer. His books are in the tradition of J.I.M. Stuart, an Oxford don who wrote under the name Michael Innes -- literary, erudite, and mischevious. This one is primarily an intellectual enterprise, though it does have some of the mad humor that fills his better works. I found the climactic scene too similar to part of his Frequent Hearses for comfort, and he tends to deal with his villians by having them die in a ball of fire, but we all have our faults.

If you're looking for a quick and stylish Brrrrrritish Mystery, this is a pleasant read. But if you want Crispin at his best, I highly recommend The Moving Toyshop (Classic Crime)or Glimpses of the Moon, his last full-length novel.

Academic setting. Good plot. Well-drawn characters. Nice touches of humor. What's not to Like?

Well the hero, Gervase Fen, for one thing. He has the arrogant intellectually superior attitude of the early Ellery Queen -- "I'm so smart that I know the solution but I won't tell you, nayh, nayh, nayh" -- that puts himself and others in peril.

Also while the plot is good, it is so overly complex (it takes a 20 page next-to-last chapter for Fen to explain it all) that I found myself saying "Give me a break". Yes, Sherlock Holmes can get away with this kind of plot, but mere mortals should avoid them. Moreover, the two action scenes (in the woods and the car chase) do not work for me -- they are somewhat hackneyed and the overlaying of humor seems forced.