Customer Reviews

The Viaduct Murder

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Merion Press specializes in bringing out-of-print masterpieces to a public hungry for old mysteries. Being its second publication, The Viaduct Murder, by Ronald A. Knox, was originally published in 1925. It was included in the ultimate mystery list, selected by Howard Haycraft for The Haycraft-Queen Definitive Library of Detective-Crime-Mystery Fiction, Two Centuries of Cornerstones 1748-1948. Ronald Knox himself was a native of Leicestershire, England; born in 1888. He was educated at Eton and Oxford; held a position as chaplain of Trinity College; converted to Catholicism; and served at Oxford University from 1926-1939, during which time he became domestic prelate to the Pope in 1936.

The Viaduct Murder finds a clergyman (Marryatt); a retired don (Carmichael); a former military intelligence man (Reeves) and a vacationing golfer (Gordon) playing on the links in Paston Oatvile, where the come upon the dead body of Mr. Brotherhood. They set out to solve his murder and take the reader on a merry chase of misplaced logic, secret passageways, mysterious beautiful women, and walls that have ears:

"'We could have tried. But tell me: how much of our conversation does this gentleman overhear? And whereabouts in your room could you have hidden with any safety? Honestly, I don't believe he would have come out except while he knew that you are Gordon were busy watching the wrong side of the door.' 'You're assuming, of course, that he can't have got in at the door by a duplicate key after Reeves and I went to bed?' 'I am not assuming that, I know it. I took the liberty of putting a bit of that useful chewing gum across the lock of the door, and it was still undisturbed in the morning.'"

Ronald A. Knox provides us with the classic whodunit in a light vein. While our amateur sleuths are stumbling around for the answer, it is in plain sight. Their antics, without disturbing their golf game, of course, send the reader into circles of delightful missteps, until the answer is finally provided to the hapless reader by Mr. Knox. The Viaduct Murder is British mystery at its most classic, most entertaining best. Knox knows how to weave a good yarn.

Shelley Glodowski
Reviewer

Four friends (a clergyman, a retired don, a former military-intellegence officer, and a ne'er-do-well) meet at a local hostelry for a vacation of golf. One of our heros slices his drive over the trees and, while searching a viaduct, finds the ball as well as a dead body. A few clues around the scene of the crime and on the body lead the four to suspect foul play.

Here enters the classic, British locked room mystery (of course, this one happens to be on a golf course). The story is just a delightful mix of gradually unfolding clues, discussion of the ways those clues point, and wonderful 1920s atmosphere, language, and cultural norms (yes, they do treat women and ladies differently).

Warning: this is not for the modern reader, per se. It was written in 1925, and the language back then was much more complex. This story also includes many 1920s pop-references and slang (which I find wonderful). It's also much more cerebral a story than modern day stuff. However, if you like the novels from the golden age of mystery-writing, you will like this book.

I gave it four and a half stars because of identity of the murderer (you'll understand when you read it) and the writing - language back then was a lot more dense than it is today, but this was still a bit thicker than the average for its time.

These duffers are charming as they stumble toward the solution of the murder. All the classic bits are there -- excellent writing, period slang, even a secret passage. Also a vamp, but I won't ruin it for you.

Not Wodehouse, certainly, but there are some wonderful moments in this detective novel. I won't spoil it for you by going into the details--for they are the most fun.