Tokyo Express - Seicho Matsumoto
This is one of those timetable mysteries. I couldn’t warm to
it for that reason, and although I wouldn’t mind getting hold of an earlier
translation and seeing if that feels a bit more atmospheric, I probably won’t.
The central theme, that the deaths aren’t investigated as they should be because they look like a ‘love suicide’ (ie a pact) and the idea that a civil servant would commit such a suicide to avoid bringing shame on his employers probably comes over more strongly in the original cultural context (Japan in the early 50s) but it’s very well explained, as is the corruption element, and I did warm to the two police officers most involved and was happy to follow them to the end.
However I still felt the alibi would be broken
and I didn’t much care how. Fans of this kind of transport timetable howdunnit will get a lot more out of it than me.
Game Without Rules – Michael Gilbert
This is a collection of short stories featuring Mr Calder
and Mr Behrens, two middle aged agents who vaguely reminded me of those tv
shows in the 60s and 70s where a mysterious ‘M’ or ‘Mother’ sends agents out on
various jobs. In this case though the boss has a name, and also manages the
London and Midland bank as well as being the head of a small extra secret
section of the intelligence service.
It’s also not glam like those shows often were, and its not
any more dramatic than it needs to be to get the job done. Despite the lack of
sexual tension, dry martinis and fast cars though, I was impressed with how
diverse these stories were. I’ve read the last one of these before in
anthologies but it works much better as part of the series because of
course you care more about the characters.
Gilbert also wrote Smallbone Deceased in 1950, which has
recently been republished by the British library classics and which I really
enjoyed but don’t think I reviewed. That is much more your murder mystery than
spy story.
The Fashion in Shrouds – Margery Allingham
Campion has a sister called Valentine. Who knew?
Normally I either really like or really don't like an Allingham, but I'm on the fence about this one.
The relationships are a smidge odd. Lukewarm. There's the least romantic proposal ever (although at least the chap is upfront that he will expect his wife to drop her career when they're married. I'd be interested to know how many men who married in the 30s just assumed this and didn't mention the fact until it was a done deal.)
Whereas Angela first blindsides Campion by pretending they are engaged (there are reasons) and at the end rejecting ‘cake-love’ - her name for precisely
the kind of 'love is blind' mentality of the other couple. Campion is
cheered by the fact.
Lastly the relationship between Campion and his sister is.. analytical. They don't so much relate as theorise about each other, at each other. What went on in their family I can't imagine, but apparently they only really talk to one another now. It might be better for them both if they stopped doing that as well.
The mystery felt as messy as the relationships. Skeletons and aeroplanes and blackmail and long lost relations. Too much going on, I never quite believed in the motive. Readable, but already fading.
Murder in Vienna - E C R Lorac
McDonald is on holiday. Of course this is like Poirot going on holiday, a body is bound to turn up.
If I'm honest I enjoyed this much more for the setting and the friends Macdonald was joining and and the logistics of taking a plane to Austria in the 50s than I did the actual crime. There was some clever stuff around a head injury, and double crossing, and a photographer who keeps popping up and skirts a nice line between garrulous nuisance and entertaining character.
Of the four I've reviewed this is the one I will probably read again.
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