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Shadow of a Crime book cover
Shadow of a Crime
1945
First Published
2.50
Average Rating
218
Number of Pages

Part of Series

The mystery takes place in the fictitious rural community of Winghurst and begins with the death of Algernon Fratton in a motorcycle crash which it is soon apparent was caused by the deliberate act of some other person. The local police have no shortage of suspects, not least the dead man’s uncle, who stood to gain by his death at such a timely moment and whose car passed the scene at about the same time. A pair of local artists and Fratton’s friend and heir are also suspect and the assistance of Scotland Yard, in the shape of Rhode stalwart Jimmy Waghorn, is invoked. He already has some knowledge of events, having been present when the local doctor discussed the case with Dr Priestley and his friends. Jimmy gets to work energetically, uncovering several strange elements of the case, including a mysterious bricklayer who appears from nowhere and several odd items found in a pool close to the scene of the crime.
Avg Rating
2.50
Number of Ratings
4
5 STARS
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3 STARS
50%
2 STARS
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Author

John Rhode
John Rhode
Author · 54 books

AKA Miles Burton, Cecil Waye, Cecil J.C. Street, I.O., F.O.O.. Cecil John Charles Street, MC, OBE, (1884 - January 1965), known as CJC Street and John Street, began his military career as an artillery officer in the British army. During the course of World War I, he became a propagandist for MI7, in which role he held the rank of Major. After the armistice, he alternated between Dublin and London during the Irish War of Independence as Information Officer for Dublin Castle, working closely with Lionel Curtis. He later earned his living as a prolific writer of detective novels. He produced two long series of novels; one under the name of John Rhode featuring the forensic scientist Dr Priestley, and another under the name of Miles Burton featuring the investigator Desmond Merrion. Under the name Cecil Waye, Street produced four novels: The Figure of Eight; The End of the Chase; The Prime Minister's Pencil; and Murder at Monk's Barn. The Dr. Priestley novels were among the first after Sherlock Holmes to feature scientific detection of crime, such as analysing the mud on a suspect's shoes. Desmond Merrion is an amateur detective who works with Scotland Yard's Inspector Arnold. Critic and author Julian Symons places this author as a prominent member of the "Humdrum" school of detective fiction. "Most of them came late to writing fiction, and few had much talent for it. They had some skill in constructing puzzles, nothing more, and ironically they fulfilled much better than S. S. Van Dine his dictum that the detective story properly belonged in the category of riddles or crossword puzzles. Most of the Humdrums were British, and among the best known of them were Major John Street. -Wikipedia

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