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ssejig's review
4.0
I heard about this book on the "Classic Mysteries" podcast and thought it sounded fun.
Sergeant Beef was rather spectacularly thought wrong in his last case, resulting in his dismissal from the police force. Local cops still make fun of him, especially when he hangs out his shingle as a private investigator.
Beef's latest case comes in the form of a letter from his nephew, Albert, who is working with a traveling circus. It seems that the fortune teller has warned Albert that there is to be a murder before the end of the season. This is as good a reason as an for Beef to ride along with the circus, taking along his friend and chronicler, the narrator of this story, Townsend.
While Townsend is mainly concerned with trying to find out who the murderer and victim are, Beef seems to be more involved with trying to figure out circus life. He is bluff and hearty, trying to make friends and influence people.
This is an interesting story where Beef knows who the murderer is, even before it happens (yes, there is a body, but not until the end of the book.) Supposedly the sergeant is slow, both physically and mentally and the narrator decides that he will try to solve the mystery while Beef insinuates himself into the tight-knit relationships of the circus, relationships that are mainly fraught with high drama.
Sergeant Beef was rather spectacularly thought wrong in his last case, resulting in his dismissal from the police force. Local cops still make fun of him, especially when he hangs out his shingle as a private investigator.
Beef's latest case comes in the form of a letter from his nephew, Albert, who is working with a traveling circus. It seems that the fortune teller has warned Albert that there is to be a murder before the end of the season. This is as good a reason as an for Beef to ride along with the circus, taking along his friend and chronicler, the narrator of this story, Townsend.
While Townsend is mainly concerned with trying to find out who the murderer and victim are, Beef seems to be more involved with trying to figure out circus life. He is bluff and hearty, trying to make friends and influence people.
This is an interesting story where Beef knows who the murderer is, even before it happens (yes, there is a body, but not until the end of the book.) Supposedly the sergeant is slow, both physically and mentally and the narrator decides that he will try to solve the mystery while Beef insinuates himself into the tight-knit relationships of the circus, relationships that are mainly fraught with high drama.
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