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jacki_f's review against another edition
4.0
This is a vintage murder mystery, written in 1931. I had never heard of Freeman Wills Croft until he was mentioned in [b:Jacob's Room is Full of Books: A Year of Reading|35226994|Jacob's Room is Full of Books A Year of Reading|Susan Hill|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1509551050s/35226994.jpg|56572847] but he wrote 33 novels between 1920 and 1951, the most famous of which included Scotland Yard detective Inspector French.
Murder in the Channel begins with the discovery of a yacht drifting in the English Channel. On board are two dead bodies, with no signs of a struggle, no murder weapon and no other people. The two that have been killed were the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of a investment bank which was on the brink of collapse. Inspector French is charged with solving the case. His approach is slow and methodical but absorbing to read. There are no flashes of Holmes or Poirot brilliance: rather he carefully checks and double checks every theory as he goes.
I throughly enjoyed this vintage police procedural. It was something of a comfort read, but the way that the mystery comes together is also very pleasing.
Murder in the Channel begins with the discovery of a yacht drifting in the English Channel. On board are two dead bodies, with no signs of a struggle, no murder weapon and no other people. The two that have been killed were the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of a investment bank which was on the brink of collapse. Inspector French is charged with solving the case. His approach is slow and methodical but absorbing to read. There are no flashes of Holmes or Poirot brilliance: rather he carefully checks and double checks every theory as he goes.
I throughly enjoyed this vintage police procedural. It was something of a comfort read, but the way that the mystery comes together is also very pleasing.
cimorene1558's review against another edition
3.0
Quite good! Very convoluted but no less enjoyable for it.
jenmcmaynes's review against another edition
3.0
This reprinted Golden Age mystery from British Library Crime Classics was pretty fun. Like many of these reprinted mysteries, the inspector/detective character (in this case, Inspector French) has the personality of a block of wood; you are definitely not reading for a charming Poirot or brilliant Holmes! And there were a couple of rather major issues that a seasoned mystery reader will immediately notice (no spoilers, but airtight alibis are never really airtight, are they?), but I did enjoy watching French methodically chase down clues and statements and painstakingly get to the right conclusion. Basically, two murders occur on a yacht in the English Channel, investors are defrauded, and there is a limited number of suspects for both crimes. An enjoyable way to spend a few hours reading, but not a brilliant mystery.
mike_brough's review against another edition
3.0
As an early example of a police procedural, this is a very linear story. With a few setbacks and a few red herrings, the story comes down to a version of a timetable problem - which is what I understand Freeman Wills Crofts is famous for.
Some of the policing is a bit suspect - a head wound wouldn't bleed badly and Inspector French seems to have an unlimited budget and license to travel - but it was a gentler time and I was wiling to suspend belief, within reason.
There's no character development and a fair amount of casual, but gentle, racism, this time against the French but it doesn't jar too much. There are references back to previous cases, some of which sound slightly more interesting than the story at hand!
This felt like an extended short story, a novella at the maximum. Enjoyable and a very quick read but I don't think I'll read any more of Crofts' stories for now.
Some of the policing is a bit suspect - a head wound wouldn't bleed badly and Inspector French seems to have an unlimited budget and license to travel - but it was a gentler time and I was wiling to suspend belief, within reason.
There's no character development and a fair amount of casual, but gentle, racism, this time against the French but it doesn't jar too much. There are references back to previous cases, some of which sound slightly more interesting than the story at hand!
This felt like an extended short story, a novella at the maximum. Enjoyable and a very quick read but I don't think I'll read any more of Crofts' stories for now.
halellery's review against another edition
3.0
I really want to like Freeman Wills Crofts' books, because the guy always has good premises, and interesting cases. BUT. It's so difficult to get into it when reading him, the prose drags. It doesn't help that I can't relate to French very well,either.
mauxbs's review against another edition
3.0
I'd been warned that some people think Freeman Wills Crofts stories are too slow and mired in the details, but I thought it made a refreshing change from Poirot's and Sherlock Holmes amazing leaps of insight. It also lets you get more immersed in the time period.
jbleyle63's review against another edition
3.0
Kudos to Poisoned Pen Press for their series of British Library Crime Classics which bring back many delightful mystery stories and novels from the first half of the 20th century. The primary pleasure for me in this one was the English Channel setting. This is a pleasant puzzler in the locked room category of cozies.
rachelish's review against another edition
4.0
No women get murdered! (No women are involved at all.)
vsbedford's review
4.0
Super solid Golden Age mystery set in and around the Channel - a locked door mystery in which the ocean steps in for the library, really. There's not a lot (as in barely any) of character development and no needless romance to muddy up the waters, which is right up my alley as I've had my fill of female characters throwing around dialogue like "But you must believe me, you've got to!" before flinging themselves on a couch. But fair warning for a reader who enjoys delving into the emotional landscape of her detective because you're not finding it here. There is a tidy group of suspects and a fair amount of travel to France, which is nicely described - as always Mr. Crofts does a great job of guiding us through the A to Z of police work and, while the resolution of the mystery reads a bit rushed, this is a very enjoyable addition to any mystery fan's "to read" list.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
lainecid's review against another edition
4.0
One of my favorite mysteries in a while, lots of twists and turns