Reviews

‘One of those rare gems that comes to the reviewer out of the blue . . . enough twists to shame a cobra . . . the story fairly rips along, defying the reader to put the book down . . . Christine Poulson should be heralded as the fine entrant to the world of crime fiction she most certainly is.’ [Stage Fright]

- WWW.CHRISHIGH.COM

Whistle Up the Devil

517rKCdJNUL._AA160_I do like a locked room mystery and I can heartily recommend Derek Smith’s Whistle Up the Devil (1953) and newly republished. It’s a fairly short novel, which for me is in its favour, and I read most of it over the course of a train journey. It is a familiar set-up – family curse, eldest son murdered in a locked and guarded room at midnight – but done with tremendous verve.  The first murder is followed up by one almost as mystifying, but in a different location. I was gripped from beginning to end. The clues were planted perfectly fairly, but the trick with this kind of novel is to keep you reading at such a lick that you go galloping past them without noticing. Which is exactly what I did. I could have kicked myself at the end, when the solution was revealed.

There are a few weaknesses. Algy, as the gifted amateur sleuth respected by the police, is a pallid imitation of Lord Peter Wimsey, and the characterisation – particularly of the women – made my eyebrows shoot up at one or two points. But no matter, this was a terrific read. In fact I enjoyed it a lot more than John Dickson Carr’s The Case of the Constant Suicides, which I read around the same time, and found rather feeble in comparison.

4 Comments

  1. moira @ClothesInBooks
    February 14, 2016

    Oh this sounds good! I like a locked room mystery, and this sounds like the real thing, though have never heard of book or author. I will seek it out.

    Reply
    • Christine Poulson
      February 14, 2016

      I think he wrote very little, Moira. I can’t remember how I came across this. It was on my wish list for a while. I must say, the sexual politics are fairly hair-raising even for the time, but the puzzle really is excellent.

      Reply
  2. moira @ClothesInBooks
    February 28, 2016

    This has been lingering in my mind since I read your review, and even though I am not ‘supposed’ to be adding anything to my Kindle, you have broken through my defences, damn you! Just downloaded it.

    Reply
    • Christine Poulson
      February 28, 2016

      I am only getting my own back, Moira! My lengthening TBR list has a lot to do with you. Whistle Up the Devil is great fun.

      Reply

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