The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
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
laurenla's review against another edition
4.0
A standout in the British Crime Classics series. Just after the Great Depression, the heads of a major British bank are found murdered at sea, with more partners missing. Who done it, and why? Our dogged and under-appreciated Scotland Yard detective Mr. French shows incredible energy as he travels all over the British and French seaside on the trail of the missing. While he doesn't have the huge array of anti-social habits nowadays expected in detectives, Mr. French is good company. Nary a woman to be seen onstage, though if you're interested in ships and sailing this book will suit your fancy. A greatly enjoyable police procedural from 1931.
vesper1931's review against another edition
3.0
A steamer, the Chichester, is crossing the English channel when it comes across a yacht in which they find the bodies of two dead men..
Inspector French investigates which leads him to uncover financial irregularities within a firm. Who out of all the suspects is the mastermind behind the scheme.
A very detailed accounts of the procedures which leads French to his conclusions, sometimes a bit too detailed, but an interesting mystery anyway.
A NetGalley Book
Inspector French investigates which leads him to uncover financial irregularities within a firm. Who out of all the suspects is the mastermind behind the scheme.
A very detailed accounts of the procedures which leads French to his conclusions, sometimes a bit too detailed, but an interesting mystery anyway.
A NetGalley Book
sathyasekar's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting read but by no means one of the better representatives of the murder mystery genre or of the author. I picked this up after thoroughly enjoying "The 12:30 from Croydon". This Inspector French mystery pales in comparison to that book. Neither is the plot all that engrossing nor does the inspector make for very compelling analysis. There is less play of the mind than of the travel-here and there procedures. Still, worth a read. But I am sure there are better books in store..