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A review by tgt
The Cask: A Detective Story Club Classic Crime Novel by Freeman Wills Crofts
3.25
One of the very few mysteries I've read and I suspect it would've received a lower score had I read it after more (and more modern) examples of the genre.
A few thoughts:
I rather enjoyed the excessive detail during the first two thirds, but repeating much of it in the last third felt unnecessary. However, going over it and picking out the small missed details was interesting, so perhaps not.
The period was well expressed through the dining, sightseeing, and fashion. It amused me that the dressed-down policeman still wore a hat.
The travel times that were used to establish alibis and the lack thereof were confusing since journeys are so much faster now. I suspect I'd have seen better in advance how the crime was committed if I'd had to think more carefully about this.
The sudden bit of action and the conclusion were an odd change of pace.
I feel like the testimony of the people who packed the cask and the conclusion don't fit, but I haven't skimmed back through the book to check.
A few thoughts:
I rather enjoyed the excessive detail during the first two thirds, but repeating much of it in the last third felt unnecessary. However, going over it and picking out the small missed details was interesting, so perhaps not.
The period was well expressed through the dining, sightseeing, and fashion. It amused me that the dressed-down policeman still wore a hat.
The travel times that were used to establish alibis and the lack thereof were confusing since journeys are so much faster now. I suspect I'd have seen better in advance how the crime was committed if I'd had to think more carefully about this.
The sudden bit of action and the conclusion were an odd change of pace.
I feel like the testimony of the people who packed the cask and the conclusion don't fit, but I haven't skimmed back through the book to check.