Death in a Duffle Coat

Desmond Merrion #52

by Miles Burton

Two old ladies, Miss Price and Miss Marsland, lived together in the Lodge Cottage. Old Miss Price's death looked like a tragic she must have slipped and fallen in the icy yard of the cottage when, wearing a duffle coat against the cold, she went to fetch a bucket of coal. But it transpired that Miss Price had been murdered. Indeed, the cottage was empty, for Miss Marsland too had mysteriously disappeared, though in her case no body was found. Desmond Merrion and Inspector Arnold soon find themselves involved in a case of great complexity. There are more murders and some strange discoveries, inexplicable and macabre. Merrion slowly moves towards a solution, impeded and baffled, as we believe the reader will be too, by the prevalent fashion for wearing duffle coats. Miles Burton has excelled himself in this most ingenious and exciting detective story.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

AKA John Rhode, Cecil Waye, Cecil J.C. Street, I.O., F.O.O..
Cecil John Charles Street, MC, OBE, (1884 - January 1965), known as CJC Street and John Street, began his military career as an artillery officer in the British army. During the course of World War I, he became a propagandist for MI7, in which role he held the rank of Major. After the armistice, he alternated between Dublin and London during the Irish War of Independence as Information Officer for Dublin Castle, working closely with Lionel Curtis. He later earned his living as a prolific writer of detective novels.

He produced two long series of novels; one under the name of John Rhode featuring the forensic scientist Dr Priestley, and another under the name of Miles Burton featuring the investigator Desmond Merrion. Under the name Cecil Waye, Street produced four novels: The Figure of Eight; The End of the Chase; The Prime Minister's Pencil; and Murder at Monk's Barn. The Dr. Priestley novels were among the first after Sherlock Holmes to feature scientific detection of crime, such as analysing the mud on a suspect's shoes. Desmond Merrion is an amateur detective who works with Scotland Yard's Inspector Arnold.

Critic and author Julian Symons places this author as a prominent member of the "Humdrum" school of detective fiction. "Most of them came late to writing fiction, and few had much talent for it. They had some skill in constructing puzzles, nothing more, and ironically they fulfilled much better than S. S. Van Dine his dictum that the detective story properly belonged in the category of riddles or crossword puzzles. Most of the Humdrums were British, and among the best known of them were Major John Street.

-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Shauna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot of this 1950s crime novels is very convoluted. Who would have thought that every person who was a possible suspect owned and frequently wore a duffle coat! I can't be certain but I suspect there were a few howlers in terms of the description of police procedure in the book. Leaving the bodies of murder victims unguarded in an empty cottage rather than removing them to the safety of a morgue is the most obvious example but there were several others.
Not one of the best in the Merrion series.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when I was in primary school(I think) and I have not ceased to know the details (though I sense a reread) . It was darn good.
Two old women live comfortably together in a cottage and one of them, Miss Price(ofcourse wearing a dufflecoat as the title indicates) dies accidentally by falling in the icy yard of their cottage. Or so we were initially made to believe. It was uncovered that Miss Price was actually murdered. The story unfolds as Inspector Arnold and Desmond Merrion unravel the mystery of Miss Price's murder. Strange occurrences like Miss Marland(the one who lived with Miss Price)'s mysterious disappearance and a series of murders happen and more suspense is built. This book will keep on the edge wanting to know who dunnit.

[Jeff Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Death in a Duffle Coat" made a promising and interesting start but it tailed off somewhat as Desmond Merrion attempted to tie up the loose ends. Not one of Miles Burton finest efforts.