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Sergeant Beef #4
Case with No Conclusion by Leo Bruce
Once again Lionel Townsend, Beef's Dr. Watson, faithfully records the redoubtable Sergeant's escapades. Beef has left the Braxham police and gone into business for himself.Beef gets a Stewart Ferrars, who has been arrested for the Sydenham Murder. Beef is hired by Stewart's brother Peter to prove Stewart is innocent of the murder of Dr. Benson, who has been found stabbed in the throat in the library of Peter's gloomy Victorian mansion, The Cypresses. An ornamental dagger with Peter's fingerprints on it has been left on a table near the dead man's armchair.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1939
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 16, 2017
It's been quite a while since I read one of Leo Bruce's Sergeant Beef novels. I read Case for Three Detectives over twenty-five years ago and enjoyed it very much. I immediately put Leo Bruce down as an author to look for and found Case With Ropes & Rings not too long after. I enjoyed that one as well, though not quite as much as Three Detectives. From there on, it was a long, dry Beef spell and all the novels I found (both at the library and to own) were from his Carolus Deene series. Not that I was complaining. Deene is a history schoolmaster and I do love me an academic mystery. But if my reading of Case With No Conclusion (1939) is anything to go by, it would seem that I have lost my taste for Beef (pun well and truly intended).
Despite the fact that he is incredulous that (former) Sergeant Beef has set himself up as a private detective, Lionel Townsend stands prepared to play Watson and faithfully record whatever cases may come Beef's way. And despite his Watson's doubts, Beef has a case in no time. Peter Ferrers calls on Beef to prove his brother Stewart innocent of murder. The family doctor, Dr. Benson, has been stabbed in the neck in the library of Stewart's cold, dark Victorian mansion, The Cypresses. Dr. Benson wasn't exactly well-loved and there are rumors that Stewart was having an affair with the doctor's beautiful wife. It doesn't help that the murder weapon, a favorite knife of the accused man, is lying on a table near the body and the only fingerprints on the knife are Stewart's. The police are certain they have their man, but Beef isn't convinced. He's certain that the butler is holding something back and there's the little matter of blackmail to be looked into. But who is blackmailing whom?
As I mention above, Sergeant Beef doesn't seem to do as much for me as he once did. I think he's supposed to be humorous. At least, it seems to me he's supposed to be poking fun at the mystery genre and his method of detection is supposed to be better than Lord Plimsoll and that lot. But Townsend's asides about how Beef's methods aren't so good and his general lack of enthusiasm for the hero just doesn't go over well. Yes, he's an anti-Watson, I get that--no adoring, faithful side-kick he. But I guess that's just not what I'm looking for these days
★★ and 3/4. [rounded up here]
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
Despite the fact that he is incredulous that (former) Sergeant Beef has set himself up as a private detective, Lionel Townsend stands prepared to play Watson and faithfully record whatever cases may come Beef's way. And despite his Watson's doubts, Beef has a case in no time. Peter Ferrers calls on Beef to prove his brother Stewart innocent of murder. The family doctor, Dr. Benson, has been stabbed in the neck in the library of Stewart's cold, dark Victorian mansion, The Cypresses. Dr. Benson wasn't exactly well-loved and there are rumors that Stewart was having an affair with the doctor's beautiful wife. It doesn't help that the murder weapon, a favorite knife of the accused man, is lying on a table near the body and the only fingerprints on the knife are Stewart's. The police are certain they have their man, but Beef isn't convinced. He's certain that the butler is holding something back and there's the little matter of blackmail to be looked into. But who is blackmailing whom?
As I mention above, Sergeant Beef doesn't seem to do as much for me as he once did. I think he's supposed to be humorous. At least, it seems to me he's supposed to be poking fun at the mystery genre and his method of detection is supposed to be better than Lord Plimsoll and that lot. But Townsend's asides about how Beef's methods aren't so good and his general lack of enthusiasm for the hero just doesn't go over well. Yes, he's an anti-Watson, I get that--no adoring, faithful side-kick he. But I guess that's just not what I'm looking for these days
★★ and 3/4. [rounded up here]
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
June 26, 2016
Sergeant Beef, si Polisi Desa, kini telah resmi keluar dari Kepolisian. Beef merasa Scotland Yard tidak menghargai keberhasilannya memecahkan dua kasus rumit yang cukup fenomenal. Di kasus pertama (Case for Three Detectives) penyelidikan sederhana yg dilakukan Beef berhasil mengalahkan tiga detektif terkenal (parodi dari Poirot,Peter Wimsey, dan Father Brown). Di kasus kedua (Case Without a Corpse) Beef berhasil memukau Inspektur Stute dari Scotland Yard, lagi2 dengan melakukan penyelidikan yg sederhana. Atas dua prestasi tersebut, Beef merasa ia patut dianugrahi kenaikan pangkat dan direkrut ke Scotland Yard, alih2 tetap bertugas di desa. Namun, panggilan ke Scotland Yard tak kunjung datang, Beef pun menyerahkan lencananya dan pindah profesi jadi Detektif Swasta!
Beef pindah ke London dan menyewa tempat di Baker Street (beware Holmes) sebagai kantor detektif sekaligus tempat tinggalnya. Beef yg biasanya memakai seragam polisi pun kini memakai pakaian formal but casual, ala detektif swasta lain. Dan nampaknya bukan penampilannya saja yg berubah. Beef yg dulu dikenal sebagai pribadi yg rendah hati dan simpatik kini berubah menjadi pribadi yg congkak dan menyebalkan. Townsend, yg menulis pengalaman Beef memecahkan kedua kasus tadi ke dalam novel, merasa bahwa keberhasilan di dua kasus sebelumnya itu membuat temannya yg satu ini kepedean. Dan memang, karakter Beef menjadi sangat beda dan cukup menyebalkan.
Anyway, karir Beef di bidang P.I. tidak berjalan mulus seperti yg ia bayangkan. Beef menyalahkan Townsend atas hal itu. Ia mengatakan bahwa karakter Beef yg ditulis Townsend di novelnya digambarkan sebagai polisi yg inkompeten, oleh karena itu org2 enggan untuk berkonsultasi padanya. Sudah saya bilang, Beef berubah menjadi menyebalkan. Padahal kalau Townsend tidak menuliskan keberhasilan Beef ke dalam novel, mungkin Beef tidak akan dikenal sama sekali.
Namun ternyata tersendatnya karir Sergeant Beef akan segera berakhir ketika seorang klien tiba di kantor detektifnya. Klien tersebut adalah Peter Ferrars, adik dari Stewart Ferrars yg ditangkap sebagai tersangka kasus pembunuhan di Sydenham. Peter meminta Beef untuk menyelidiki kembali kasus tersebut dan membuktikan ketidakbersalahan kakaknya.
Berdasarkan bukti yg dipegang oleh Polisi, sudah tidak diragukan lagi kalau pembunuhnya adalah Stewart. Ada keterangan yg menyatakan bahwa Stewart dan korban, Dr. Benson, terlibat dalam pertengkaran di malam sebelum Dr. Benson ditemukan meninggal. Dr. Benson ditemukan di ruang baca pribadi Stewart. Senjata pembunuhan, sebilah belati ornamental, adalah belati milik Stewart dan sidik jarinya pun menempel pada gagang belati. Namun, tanpa menghiraukan fakta2 memberatkan tersebut, Beef tetap menerima tawaran dari Peter.
Penyelidikan pun dimulai dari kunjungan Beef ke kediaman Stewart, tempat perkara pembunuhan itu terjadi.
Itu dia sedikit sinopsis dari Case with No Conclusion. Kita beranjak ke review.
Hmm.. Jujur saja, kualitas buku yg satu ini sangat anjlok dari dua buku sebelumnya. Pertama, perubahan sifat Beef yg sangat drastis membuat saya tidak begitu simpatik terhadapnya. Kedua, hal ini diperkuat dengan penyelidikan Beef yg terlihat sangat acak, tidak jelas. Meskipun terdapat fakta2 baru yg ditemukan dari penyelidikan tersebut, arah penyelidikan nampak sangat kabur. Dengan kata lain, saya merasa sidetracked dari kasus yg sebenarnya.
Premis yg disuguhkan pun tidak terlalu menarik dan terkesan biasa. Saya mengharapkan Beef untuk mengajukan teori lain yg bisa menyaingi teori dari polisi. Tapi nyatanya, Beef hanya berhasil menemukan fakta2 tidak relevan tanpa bisa membangun teori apapun. Well, mau apa dikata, toh judulnya Case with No Conclusion. Jadi mungkin, yg ingin ditunjukan Bruce adalah tidak semua kasus memiliki kesimpulan yg pasti. So, the lack of theory is what the book wanted to achieved.
Penyelidikan Beef tidak membuahkan apa-apa, Townsend (juga pembaca) merasa kecewa. Mendekati bab-bab akhir cerita beranjak ke pengadilan yg dijalani Stewart. Penuntut dan pembela memanggil saksi2 dan menunjukan bukti2 kepada juri, sampai akhirnya juri tiba pada kesepakatan verdict.
Overall. It's an okay story. Though it achieved the main theme, that is the meaning of the title, it's quite disappointing in its fair play aspect. 2 stars only.
Beef pindah ke London dan menyewa tempat di Baker Street (beware Holmes) sebagai kantor detektif sekaligus tempat tinggalnya. Beef yg biasanya memakai seragam polisi pun kini memakai pakaian formal but casual, ala detektif swasta lain. Dan nampaknya bukan penampilannya saja yg berubah. Beef yg dulu dikenal sebagai pribadi yg rendah hati dan simpatik kini berubah menjadi pribadi yg congkak dan menyebalkan. Townsend, yg menulis pengalaman Beef memecahkan kedua kasus tadi ke dalam novel, merasa bahwa keberhasilan di dua kasus sebelumnya itu membuat temannya yg satu ini kepedean. Dan memang, karakter Beef menjadi sangat beda dan cukup menyebalkan.
Anyway, karir Beef di bidang P.I. tidak berjalan mulus seperti yg ia bayangkan. Beef menyalahkan Townsend atas hal itu. Ia mengatakan bahwa karakter Beef yg ditulis Townsend di novelnya digambarkan sebagai polisi yg inkompeten, oleh karena itu org2 enggan untuk berkonsultasi padanya. Sudah saya bilang, Beef berubah menjadi menyebalkan. Padahal kalau Townsend tidak menuliskan keberhasilan Beef ke dalam novel, mungkin Beef tidak akan dikenal sama sekali.
Namun ternyata tersendatnya karir Sergeant Beef akan segera berakhir ketika seorang klien tiba di kantor detektifnya. Klien tersebut adalah Peter Ferrars, adik dari Stewart Ferrars yg ditangkap sebagai tersangka kasus pembunuhan di Sydenham. Peter meminta Beef untuk menyelidiki kembali kasus tersebut dan membuktikan ketidakbersalahan kakaknya.
Berdasarkan bukti yg dipegang oleh Polisi, sudah tidak diragukan lagi kalau pembunuhnya adalah Stewart. Ada keterangan yg menyatakan bahwa Stewart dan korban, Dr. Benson, terlibat dalam pertengkaran di malam sebelum Dr. Benson ditemukan meninggal. Dr. Benson ditemukan di ruang baca pribadi Stewart. Senjata pembunuhan, sebilah belati ornamental, adalah belati milik Stewart dan sidik jarinya pun menempel pada gagang belati. Namun, tanpa menghiraukan fakta2 memberatkan tersebut, Beef tetap menerima tawaran dari Peter.
Penyelidikan pun dimulai dari kunjungan Beef ke kediaman Stewart, tempat perkara pembunuhan itu terjadi.
Itu dia sedikit sinopsis dari Case with No Conclusion. Kita beranjak ke review.
Hmm.. Jujur saja, kualitas buku yg satu ini sangat anjlok dari dua buku sebelumnya. Pertama, perubahan sifat Beef yg sangat drastis membuat saya tidak begitu simpatik terhadapnya. Kedua, hal ini diperkuat dengan penyelidikan Beef yg terlihat sangat acak, tidak jelas. Meskipun terdapat fakta2 baru yg ditemukan dari penyelidikan tersebut, arah penyelidikan nampak sangat kabur. Dengan kata lain, saya merasa sidetracked dari kasus yg sebenarnya.
Premis yg disuguhkan pun tidak terlalu menarik dan terkesan biasa. Saya mengharapkan Beef untuk mengajukan teori lain yg bisa menyaingi teori dari polisi. Tapi nyatanya, Beef hanya berhasil menemukan fakta2 tidak relevan tanpa bisa membangun teori apapun. Well, mau apa dikata, toh judulnya Case with No Conclusion. Jadi mungkin, yg ingin ditunjukan Bruce adalah tidak semua kasus memiliki kesimpulan yg pasti. So, the lack of theory is what the book wanted to achieved.
Penyelidikan Beef tidak membuahkan apa-apa, Townsend (juga pembaca) merasa kecewa. Mendekati bab-bab akhir cerita beranjak ke pengadilan yg dijalani Stewart. Penuntut dan pembela memanggil saksi2 dan menunjukan bukti2 kepada juri, sampai akhirnya juri tiba pada kesepakatan verdict.
Overall. It's an okay story. Though it achieved the main theme, that is the meaning of the title, it's quite disappointing in its fair play aspect. 2 stars only.
August 12, 2024
Beef solves the mystery of the butler's nightgown.
OK. The butler's nightgown is a mere detail, but Beef's explanation made me laugh out loud and I chuckle every time I think of it. I love Golden Age mysteries, but I don't read them for their intricate plots, so I'm no judge of this series in that respect. What it DOES provide is lots of humor, which suits me just fine.
This book and another one ("Case for Four Clowns") were published in 1939. Goodreads insists "Clowns" is #3 and this one is #4. Taking their word for it, I read "Clowns" first and discovered that this book is referenced in it. I think GR has them out of sequence.
In the first book, Beef is a village constable who solves a murder that baffles three famous private detectives. He's promoted to Sergeant and solves a murder that baffles a respected Scotland Yard detective. Writer Lionel Townsend has put both cases into popular books and his "hero" has become a well-known figure in crime detection. I say "hero" because the sophisticated Townsend is still convinced that Beef has lucked into two successes. How could such a simple-minded buffoon be a Great Detective in the tradition of mystery literature?
Has success created a monster? On the basis of his new fame, Beef has left the police force, moved to London, and hung up his shingle, determined to become a rich, famous P.I. His wife follows loyally, but is as astonished as Townsend when someone actually hires Beef to investigate a murder.
Townsend is reluctantly pulled into the action. He's sure Beef will make a fool of himself, but the Sergeant does have two successes behind him and no writer can afford to pass up a potential best-seller. So Townsend and his car are pressed into service to investigate the suburban murder of Dr Benson. Benson's dinner host has been arrested for the murder and the suspect's brother wants Beef to find out who really killed the doctor.
No fictional investigation goes smoothly or there wouldn't be enough material for a book, but this one is a doozy. Was Steward Ferrars playing footsie with Dr Benson's charming wife? If so, why didn't Benson murder his wife's lover instead of the other way around? And why has Ferrars been pulling out large sums from the substantial fortune he inherited from his father? Younger brother Peter Ferrars says he's anxious to save his brother from a wrongful conviction, but why did he hire an untried detective like Beef for such a vital matter?
Beef trudges along in his usual befuddled fashion, chasing first one red herring, then another. As the trial approaches (and justice was swift in those days) all he can offer his client's defense team is evidence that indicates that Ferrars is guilty. Still, Beef is convinced that Ferrars didn't murder Dr Benson. Townsend is embarrassed at Beef's incompetence and horrified at the prospect of an innocent man being hanged.
In most Golden Age mysteries, the Great Detective reveals the murderer in a dramatic courtroom scene or arranges a last-minute reprieve before the execution. Beef isn't your average Great Detective and his creator had a very modern distrust of the legal system. To both of them, what counts is the punishment of the guilty, however it's achieved. Beef loves a public success, but not at the expense of letting a man get away with a cold-blooded murder. Especially when the victim is a patron of the sacred game of pub darts!
I'm intrigued with this writer, who was intelligent and not afraid to take risks. I love his off-kilter view of the world in general and of traditional detective fiction in particular. However, I'm puzzled about his own political and moral views. He ignores world events (as did many mystery writers in the WWII era) but the few references are disturbing.
Townsend dismisses Beef's comments on news headlines about the murder of the Russian royal family and Hitler's persecution of Jews. He's more interested in progress on the case than in "the fate of Russian reactionaries and German Jews." Both Beef and Townsend are openly contemptuous of Peter Ferrars and his left-wing magazine and of "socialists" in general. It's difficult to believe that the author was himself so narrow-minded and prejudiced. Was he using his characters to express contempt for his isolationist countrymen?
If you like Golden Age mysteries, but don't object to a writer finding humor in their absurdities, this series is one you shouldn't miss.
OK. The butler's nightgown is a mere detail, but Beef's explanation made me laugh out loud and I chuckle every time I think of it. I love Golden Age mysteries, but I don't read them for their intricate plots, so I'm no judge of this series in that respect. What it DOES provide is lots of humor, which suits me just fine.
This book and another one ("Case for Four Clowns") were published in 1939. Goodreads insists "Clowns" is #3 and this one is #4. Taking their word for it, I read "Clowns" first and discovered that this book is referenced in it. I think GR has them out of sequence.
In the first book, Beef is a village constable who solves a murder that baffles three famous private detectives. He's promoted to Sergeant and solves a murder that baffles a respected Scotland Yard detective. Writer Lionel Townsend has put both cases into popular books and his "hero" has become a well-known figure in crime detection. I say "hero" because the sophisticated Townsend is still convinced that Beef has lucked into two successes. How could such a simple-minded buffoon be a Great Detective in the tradition of mystery literature?
Has success created a monster? On the basis of his new fame, Beef has left the police force, moved to London, and hung up his shingle, determined to become a rich, famous P.I. His wife follows loyally, but is as astonished as Townsend when someone actually hires Beef to investigate a murder.
Townsend is reluctantly pulled into the action. He's sure Beef will make a fool of himself, but the Sergeant does have two successes behind him and no writer can afford to pass up a potential best-seller. So Townsend and his car are pressed into service to investigate the suburban murder of Dr Benson. Benson's dinner host has been arrested for the murder and the suspect's brother wants Beef to find out who really killed the doctor.
No fictional investigation goes smoothly or there wouldn't be enough material for a book, but this one is a doozy. Was Steward Ferrars playing footsie with Dr Benson's charming wife? If so, why didn't Benson murder his wife's lover instead of the other way around? And why has Ferrars been pulling out large sums from the substantial fortune he inherited from his father? Younger brother Peter Ferrars says he's anxious to save his brother from a wrongful conviction, but why did he hire an untried detective like Beef for such a vital matter?
Beef trudges along in his usual befuddled fashion, chasing first one red herring, then another. As the trial approaches (and justice was swift in those days) all he can offer his client's defense team is evidence that indicates that Ferrars is guilty. Still, Beef is convinced that Ferrars didn't murder Dr Benson. Townsend is embarrassed at Beef's incompetence and horrified at the prospect of an innocent man being hanged.
In most Golden Age mysteries, the Great Detective reveals the murderer in a dramatic courtroom scene or arranges a last-minute reprieve before the execution. Beef isn't your average Great Detective and his creator had a very modern distrust of the legal system. To both of them, what counts is the punishment of the guilty, however it's achieved. Beef loves a public success, but not at the expense of letting a man get away with a cold-blooded murder. Especially when the victim is a patron of the sacred game of pub darts!
I'm intrigued with this writer, who was intelligent and not afraid to take risks. I love his off-kilter view of the world in general and of traditional detective fiction in particular. However, I'm puzzled about his own political and moral views. He ignores world events (as did many mystery writers in the WWII era) but the few references are disturbing.
Townsend dismisses Beef's comments on news headlines about the murder of the Russian royal family and Hitler's persecution of Jews. He's more interested in progress on the case than in "the fate of Russian reactionaries and German Jews." Both Beef and Townsend are openly contemptuous of Peter Ferrars and his left-wing magazine and of "socialists" in general. It's difficult to believe that the author was himself so narrow-minded and prejudiced. Was he using his characters to express contempt for his isolationist countrymen?
If you like Golden Age mysteries, but don't object to a writer finding humor in their absurdities, this series is one you shouldn't miss.
January 21, 2022
THIS IS THE 3RD SERGEANT BEEF NOVEL. Goodreads and other online sources have incorrectly shown this as the fourth but it comes before A Case with Four Clowns. This is clear to anyone who has read the novels since the general outcome of Case with No Conclusion is frequently referred to in A Case with Four Clowns. Case with No Conclusion is also Sergeant Beef's first case as a private detective. He was a police sergeant in the first two books in the series. Like the first two, this book is an excellent mystery with humor, good characterization, and a clever plot. The books are narrated by Townsend, Beef's Watson. Townsend openly talks about his difficulties in writing up a detective that he considers far inferior to Holmes and the usual run of British sleuths. He refers specifically to other mystery novels current at the time as well as the three detectives who appeared in Bruce's first Sergeant Beef novel. I find this sort of thing to be funny and refreshing. Watsons deserve a bit of humor sent their way.
September 11, 2024
Sgt. Beef has left Braxham police and is now a private investigator. His assistant and reporter of Beef��s cases, Lionel Townsend, doubts Beef will have any success.
Surprise! A murder Case! Peter Ferrars hires Beef to find out who killed Dr. Benson in Ferrars’ brother’s home – the Cypresses. Stewart Ferrars’ fingerprints are found on a dagger near the dead man’s chair in the library, which makes Stewart suspect #1. But what is the reason for the murder?
Benson is not just a doctor, he is also a blackmailer. He was also the Ferrars’ father’s physician, when the man died two years ago and was promptly cremated. There were questions about the death, but cremation cancelled any further investigation.
Beef is a low middle class detective who seems to have more interest in beer, pubs and darts than investigation. What isn’t apparent is he is also observant, shrewd and down-to-earth more than people think. Think things through and taking his time, he solves the cases he is given.
British cozy from 1939, it is a fun read.
Surprise! A murder Case! Peter Ferrars hires Beef to find out who killed Dr. Benson in Ferrars’ brother’s home – the Cypresses. Stewart Ferrars’ fingerprints are found on a dagger near the dead man’s chair in the library, which makes Stewart suspect #1. But what is the reason for the murder?
Benson is not just a doctor, he is also a blackmailer. He was also the Ferrars’ father’s physician, when the man died two years ago and was promptly cremated. There were questions about the death, but cremation cancelled any further investigation.
Beef is a low middle class detective who seems to have more interest in beer, pubs and darts than investigation. What isn’t apparent is he is also observant, shrewd and down-to-earth more than people think. Think things through and taking his time, he solves the cases he is given.
British cozy from 1939, it is a fun read.
February 4, 2018
Stewart Ferrars soll Dr. Benson getötet haben. Beef soll seine Unschuld beweisen. Er tut es nicht. Nun, weil er ne fiese Möpp war. Und sein Bruder frames. Great Stuff.
September 29, 2024
Great mystery with a strong sense of humour.
October 5, 2018
For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
September 5, 2013
Este livro, tal como todos os policiais, tem a capacidade de fazer algo extraordinário: entretem-me durante a sua leitura mas, volvidos alguns meses, não me consigo lembrar de praticamente nada da história.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews