Death of a Viewer

Roger Bennion #28

by Herbert Adams

Review Ewen gets on his soapbox and in doing so reminds readers of the unrest in the air in the 1950s, including calls for the abolition of hereditary titles, Church and union reform, disgust at the possibilities of easier divorce, and legalisation of what is quaintly described as the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. These references will make the legendary Cheltenham colonels who so often write to the editor of The Times weep with joy, but alas they tend to swamp parts of the earlier part of the novel and do not add very much to the plot. However, once we get to the actual detecting the story runs along nicely. More than one house guest has what they might see as good reason to act against the deceased, so most of them are suspected at one time or another and the solution roars up after an unexpected twist which certainly caught me by surprise. (mysteryfile.com)

172 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Herbert Adams (1874–1958) was an English writer of fifty 'cosy' mystery novels, mostly featuring the detective Roger Bennion, which were often set in or around golfing competitions. He also wrote short stories, humorous verse and two other mystery novels under the pseudonym Jonathan Gray.

Reviews

[Lucy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had never heard of this author before chancing on some of his work on PG Australia. He apparently was a prolific writer of murder mysteries in the middle of the twentieth century, and seems to have been more or less forgotten.
After reading this, I can see why. Badly written cardboard characters with plot holes you could throw a bomb through, let alone fire a gun. The only redeeming feature was the portrayal of fellow-travelling Socialists of the Fifties, who were nicely skewered. And fascinating to have a contemporary take on the young Queen Elizabeth and whether she would rescue the Monarchy.