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Charles Venables #2
Fatality in Fleet Street
London 1938 and war is brewing with Russia. It’s brewing primarily due to the agenda of Lord Carpenter, proprietor of the leading newspaper The Mercury, a man determined to bring forward what he sees as an inevitable conflict. As he prepares to publish his coup de grace, a lead story that will make that conflict unavoidable, he locks his employees in the building so that his paper can publish an exclusive in the late edition without his competitors scooping him. And then, as so many future murder victims do in these novels, he isolates himself in his quarters with orders not to be disturbed. Guess what happens to him? He really shouldn’t have kept that extremely sharp dagger on display on his wall…
296 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1933
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41 people want to read
About the author
Christopher St. John Sprigg
18 books12 followersChristopher St. John Sprigg aka Christopher Caudwell was a British Marxist writer, thinker and poet.
He was born into a Roman Catholic family, resident at 53 Montserrat Road, Putney. He was educated at the Benedictine Ealing Priory School, but left school at the age of 15 after his father, Stanhope Sprigg, lost his job as literary editor of the Daily Express. Caudwell moved with his father to Bradford and began work as a reporter for the Yorkshire Observer. He made his way to Marxism and set about rethinking everything in light of it, from poetry to philosophy to physics, later joining the Communist Party of Great Britain in Poplar, London.
In December 1936 he drove an ambulance to Spain and joined the International Brigades there, training as a machine-gunner at Albacete before becoming a machine-gun instructor and group political delegate. He edited a wall newspaper.
He was killed in action on 12 February 1937, the first day of the Battle of the Jarama Valley. His brother, Theodore, had attempted to have Caudwell recalled by the Communist Party of Great Britain by showing its General Secretary, Harry Pollitt, the proofs of Caudwell's book Illusion and Reality. Caudwell's Marxist works were published posthumously. The first was Illusion and Reality (1937), an analysis of poetry.
Caudwell published widely, writing criticism, poetry, short stories and novels. Much of his work was published posthumously.
He was born into a Roman Catholic family, resident at 53 Montserrat Road, Putney. He was educated at the Benedictine Ealing Priory School, but left school at the age of 15 after his father, Stanhope Sprigg, lost his job as literary editor of the Daily Express. Caudwell moved with his father to Bradford and began work as a reporter for the Yorkshire Observer. He made his way to Marxism and set about rethinking everything in light of it, from poetry to philosophy to physics, later joining the Communist Party of Great Britain in Poplar, London.
In December 1936 he drove an ambulance to Spain and joined the International Brigades there, training as a machine-gunner at Albacete before becoming a machine-gun instructor and group political delegate. He edited a wall newspaper.
He was killed in action on 12 February 1937, the first day of the Battle of the Jarama Valley. His brother, Theodore, had attempted to have Caudwell recalled by the Communist Party of Great Britain by showing its General Secretary, Harry Pollitt, the proofs of Caudwell's book Illusion and Reality. Caudwell's Marxist works were published posthumously. The first was Illusion and Reality (1937), an analysis of poetry.
Caudwell published widely, writing criticism, poetry, short stories and novels. Much of his work was published posthumously.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 20, 2018
Questo libro non è un giallo in puro stile 'classico' o della golden age. Mescola nella sua trama parti riguardanti la politica del tempo, lo spionaggio, l'influenza dei giornali nell'opinione pubblica, tutte cose in sé molto interessanti, ma che a me sinceramente piacciono poco in un giallo di genere.
Perciò non ho amato molto la parte centrale del libro con gli intrighi su cellule comuniste sovversive e compagnia bella.
Alla fine la parte processuale, però, ha risvegliato il mio interesse e quindi il voto finale è più che positivo. Una cosa non mi è andata giù: il movente del colpevole!
Perciò non ho amato molto la parte centrale del libro con gli intrighi su cellule comuniste sovversive e compagnia bella.
Alla fine la parte processuale, però, ha risvegliato il mio interesse e quindi il voto finale è più che positivo. Una cosa non mi è andata giù: il movente del colpevole!
June 13, 2020
For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
July 24, 2019
A most interesting and unusual detective novel, the second of four which feature the crime reporter/amateur detective, Charles Venables. Although first published in 1933, it is set forward in time in 1938, with an economically restored Russia rivalling Britain.
The murder victim is the hugely unlikeable newspaper proprietor Lord Carpenter, killed when about to launch a campaign to bring certain war with the Soviet Union. There are plenty of suspects, including Venables himself, and the Prime Minister, who were in and around the crime-scene at the vital time.
Detective Inspector Manciple does his best to sort out the various clues and motives, but it is Venables who comes up with the solution which is very ingenious and unique, although a famous novel of the following year would take the idea a lot further.
The trial towards the end, especially, has amusing moments, and there is a good general sprinkle of humour about newspapers, politics and human relationships.
I like Venables rather more than Peter Wimsey to whom, for some readers, he appears to bear a resemblance which I deem superficial at best.
Highly recommended.
The murder victim is the hugely unlikeable newspaper proprietor Lord Carpenter, killed when about to launch a campaign to bring certain war with the Soviet Union. There are plenty of suspects, including Venables himself, and the Prime Minister, who were in and around the crime-scene at the vital time.
Detective Inspector Manciple does his best to sort out the various clues and motives, but it is Venables who comes up with the solution which is very ingenious and unique, although a famous novel of the following year would take the idea a lot further.
The trial towards the end, especially, has amusing moments, and there is a good general sprinkle of humour about newspapers, politics and human relationships.
I like Venables rather more than Peter Wimsey to whom, for some readers, he appears to bear a resemblance which I deem superficial at best.
Highly recommended.
November 2, 2023
it is a tragedy this author died at the age of 29. A most ingenious murder with wonderful characters; and a leavening of humor.
February 13, 2020
The premise of this story is that a media mogul who has used his resources to agitate war with Russia has been murdered just before his big news story breaks that will most certainly cause an actual war. The suspects are among a closed group of people who never left the news office. Who did it? Venables & Detective Inspector Mancible aim to ferret it out.
Detective Inspector Mancible said, "Now let us get down to business: at 11:25 p.m. you left Lord Carpenter. He announced his intention of going to sleep, and apparently did so. Between that time and say 1:45 a.m. he was stabbed. The weapon, so far as one can see at present, is this dagger, which was replaced on the wall, and which still, though wiped, bears minute traces of blood. There may or may not be fingerprints on it."
Detective Inspector Mancible said, "Now let us get down to business: at 11:25 p.m. you left Lord Carpenter. He announced his intention of going to sleep, and apparently did so. Between that time and say 1:45 a.m. he was stabbed. The weapon, so far as one can see at present, is this dagger, which was replaced on the wall, and which still, though wiped, bears minute traces of blood. There may or may not be fingerprints on it."
April 20, 2025
2,5 ⭐⭐
October 29, 2013
A rare book by Christopher St.John Sprigg who in 1933 plotted a mystery set in 1937 of a murder that stops a war between England and Russia. The plot is good but Sprigg,s vision of the future makes it special.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews