Hanging Captain

Inspector Lott #2

by Henry Wade

Sir Herbert Sterron is found dead, hanging by the neck from a curtain cord. He had good reason to want to kill himself, so nobody is unduly surprised.

But then hints of foul play start to emerge: Sterron's wife, Griselda, was desperately unhappy with the marriage; and shocking evidence is uncovered that incriminates not just the County Sheriff but a Catholic priest.

Now what looked to be a straightforward suicide is turning into something quite different - a complex case of murder . . .

Genres: Mystery

301 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1932

About the author

Henry Wade was a pen-name of Sir Henry Lancelot Aubrey-Fletcher, 6th Baronet. Other authors on Goodreads are also named Henry Wade.

Reviews

[Calum Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

B+: I enjoyed this maybe even more than Wade's Constable Guard Thyself. This mystery is very concerned with alibi, and the timeline of the murder is plotted very well. There's also some great interplay between the various police detectives.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Golden Age Country House Mystery. I liked Inspector Lott and enjoyed his interaction with the local police, particularly Superintendent Dawle. All the characters are well drawn and there are plenty of red herrings to give the reader food for thought. The plot is well reviewed by others so I won't go into it. This book seemed a lot less class conscious than some of the other Henry Wade stories that I have read.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really 4.5*

This is the first Henry Wade I have read and it was excellent.

The writing is first-class and does not feel at all dated although the book was first published in 1932. The plotting is well-done and the interaction between the local Superintendent Dawle and Inspector Lott of Scotland Yard feels authentic and has some amusing aspects. Dawle's relationship with the Chief Constable also rings true.

Characterisation is obviously an authorial strongpoint and the reader should end up with a very clear set of impressions of all the main and bit players.The setting, in a slightly run-down country house, is
true-to-life.

The misdirection is masterly and the device of Dawle and Lott carrying out investigations of separate suspects works well.I was led very firmly down a wrong path, despite noticing a well-planted early clue, to which I gave the wrong interpretation.

Highly recommended and a must for all devoted Golden Age detection fans

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Retired captain Henry Sterren seems to have committed suicide in his study. But when the medical evidence proves that he wasn't hanged, the police--including Scotland Yard's Inspector Lott--spring into action. It's rather awkward, of course, because there are rumors about Mrs. Sterren having an affair with the new High Sheriff, a notoriously reckless man. The trouble is that everyone seems to have an alibi for the time the crime must have been committed.

[Rae · Rating 2 out of 5]

A captain's death is thought to be suicide until a guest proves it to be murder, much to the horror of the Chief Constable who wanted to hush it all up.

[Ron Smyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good plot with very believable characters. An excellent Golden Age mystery.