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Was It Murder?
Was It Murder? deals with the phenomenon of coincidence by posing the question of how likely it is that two brothers attending the same boarding school meet with two separate accidental deaths-and curious ones at that-within the same schoolyear. In the manner typical of the Golden Age whodunnit, the solution is only presented in the final pages of the novel. Throughout the book, an amateur sleuth and a Scotland Yard detective vie with each other to solve the riddle, with only one of them successful in the end.
It should be noted that Was It Murder? remained Hilton's only detective novel-a brief youthful foray into crime fiction he shares with writers such as C. S. Forester (Payment Deferred, 1926; Plain Murder, 1930) and C. P. Snow (Death Under Sail, 1932).
Plot summary:
Oakington is one of the lesser-known public schools in England, and Dr Roseveare, its headmaster, has been trying hard for seven years to improve its reputation. When, in the winter term of 1927-28, one of the pupils is killed in his sleep by an old gas fitting falling down from the ceiling he contacts Colin Revell, an Old Boy, to discreetly investigate the matter. Not entirely convinced that there was no foul play involved but unable to pin down a motive on anyone, Revell leaves again after a few weeks, and most of the evidence is destroyed by the installation of electricity in the whole building.
A few months later Revell is shocked to learn that the deceased boy's brother has also died under mysterious circumstances-he seems to have jumped into the school's indoor swimming pool late at night after the water had been drained-and travels to Oakington of his own accord. Now it turns out that the closest relative of the two brothers, who have been orphans for years, is actually a teacher at Oakington, and that he stands to inherit a small fortune. At the same time Revell falls in love with that teacher's beautiful young wife.
source: Wikipedia
258 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1931
25 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
About the author
James Hilton
238 books273 followersJames Hilton was an English novelist and screenwriter. He is best remembered for his novels Lost Horizon, Goodbye, Mr. Chips and Random Harvest, as well as co-writing screenplays for the films Camille (1936) and Mrs. Miniver (1942), the latter earning him an Academy Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
December 31, 2025
Português
Acidente ou crime? Essa é a dúvida que acompanha toda a narrativa, alimentada por uma sucessão de incidentes que despertaram a minha curiosidade. Embora o enredo consiga prender a atenção e manter o interesse no desenrolar dos acontecimentos, senti que lhe faltou profundidade. A certa altura, reduzi as minhas suspeitas a uma única personagem — e a revelação final acabou por confirmar exatamente essa aposta. A premissa é original, sem dúvida, mas ficou a faltar um maior desenvolvimento para atingir o seu verdadeiro potencial.
English
Accident or crime? That’s the question that lingers throughout the narrative, driven by a series of incidents that sparked my curiosity. While the plot manages to hold the reader’s attention and sustain interest in how events unfold, I felt it lacked real depth. At a certain point, I narrowed my suspicions down to a single character — and the final reveal ended up confirming exactly that. The premise is undoubtedly original, but it needed stronger development to reach its full potential.
Acidente ou crime? Essa é a dúvida que acompanha toda a narrativa, alimentada por uma sucessão de incidentes que despertaram a minha curiosidade. Embora o enredo consiga prender a atenção e manter o interesse no desenrolar dos acontecimentos, senti que lhe faltou profundidade. A certa altura, reduzi as minhas suspeitas a uma única personagem — e a revelação final acabou por confirmar exatamente essa aposta. A premissa é original, sem dúvida, mas ficou a faltar um maior desenvolvimento para atingir o seu verdadeiro potencial.
English
Accident or crime? That’s the question that lingers throughout the narrative, driven by a series of incidents that sparked my curiosity. While the plot manages to hold the reader’s attention and sustain interest in how events unfold, I felt it lacked real depth. At a certain point, I narrowed my suspicions down to a single character — and the final reveal ended up confirming exactly that. The premise is undoubtedly original, but it needed stronger development to reach its full potential.
April 23, 2023
Colin Revell is an old boy of Oakington School and when an unexplained death takes place there, the headmaster Dr Rosaveare calls him in to investigate as Revell, who is a novelist, is also known as an amateur sleuth.
It is one of the students who has died, seemingly accidentally, that lead to the headmaster inviting Revell but after undertaking some investigations, and coming to no firm conclusions, he is dismissed as the headmaster decides that there is no mystery surrounding the death; it is deemed to be accidental.
However, when a second more suspicious death occurs the headmaster decides not to call in Revell but the latter takes it upon himself to return to Oakington as he is indeed suspicious about the death. Eventually Detective Inspector Guthrie is called in from Scotland Yard and while he takes the the lead in the investigation, Revell continues his own enquires in the background. Despite there being plenty of subterfuge going on nothing definitive comes out of the investigations and therefore Guthrie returns to Scotland Yard, with the case left seemingly unsolved, and Revell decides to go back to London.
But the headmaster persuades Revell to remain for the remaining few weeks of the term and act as his personal secretary and this gives Revell chance to investigate further. At one point he feels that he has worked out what has happened but then another death occurs and throws the whole episode into utter confusion. While this is going on there is an interlude of love interest as Revell discovers that he has an attraction to one of the master's wives and the pair of them become very friendly, a fact that upsets the master greatly and which later has significant implications.
After much more intrigue, and an attempt on Revell's life, the mysteries are solved and in a rather surprising turn of events Guthrie returns to take the credit, something that is not particularly appreciated by Revell, who later returns to London to write up his experiences both in prose and verse.
'Murder At School' is James Hilton at his best with the schoolmaster characters somewhat reminiscent of similar characters in his equally excellent 'Goodbye Mr Chips'.
It is one of the students who has died, seemingly accidentally, that lead to the headmaster inviting Revell but after undertaking some investigations, and coming to no firm conclusions, he is dismissed as the headmaster decides that there is no mystery surrounding the death; it is deemed to be accidental.
However, when a second more suspicious death occurs the headmaster decides not to call in Revell but the latter takes it upon himself to return to Oakington as he is indeed suspicious about the death. Eventually Detective Inspector Guthrie is called in from Scotland Yard and while he takes the the lead in the investigation, Revell continues his own enquires in the background. Despite there being plenty of subterfuge going on nothing definitive comes out of the investigations and therefore Guthrie returns to Scotland Yard, with the case left seemingly unsolved, and Revell decides to go back to London.
But the headmaster persuades Revell to remain for the remaining few weeks of the term and act as his personal secretary and this gives Revell chance to investigate further. At one point he feels that he has worked out what has happened but then another death occurs and throws the whole episode into utter confusion. While this is going on there is an interlude of love interest as Revell discovers that he has an attraction to one of the master's wives and the pair of them become very friendly, a fact that upsets the master greatly and which later has significant implications.
After much more intrigue, and an attempt on Revell's life, the mysteries are solved and in a rather surprising turn of events Guthrie returns to take the credit, something that is not particularly appreciated by Revell, who later returns to London to write up his experiences both in prose and verse.
'Murder At School' is James Hilton at his best with the schoolmaster characters somewhat reminiscent of similar characters in his equally excellent 'Goodbye Mr Chips'.
August 22, 2014
There is a reason that many of Hilton's books have been made into movies. He writes a darn good story. Although this doesn't rank with Random Harvest and Lost Horizon, it is a good read that is delightfully British.
December 24, 2024
In this book, James Hilton apperas as writing as Glen Trevor.
3* Lost Horizon (1933)
3* So Well Remembered (1945)
5* The Passionate Year (1924)
4* Terry (1927)
4* Catherine Herself (1920)
4* Good-Bye, Mr. Chips (1934)
4* The Meadows of the moon (1927)
4* Morning Journey (1951)
5* Random Harvest (1941)
4* Nothing So Strange (1947)
4* Time and Time Again (1953)
2* Knight Without Armor (1935)
3.5* To You Mr. Chips (1938)
4* The Dawn of Reckoning (Rage in Heaven) (1925)
2* Contango (Ill Wind) (1932)
4* Murder at School (1931)
TR We Are Not Alone (1937)
TR Twilight of the Wise
TR Storm passage (1922)
3* Lost Horizon (1933)
3* So Well Remembered (1945)
5* The Passionate Year (1924)
4* Terry (1927)
4* Catherine Herself (1920)
4* Good-Bye, Mr. Chips (1934)
4* The Meadows of the moon (1927)
4* Morning Journey (1951)
5* Random Harvest (1941)
4* Nothing So Strange (1947)
4* Time and Time Again (1953)
2* Knight Without Armor (1935)
3.5* To You Mr. Chips (1938)
4* The Dawn of Reckoning (Rage in Heaven) (1925)
2* Contango (Ill Wind) (1932)
4* Murder at School (1931)
TR We Are Not Alone (1937)
TR Twilight of the Wise
TR Storm passage (1922)
September 19, 2017
I liked it! Wish he'd written more mysteries. Well written, interesting premise
April 28, 2019
A fairly good read — a mystery written the author, under the pen name of Glen Trevor, and before he would go on and write his more famous Lost Horizon and Goodbye, Mr. Chips: To You, Mr. Chips. Based in the academic world like Mr. Chips, Was It Murder begins with an alumnus, Colin Revell, returning his former public school in response to a query by the headmaster. There's been a death at the school and there is some concern that it may be more than an accident.
Revell spends some time there and gets the lay of the land but in the end, he agrees that the mystery is not really a mystery and truly a simple accident. But then the brother of the first victim turns up dead as well....
A very interesting, interesting read. I didn't find it that suspenseful but the characters are interesting and the read is fun. The backstory make it a must read.
Revell spends some time there and gets the lay of the land but in the end, he agrees that the mystery is not really a mystery and truly a simple accident. But then the brother of the first victim turns up dead as well....
A very interesting, interesting read. I didn't find it that suspenseful but the characters are interesting and the read is fun. The backstory make it a must read.
May 19, 2024
To lose one brother may be unfortunate…
Oakington School has an envied reputation so when a pupil, Robert Marshall, is killed, the school wants to avoid bad publicity. Robert died in a dormitory when a gas fitting fell on his head, and it is quickly decided that his death was an accidental tragedy. However, the headmaster, Dr Roseveare, isn’t wholly convinced and he’s feeling nervy about it, so he asks Colin Revell, an ex-pupil with a reputation as a mystery-solver, to come and carry out an informal investigation. Revell does so and concludes that the death was indeed accidental, and leaves. But then another death occurs at the school – Wilbraham Marshall, Robert’s brother, is found dead after apparently diving into the empty swimming pool head first in the middle of the night, in darkness. Revell rushes back, full of (unsuprising!) suspicion...
The book starts out well. The writing is very good and there are some touches of humour around school traditions and Revell’s youthful and so far unsuccessful attempts to become an author. As is often the case this early in crime fiction (1931), it seems to occur to people to turn to amateur ‘tecs rather than the police when murders are done, so while the idea of Revell being called in rather than Scotland Yard is hard to swallow, it’s not unique. And later in the book the police do become belatedly involved.
There is a small but well-drawn cast of suspects. The two boys had been orphaned when both their parents died, and they had inherited a lot of money. Their next of kin happens to be one of the teachers at the school, Mr Ellington, who will now come into a tidy fortune, thus putting him in the position of being chief suspect. But Dr Roseveare, the headmaster, acts suspiciously and one wonders if he’s using Revell’s rather inept investigation to prevent a more professional investigator from uncovering secrets that might destroy the school’s reputation. Then there’s Mr Lambourne, another teacher, who still suffers from shell-shock after his wartime experiences, and is prone to nervous attacks. He seems to be trying to point the finger at Ellington, but is this a diversion to prevent Revell from looking too closely into Lambourne’s own possible motives? And there’s Mrs Ellington, a sort of British femme fatale, small, pretty and seemingly helpless, designed to appeal to any passing knight in shining armour. More than one of the males, including Revell, have succumbed to her charms, but is she as sweetly innocent as she seems?
Sadly, after this promising opening it begins to drag in the middle section and never really recovers. And that dragginess allows the reader more time to think through the basic unbelievabilities on which the plot depends. For one example, it transpires Wilbraham had actually been shot in the head before his plunge into the swimming pool, but no one – not the school, the police, the person who carried out the autopsy, nor the coroner spotted this, until someone drew it to their attention in an anonymous letter. Hmm. As soon as a plot begins to rely on the complete incompetence of all the professionals, then it loses credibility and feels contrived. Revell is a pretty useless investigator, and this becomes more annoying the longer it goes on. There is still occasional humour, but once it’s obvious that both boys have been murdered, this begins to feel out of tune.
It all leads up to a nicely dramatic and scary climax which is very well done. And then we get a lengthy explanation – almost 10% of the entire book – which cancels out that excitement and takes us back to drag.
A mix of good and not so good, then. The basic idea for the plot is interesting and the motivation, while not original, is believable. But it feels as if Hilton couldn’t work out how to feed us the info gradually as the book progressed so that the middle feels largely redundant, while all the interest is in the initial set-up, and all the reasoning, method and motivation is only revealed in that last 10%. In the end, I found it disappointing that it didn’t live up to that promising start. 3½ stars for me, so rounded up.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Oakington School has an envied reputation so when a pupil, Robert Marshall, is killed, the school wants to avoid bad publicity. Robert died in a dormitory when a gas fitting fell on his head, and it is quickly decided that his death was an accidental tragedy. However, the headmaster, Dr Roseveare, isn’t wholly convinced and he’s feeling nervy about it, so he asks Colin Revell, an ex-pupil with a reputation as a mystery-solver, to come and carry out an informal investigation. Revell does so and concludes that the death was indeed accidental, and leaves. But then another death occurs at the school – Wilbraham Marshall, Robert’s brother, is found dead after apparently diving into the empty swimming pool head first in the middle of the night, in darkness. Revell rushes back, full of (unsuprising!) suspicion...
The book starts out well. The writing is very good and there are some touches of humour around school traditions and Revell’s youthful and so far unsuccessful attempts to become an author. As is often the case this early in crime fiction (1931), it seems to occur to people to turn to amateur ‘tecs rather than the police when murders are done, so while the idea of Revell being called in rather than Scotland Yard is hard to swallow, it’s not unique. And later in the book the police do become belatedly involved.
There is a small but well-drawn cast of suspects. The two boys had been orphaned when both their parents died, and they had inherited a lot of money. Their next of kin happens to be one of the teachers at the school, Mr Ellington, who will now come into a tidy fortune, thus putting him in the position of being chief suspect. But Dr Roseveare, the headmaster, acts suspiciously and one wonders if he’s using Revell’s rather inept investigation to prevent a more professional investigator from uncovering secrets that might destroy the school’s reputation. Then there’s Mr Lambourne, another teacher, who still suffers from shell-shock after his wartime experiences, and is prone to nervous attacks. He seems to be trying to point the finger at Ellington, but is this a diversion to prevent Revell from looking too closely into Lambourne’s own possible motives? And there’s Mrs Ellington, a sort of British femme fatale, small, pretty and seemingly helpless, designed to appeal to any passing knight in shining armour. More than one of the males, including Revell, have succumbed to her charms, but is she as sweetly innocent as she seems?
Sadly, after this promising opening it begins to drag in the middle section and never really recovers. And that dragginess allows the reader more time to think through the basic unbelievabilities on which the plot depends. For one example, it transpires Wilbraham had actually been shot in the head before his plunge into the swimming pool, but no one – not the school, the police, the person who carried out the autopsy, nor the coroner spotted this, until someone drew it to their attention in an anonymous letter. Hmm. As soon as a plot begins to rely on the complete incompetence of all the professionals, then it loses credibility and feels contrived. Revell is a pretty useless investigator, and this becomes more annoying the longer it goes on. There is still occasional humour, but once it’s obvious that both boys have been murdered, this begins to feel out of tune.
It all leads up to a nicely dramatic and scary climax which is very well done. And then we get a lengthy explanation – almost 10% of the entire book – which cancels out that excitement and takes us back to drag.
A mix of good and not so good, then. The basic idea for the plot is interesting and the motivation, while not original, is believable. But it feels as if Hilton couldn’t work out how to feed us the info gradually as the book progressed so that the middle feels largely redundant, while all the interest is in the initial set-up, and all the reasoning, method and motivation is only revealed in that last 10%. In the end, I found it disappointing that it didn’t live up to that promising start. 3½ stars for me, so rounded up.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
July 2, 2022
Was It Murder? (1931) by James Hilton. Writing under the name Glen Trevor, Hilton penned this, his only mystery, just a few short years before his masterworks Goodbye My. Chips and Lost Horizon. Although a mystery, you can feel the author’s growing abilities to depict character and setting, especially while evoking the lead character’s feelings upon returning to his alma mater, Oakington School, where he spent many formative years before progressing to Oxford and his real life, such as it is.
Colin Revell is something of a slacker, to use the modern term. Oh, he wrote the expected book after graduation and pays his bills on time, but other then pen a few lines for literary magazines and visiting with friends, he has not much to show for his time. There was that neat little mystery, something about a missing manuscript that he managed to settle without too much embarrassment to anyone involved, but that was a while ago. And he is writing an epic poem about Don Juan so he’s got that going for him.
But it was the quiet solving of the manuscript problem which has the Headmaster of Oakington inviting him for a long weekend. Seems one of the boys managed to get himself killed while sleeping. A large gas fitting, for the lighting of the dorm rooms (this is set in 1927) fell onto his head, killing him instantly. The question of course is, was it murder?
A few days at his old school provides no evidence of foul play so it is back to London for Colin. A few months pass when he reads of another death at his school. Odd coincidence perhaps, but the newly dead boy is the brother of the first dead boy. Colin heeds the call to action for his old school.
Something is rotten at Oakington and soon even Scotland Yard is on the case. But again clues are scarce and those that arise merely point nowhere. Scotland Yard retires from the case but Colin stays on. There is the matter of the fetching young wife of the prime suspect who is a master at the school. She and Colin share several interludes, and he has a growing attachment to her.
A third death arouses more consternation, but it isn’t until there is an attempt on Colin’s life that things get really moving.
The story is okay, not a deep mystery at all with, from what I have seen on the internet, the majority of readers claiming to have solved the riddle of who the killer might be. The trouble with this story is that Colin needs a Watson, someone to talk over part of what he is thinking. Having the lead character ponder the clues and talking to himself leaves the wary reader with the knowledge that Colin will not, in all likelihood, tell us who the killer is while naming everyone else. By avoiding naming people as suspects the writer invites his readers to pinpoint the killer.
A shame really as this could have been a first-rate mystery. There were certainly enough false leads strewn about the place, and a surprising number of deaths that were not murder. Still, not a great book. But rest easy, Mr. Hilton would soon return to the ‘Old School” motif with a much better tale.
Colin Revell is something of a slacker, to use the modern term. Oh, he wrote the expected book after graduation and pays his bills on time, but other then pen a few lines for literary magazines and visiting with friends, he has not much to show for his time. There was that neat little mystery, something about a missing manuscript that he managed to settle without too much embarrassment to anyone involved, but that was a while ago. And he is writing an epic poem about Don Juan so he’s got that going for him.
But it was the quiet solving of the manuscript problem which has the Headmaster of Oakington inviting him for a long weekend. Seems one of the boys managed to get himself killed while sleeping. A large gas fitting, for the lighting of the dorm rooms (this is set in 1927) fell onto his head, killing him instantly. The question of course is, was it murder?
A few days at his old school provides no evidence of foul play so it is back to London for Colin. A few months pass when he reads of another death at his school. Odd coincidence perhaps, but the newly dead boy is the brother of the first dead boy. Colin heeds the call to action for his old school.
Something is rotten at Oakington and soon even Scotland Yard is on the case. But again clues are scarce and those that arise merely point nowhere. Scotland Yard retires from the case but Colin stays on. There is the matter of the fetching young wife of the prime suspect who is a master at the school. She and Colin share several interludes, and he has a growing attachment to her.
A third death arouses more consternation, but it isn’t until there is an attempt on Colin’s life that things get really moving.
The story is okay, not a deep mystery at all with, from what I have seen on the internet, the majority of readers claiming to have solved the riddle of who the killer might be. The trouble with this story is that Colin needs a Watson, someone to talk over part of what he is thinking. Having the lead character ponder the clues and talking to himself leaves the wary reader with the knowledge that Colin will not, in all likelihood, tell us who the killer is while naming everyone else. By avoiding naming people as suspects the writer invites his readers to pinpoint the killer.
A shame really as this could have been a first-rate mystery. There were certainly enough false leads strewn about the place, and a surprising number of deaths that were not murder. Still, not a great book. But rest easy, Mr. Hilton would soon return to the ‘Old School” motif with a much better tale.
April 5, 2013
This was a frustrating whodunit. Having spent years with the wisdom of Sherlock Holmes and the grey cells of Poirot, the "who dun it" appeared so obvious to me right from the word go. As the book went on, Hilton appeared to be throwing one huge evidence after another to point to the actual culprit but our hero seems to go in all directions but the right one. Maybe that was Hilton's purpose- to show how dumb amateur detectives could be.
The setting was good - obviously, Hilton has a partiality for old-world British schools. But the characters were not well fleshed out which meant that unlike his books of "drama" like "Random harvest" and "Goodbye Mr Chips", no character seemed to come to life. They remained caricatures within the book and forgotten once the book was finished.
The setting was good - obviously, Hilton has a partiality for old-world British schools. But the characters were not well fleshed out which meant that unlike his books of "drama" like "Random harvest" and "Goodbye Mr Chips", no character seemed to come to life. They remained caricatures within the book and forgotten once the book was finished.
April 14, 2013
James Hilton is long out of fashion, but then, so am I. This is a typical English between-the-wars whodunit and none the worse for that, especially if you are, as I am, slightly nostalgic about that never-never period.
You can tell who the murderer is by about the halfway mark. The criminal's modus operandi is implausible and the action climax rather clumsily executed. The amateur detective-hero is less epicine than he is initially portrayed to be, but that's still pretty epicene. The setting is an English public school (another nostalgia magnet) but, refreshingly, it is neither ancient nor beautiful, and its pupils are the heirs of new money, not ancient lights.
I quite liked it, actually.
You can tell who the murderer is by about the halfway mark. The criminal's modus operandi is implausible and the action climax rather clumsily executed. The amateur detective-hero is less epicine than he is initially portrayed to be, but that's still pretty epicene. The setting is an English public school (another nostalgia magnet) but, refreshingly, it is neither ancient nor beautiful, and its pupils are the heirs of new money, not ancient lights.
I quite liked it, actually.
November 16, 2013
This was not a well-constructed mystery at all. I usually don't try to solve mysteries while I read them. But in this case, the solution seemed glaringly obvious, if anything confirmed by the fact that the murderer was one of the only people nobody seemed to suspect, even though it was so glaringly obvious. However, this book was readable and humorous. In some ways I enjoyed it more than I expected to, given my memory of Goodbye Mr. Chips. **1/2 stars
January 14, 2012
It is a long time ago since I read this book but I recall it was one of very few books I could not put down once I started to read it. From the beginning I could identify with the protagonist and the mystery at the school grabbed my imagination. I felt as if the writer had written the story personally for me and that has happened with no other book ever.
Want to read
May 14, 2025Synopsis: aka 'Was It Murder?' How likely is it that two brothers at the same boarding school meet with two separate accidental deaths?
August 12, 2020
unfortunately I solved the murder about 1/3 of the way into the book.
Read
July 28, 2018James Hilton is now mostly forgotten author. Was it Murder? is his only detective story and a part of me isn't surprised. Although he wrote novels centered on mysteries all his life, most famous and beautiful one being his Himalayan masterpiece Lost Horizon, he also sentenced himself on a spiral of being so profilic that he turned out to be predictable. I knew the solution to the murder halfway through the book. But then again, detective stories are mostly about the setting. English high school as one was particularly refreshing. Stormy nights in the dorm, death lurking around the corner and a lousy wanna-be detective/poet surrounded by old fashioned teachers did the charm although the main twist didn't.
But that doesn't speak against Hilton's ability to tell an engaging story. That is, after all, what was most fun about this short novel - the main character not only doesn't solve the murders, he is a fool who falls for murderer's every trap until the proper Scotland Yard detective doesn't solve it for him. Maybe that's the twist that Hilton had in mind when he wrote this. Be it as it may, it remains a fact that it's always a good idea to read Hilton's prose. His sharp character descriptions, easy flowing and yet creative dialogues, some twists and turns and the vivid colorful atmosphere isn't absent in this one as well. It's not his best, but it is after all one of those enjoyable little books which, like majority of detective stories, are meant to be read rather than quoted.
But that doesn't speak against Hilton's ability to tell an engaging story. That is, after all, what was most fun about this short novel - the main character not only doesn't solve the murders, he is a fool who falls for murderer's every trap until the proper Scotland Yard detective doesn't solve it for him. Maybe that's the twist that Hilton had in mind when he wrote this. Be it as it may, it remains a fact that it's always a good idea to read Hilton's prose. His sharp character descriptions, easy flowing and yet creative dialogues, some twists and turns and the vivid colorful atmosphere isn't absent in this one as well. It's not his best, but it is after all one of those enjoyable little books which, like majority of detective stories, are meant to be read rather than quoted.
August 5, 2023
James Hilton, better known for his novels "Lost Horizon" and "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," published his only detective novel in 1931, Murder at School (the UK title) aka Was It Murder? (the US title)
Colin Revell has, since leaving Oxford, produced a minor novel, several articles and is at work on an epic poem when he receives a letter from the Headmaster Roseveare of Oakington, a boarding school, asking if Revell, who has a reputation as a "solver of mysteries" would pay a visit to the school so that he might be consulted about whether the death of one of the students was accident or murder. With nothing to point conclusively toward murder, Revell returns to London only to be summoned to Oakington when a second student, the brother of the first, also dies under mysterious circumstances. When there is a third death, Revell devises one theory after another in an attempt to determine whether the deaths were accidental, suicide or murder, and, if murder, who among the Oakington community might be the culprit.
Several references to Sherlock Holmes and the pairing of the theoretical Revell with the more pragmatic Scotland Yarder, Guthrie suggest that Hilton wanted to try his hand at the popular, post-Doyle genre. Revell is a whimsical enough creation and he probably could have carried a few follow-up books, but here the mystery's plot is rather thin, and the culprit is too obvious too early on. More interesting as Hilton's contribution to the mystery genre than for the mystery itself.
Colin Revell has, since leaving Oxford, produced a minor novel, several articles and is at work on an epic poem when he receives a letter from the Headmaster Roseveare of Oakington, a boarding school, asking if Revell, who has a reputation as a "solver of mysteries" would pay a visit to the school so that he might be consulted about whether the death of one of the students was accident or murder. With nothing to point conclusively toward murder, Revell returns to London only to be summoned to Oakington when a second student, the brother of the first, also dies under mysterious circumstances. When there is a third death, Revell devises one theory after another in an attempt to determine whether the deaths were accidental, suicide or murder, and, if murder, who among the Oakington community might be the culprit.
Several references to Sherlock Holmes and the pairing of the theoretical Revell with the more pragmatic Scotland Yarder, Guthrie suggest that Hilton wanted to try his hand at the popular, post-Doyle genre. Revell is a whimsical enough creation and he probably could have carried a few follow-up books, but here the mystery's plot is rather thin, and the culprit is too obvious too early on. More interesting as Hilton's contribution to the mystery genre than for the mystery itself.
May 30, 2022
Actual rating: 2.5 stars.
It's easy to understand why James Hilton didn't make his fame as a mystery writer! His premise in this one-off book was solid: 2 boys dying "accidentally" in a boarding school. However, there were too few suspects and the investigation was futile and treated in a very off-hand manner. The culprit stood out a mile and it was hard plowing through the whole narrative in order to be verified. Worst of all were the final chapters, with their "explanation" of why and how the murders took place. They brought down a reasonably pleasant tale to the level of facetious jibberish!
The school atmosphere was well done and one can see that his GOODBYE MR. CHIPS would shine as much as this one didn't!
It's easy to understand why James Hilton didn't make his fame as a mystery writer! His premise in this one-off book was solid: 2 boys dying "accidentally" in a boarding school. However, there were too few suspects and the investigation was futile and treated in a very off-hand manner. The culprit stood out a mile and it was hard plowing through the whole narrative in order to be verified. Worst of all were the final chapters, with their "explanation" of why and how the murders took place. They brought down a reasonably pleasant tale to the level of facetious jibberish!
The school atmosphere was well done and one can see that his GOODBYE MR. CHIPS would shine as much as this one didn't!
June 17, 2022
Hilton channels Christie.
Having just plowed through two disappointing mysteries I reread this since"Random Harvest" and "Lost Horizon" are favorites. Like some other British books, it takes a while to get the terminology about "masters" and "Prefects" and the school hierarchy, but the writing is great: "There had been nearly a month without rain. and the parched fields and rusty roads seemed to stare hopefully at the clouds massing above them." On rereading I thought it was a little too long and the hero a little foolish; plus you can spot the culprit way before the unmasking. Still, the writing and evocation of a time and place makes it a worthwhile read.
P.S. This book was originally released in 1931 under the title "Murder At School" under a pen name of Glen Trevor.
Having just plowed through two disappointing mysteries I reread this since"Random Harvest" and "Lost Horizon" are favorites. Like some other British books, it takes a while to get the terminology about "masters" and "Prefects" and the school hierarchy, but the writing is great: "There had been nearly a month without rain. and the parched fields and rusty roads seemed to stare hopefully at the clouds massing above them." On rereading I thought it was a little too long and the hero a little foolish; plus you can spot the culprit way before the unmasking. Still, the writing and evocation of a time and place makes it a worthwhile read.
P.S. This book was originally released in 1931 under the title "Murder At School" under a pen name of Glen Trevor.
May 23, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, the famous author's only foray into detection, written originally as Glen Trevor.
Hilton had obviously read E C Bentley's "Trent's Last Case" and "The Poisoned Chocolates Case" by Anthony Berkeley, as many of the elements of those famed, tongue-in-cheek books, are subtly guyed here.
It is also interesting that neither the gifted amateur nor the Scotland Yard professionals cover themselves in glory, since one gets it all wrong and the other nearly provokes a further crime.
This is not intended to be taken as seriously as some readers seem to do. It is a piece of fun and although the perpetrator is very obvious to readers of GAD fiction, the book is not to be dismissed for that reason.
Highly entertaining and recommendable.
Hilton had obviously read E C Bentley's "Trent's Last Case" and "The Poisoned Chocolates Case" by Anthony Berkeley, as many of the elements of those famed, tongue-in-cheek books, are subtly guyed here.
It is also interesting that neither the gifted amateur nor the Scotland Yard professionals cover themselves in glory, since one gets it all wrong and the other nearly provokes a further crime.
This is not intended to be taken as seriously as some readers seem to do. It is a piece of fun and although the perpetrator is very obvious to readers of GAD fiction, the book is not to be dismissed for that reason.
Highly entertaining and recommendable.
November 29, 2025
Was It Murder?
by James Hilton
A schoolboy felled by falling lights, poor devil,
But surely just an accident, a freak?
The Head calls in a budding sleuth, one Revell,
Idle youth, Old Boy, for his critique.
Wild theories sprawl, but concrete clues are scanty,
And Revell’s guesses wither on the vine:
The butler, or some jealous vigilante?
The victim's brother dies, and still no sign!
Deft conjuring of narrative illusion
Leaves Revell and the reader grasping smoke,
Groping through too plausible confusion
In search of some fiend’s fancied masterstroke.
Can our hero solve the case in time,
Uncertain if there's even been a crime?
by James Hilton
A schoolboy felled by falling lights, poor devil,
But surely just an accident, a freak?
The Head calls in a budding sleuth, one Revell,
Idle youth, Old Boy, for his critique.
Wild theories sprawl, but concrete clues are scanty,
And Revell’s guesses wither on the vine:
The butler, or some jealous vigilante?
The victim's brother dies, and still no sign!
Deft conjuring of narrative illusion
Leaves Revell and the reader grasping smoke,
Groping through too plausible confusion
In search of some fiend’s fancied masterstroke.
Can our hero solve the case in time,
Uncertain if there's even been a crime?
February 28, 2023
Disappointed, bored later gripped in a good Mystery / Detective Story
I initially was disappointed reading the first few chapters. All that boring stuff about the English school that I as a American would never relate too. Then the Inspector Guthrie entered the story and it became a more mystery/detective story. I liked Hilton ,his writing and story telling.
Good read , not Hilton's finest however still interesting and a worthwhile read.
I initially was disappointed reading the first few chapters. All that boring stuff about the English school that I as a American would never relate too. Then the Inspector Guthrie entered the story and it became a more mystery/detective story. I liked Hilton ,his writing and story telling.
Good read , not Hilton's finest however still interesting and a worthwhile read.
December 31, 2017
This is a little different from most who-dun-its... if you're hoping to be dazzled by the ingenuity of our leading man, in the vein of Sherlock and Poirot, you will be disappointed. Rather, the book occasionally pokes fun at Revell as the reader follows his attempts to crack the case. I also enjoyed the British school setting!
March 15, 2021
Una trama interesante, seria en un principio y que te hace sentir parte de la historia, se desarrolla tranquilamente y hace del libro una lectura plausible. Los personajes y el ambiente creado no son trillados y su final que tan misterioso se vuelve con el pasar de las páginas, remata con un desenlace inesperado y sutil.
November 7, 2018
Flawed detectives are fine, these ones bear burdensome conceit, romance and delusion while the reader, aware who is/are responsible for the murders, smirks and waits. Some surprises, some good characterization, this is very much a period piece and an early effort of James Hilton's.
January 25, 2021
I enjoy reading mysteries from the "Golden Age," but this isn't one of the better examples. The second half of the book is entirely made up of the narrator's theories about the murders. More than a bit too much! Certainly not up to the standard of Lost Horizon or Goodbye, Mr. Chips.
April 12, 2019
I love James Hilton but I did not enjoy this book.
June 28, 2021
Without spoiling things, I can say that I did end up with new found appreciation for this kind of behind-the-screen-action (literally) and would honestly recommend the Hail series to others.
May 25, 2025
This book is a charming, whimsical look at middle-class life in England in the 1930's.
James Hilton's LOST HORIZONS is one of my favorite books. He was a very successful writer in his day and (although he's out of style at present) I think he was a talented story-teller. This was his only mystery novel and was published under a pen-name. Perhaps he felt that writing a mystery would blemish his reputation as a "serious" novelist, or maybe he was afraid to compete with the formidable women (Christie, Mitchell, Sayers, et al) who dominated the mystery genre in England at that time.
The setting is a "public" (i.e. private) boys school called Oakington. Hilton's father was a head master, so he was familiar with the inner workings of such an institution. The narrator (young Colin Revell) is a hoot because he's unquestionably a spoof of the author himself. Like Hilton at a younger age, Revell is a bright, talented, unemployable university graduate who's written a self-published novel and is patiently waiting for the world to recognize his genius. It could be a long wait.
He's called in for consultation by the present Head Master of Oakington, who can't decide if he has a problem on his hands. Revell is an "old Boy" (former student) and has a reputation for solving puzzles, so he's the obvious choice to look into the (probably) accidental death of one of the current students. Head Master Roseveare is a fascinating character - almost too good to be true, but with a mysterious past. The school "padre" or chaplain is a hearty, slangy type who represents the "muscular Christianity" that was popular in England at the time.
One of the masters (teachers) who figures into the mystery is Lambourne, who's also a product of the time - having been badly gassed and shell-shocked in WWI, injuries which have left him scarred for life. Revell immediately becomes interested in Mrs. Ellington, the wife of one of the masters. A tiny woman, "almost pretty" and "vivacious in a shy way" she brings out all of the naive young man's protective instincts.
When a second death occurs, Scotland Yard is involved and Revell finds himself in competition with a professional detective - the genial, shrewd Inspector Guthrie. Sadly, the older man isn't inclined to take his young colleague very seriously. As he puts it, he, too, was a bright young university graduate at one time, "but I've had twenty years of hard experience since...." The interaction of the two men and Revell's increasing enchantment with Mrs. Ellington make for a very entertaining read. I doubt if many readers will guess the true culprit until very close to the end. I didn't.
My only complaint is that the print of this edition is huge and I had to adjust the font size down. Usually I'm making it bigger. Still, the fact that I can do so easily is one of the major advantages of e-books, especially for old folks.
I think this is a good addition to the library of anyone who enjoys older English mysteries. It doesn't compare to LOST HORIZONS, but I like it.
James Hilton's LOST HORIZONS is one of my favorite books. He was a very successful writer in his day and (although he's out of style at present) I think he was a talented story-teller. This was his only mystery novel and was published under a pen-name. Perhaps he felt that writing a mystery would blemish his reputation as a "serious" novelist, or maybe he was afraid to compete with the formidable women (Christie, Mitchell, Sayers, et al) who dominated the mystery genre in England at that time.
The setting is a "public" (i.e. private) boys school called Oakington. Hilton's father was a head master, so he was familiar with the inner workings of such an institution. The narrator (young Colin Revell) is a hoot because he's unquestionably a spoof of the author himself. Like Hilton at a younger age, Revell is a bright, talented, unemployable university graduate who's written a self-published novel and is patiently waiting for the world to recognize his genius. It could be a long wait.
He's called in for consultation by the present Head Master of Oakington, who can't decide if he has a problem on his hands. Revell is an "old Boy" (former student) and has a reputation for solving puzzles, so he's the obvious choice to look into the (probably) accidental death of one of the current students. Head Master Roseveare is a fascinating character - almost too good to be true, but with a mysterious past. The school "padre" or chaplain is a hearty, slangy type who represents the "muscular Christianity" that was popular in England at the time.
One of the masters (teachers) who figures into the mystery is Lambourne, who's also a product of the time - having been badly gassed and shell-shocked in WWI, injuries which have left him scarred for life. Revell immediately becomes interested in Mrs. Ellington, the wife of one of the masters. A tiny woman, "almost pretty" and "vivacious in a shy way" she brings out all of the naive young man's protective instincts.
When a second death occurs, Scotland Yard is involved and Revell finds himself in competition with a professional detective - the genial, shrewd Inspector Guthrie. Sadly, the older man isn't inclined to take his young colleague very seriously. As he puts it, he, too, was a bright young university graduate at one time, "but I've had twenty years of hard experience since...." The interaction of the two men and Revell's increasing enchantment with Mrs. Ellington make for a very entertaining read. I doubt if many readers will guess the true culprit until very close to the end. I didn't.
My only complaint is that the print of this edition is huge and I had to adjust the font size down. Usually I'm making it bigger. Still, the fact that I can do so easily is one of the major advantages of e-books, especially for old folks.
I think this is a good addition to the library of anyone who enjoys older English mysteries. It doesn't compare to LOST HORIZONS, but I like it.
June 29, 2010
This mystery takes place at a boy's school in England. It is the only mystery written by Lost Horizon author James Hilton. Also known as Was it Murder?, this title is included in the series 50 greatest mysteries 1900-1950.
September 2, 2009
Excellent mystery set in an English public school. This one keeps you guessing through many twists and turns.
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