The Missing Gun

by W.H. Oxley

London in the autumn of 1939: the early months of World War 2. Hitler has just conquered Poland, but life in London continues much as it did in peacetime, albeit a little more restricted since the introduction of petrol rationing. No bombs have been dropped on the city as yet, but the population go about their daily business under the constant threat of German air raids, and a blackout remains in force at night.

For Scotland Yard and the criminal fraternity, however, it is business as usual. When a pawnbroker’s assistant is wounded by a gunman wearing a gasmask, it appears to be a straightforward case of a bungled armed robbery, but as Hawker proceeds with his investigation, the more facts he uncovers the more confusing the affair becomes. A red-headed soldier, a missing gun, a dead cat, an empty violin case and a damaged violin are only a few of the threads that have to be unravelled before he can wrap up the case – with a little help from Sherlock Holmes.

Genres: Historical

97 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 13, 2014

Reviews

[Liam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars - because I’m in the Christmas spirit!

With an editor this could have been quite good, but it’s still enjoyable enough despite it being rough around the edges. It’s a crude take on a Sherlock Holmes-esque detective story, set at the beginning of WWII, with two loutish detectives taking the lead. The pace and humour cover up cracks in the characters and the derivative story, but there’s definitely potential here.

I think I’ll check out the second one some time

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not long into WW2 and in an attempted robbery a pawnbroker’s assistant is wounded, by a gunman wearing a gasmask. Hawker soon realises not is all that it seems.
An interesting short story with references to Sherlock Holmes.

[Ernest Godfrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A whiff of the past

Well written got the baddie but not the circumstances which had many a twist. Have to ration these books or I could easily overindulge

[Merritt N Baker II · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun with well developed characters

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant short story spoiled somewhat by numerous editing errors. Wasn't really my cup of tea and I probably won't continue with this series.

[Msadventure · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminiscent of the stylish and stylized detective novels of the 1940s. THis is the first of these that I have read but I will definitely be looking for more.

[Sharon Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat little mystery, with a devotee of Sherlock Holmes as the main character, and bringing in references to classic Holmes mysteries.

[Judie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I definitely liked The Missing Gun but the editing was so poor - there were a lot of spelling mistakes. So only 2 stars even though the writing deserves more.