Death in White Pyjamas

Superintendent William Meredith #9

by John Bude

Here are the ingredients of the plot .
SCENE ,. Sam Richardson's country house'
CHARACTERS - 1 Sam himself, a kindly business man, metre amiable than artistic.
Basil Barnes, his producer, talfe slender, sleek-haired and slightly sinister.
Willy Farnham, a grand old" character actor, always hard up,
Angela Walsh, a brilliant young Ingenue from the Provinces.
Deirdre Lehaye, tall, dark, icy, and so dead sure of herself that most men were scared to approach her.
Clara Maddison, the company's most tried and trying actress.
Rudolph Millar, her nephew., .a rising young playwright.
That's the set-up. Deirdre Lehaye is murdered. Who did it? And why was she in white pyjamas?

Genres: Mystery

221 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1944

About the author

John Bude was a pseudonym used by Ernest Carpenter Elmore who was a British born writer.

He was born in 1901 and, as a boarder, he attended Mill Hill School, leaving in 1919 and moving on to Cheltenham where he attended a secretarial college and where he learned to type. After that he spent several years as games master at St Christopher School in Letchworth where he also led the school's dramatic activities.

This keen interest in the theatre led him to join the Lena Ashwell Players as stage manager and he took their productions around the country. He also acted in plays produced at the Everyman Theatre in Hampstead, where he lived for a time. He honed his writing skills, whenever he had a moment to spare, in the various dressing rooms that he found himself in.

He eventually returned to Maidstone, the town of his birth, and during the Second World War he ran his local Home Guard unit as he had been deemed unfit to serve in the forces.

He later lived in Loose, Kent, and after that near Rye, East Sussex, and enjoyed golf and painting but never learned to drive although that did not stop him apparently offering advice to his wife when she was driving! He had met his wife, Betty, when producing plays back in Maidstone and they married in 1933.

After becoming a full-time writer, he wrote some 30 crime fiction novels, many featuring his two main series characters Superintendent Meredith and Inspector Sherwood. He began with 'The Cornish Coast Murder' in 1935 and his final two crime novels, 'A Twist of the Rope' and 'The Night the Fog Came Down' were published posthumously in 1958.

He was a founder member of the Norfolk-based Crime Writers Association (CWA) in 1953 and was a co-organiser of the Crime Book Exhibition that was one of the CWA's early publicity initiatives. He was a popular and hard-working member of the CWA's committee from its inception through to May 1957.

Under his own name he also wrote a number of fantasy novels, the most well-known of which is 'The Lumpton Gobbelings' (1954). In addition he wrote a children's book, 'The Snuffly Snorty Dog' (1946).

He was admitted to hospital in Hastings on 6 November 1957, having just delivered his what turned out to be his final manuscript to his publisher, for a routine operation but he died two days later.

Fellow British crime writer Martin Edwards comments, "Bude writes both readably and entertainingly. His work may not have been stunning enough to belong with the greats, but there is a smoothness and accomplishment about even his first mystery, 'The Cornish Coast Murder', which you don't find in many début mysteries."

Interestingly he was the dedicatee of 'The Case of the Running Mouse' (1944) by his friend Christopher Bush. The dedication stated, 'May his stature, and his circulation, increase.'

NB: He was not born on 1 January but the system does not allow a date of birth without a month and date so it defaults to 1 January.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A country House Mystery originally published in 1942
Old Knolle house in Sussex, is the home of Sam Richardson, a wealthy theatre promoter and owner of the Beaumont Theatre. Theatre producer Basil Barnes, lives nearby in Fallow Cottage, on the outskirts of the Lambdon village. Over time the actors stay at Old Knolle house to rehearse the latest play the actors will perform. Showing the various interactions between the characters, and relating the various motives, which in its slow build up, will climax in a death.
Inspector Harting investigates.
An entertaining and well-written mystery.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars.
A very ingenious tale, well written as one would expect from JB. All the characters were really well drawn and the machinations of the theatrical world were brilliantly described. However, I felt that the build up to the murder was far too long; over half way through the book. I did enjoy it though but didn't figure out whodunnit.

[Dropbear123 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5

[Karen M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting take on a country house mystery , set in the 1940s but taking in the world of the theatre. This makes for some interesting characterisations - the cat like set designer, the handsome lothario producer, the aging character actor, the beautiful ingénue, the struggling but talented playwright …and all set in the ‘castle , of a biscuit millionaire who is bank rolling the production.This last character is the most likeable of the lot - although his reliance on a Danvers like housekeeper is a tad suspect.
So the stage is ,literally, set for murder. Sadly the murder is predictable and the murderer equally so , even the reason isn’t hard to guess . But I still really enjoyed the storyline and setting - and the actual method was very interesting.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complete good fun in a classic British mystery. The murderer is not in much doubt, but the book is so stylish, and the theatrical set of characters so much fun and viewed with so much affection that the mystery doesn't matter. Enjoy Bude's take on the acting world of the 40s.

[Sharla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Death in White Pyjamas by John Bude. First published in 1944, it qualifies as a golden age mystery. The plot revolves around a theatre troupe full of likable characters with a couple who are the kind you love to hate. The plot is complex enough to be interesting and there are elements of the classic British country house mystery. The solution was unexpected but clever. It is available free with Kindle Unlimited.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very predictable. I wish more of the story had been devoted to the actual mystery, rather than the establishment of the characters. Still a rather enjoyable read. I’m reading Death Knows No Calendar next!

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

At a rich theatre owners country home, a rehearsal for a new play is interrupted by the murder of one of the guests, amid romance, blackmail, and petty jealously.

Very enjoyable tale, with atmosphere and plenty of mystery.

[Susan Kosel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever.

[Chavi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty obvious culprit.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Mbuye · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘Death in White Pyjamas,’ (1944) about a troupe of actors spending a weekend at the home of their rich, kindly and comfortable patron, is an agreeable John Bude classic mystery. As with all actors, this is a talented if temperamental crowd, each with his own secrets. Bude takes much effort in defining the least of his cast. So well-defined are they, in fact, that the murder doesn't occur till more than two thirds of the book is over. After that, the who is pretty obvious, but the how is ingenious and doesn't quite fit the who, not with the build-up we’ve been given. Still, a book that is fun and a must for classic mystery buffs.