Perishable Goods

Chandos #2

by Dornford Yates, Richard Usborne (Editor)

Classic Yates, this novel featuring the suave Richard Chandos was reprinted three times within the first month of publication, was warmly received by the critics and served hugely to expand the author's already large readership. Typically deft, pacey and amusing, it 'contains every crime in the calendar and a heart-rending finale' (A J Smithers). A companion novel to 'Blind Corner', 'Blood Royal', 'An Eye For A Tooth' and 'Fire Below'. Gripping stuff.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, British Literature

176 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1929

About the author

Dornford Yates (real name Cecil William Mercer) was a popular British novelist.

Reviews

[Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in Yates’ Chandos series of spy/thriller books and the first that I’ve read. I have read four of his comic ‘Berry’ books earlier and enjoyed them a lot (in fact, have a couple more on my TBR) and this was one of the reasons I chose to start with this book. Jonah or Jonathan Mansel from the Berry books is part of the regular characters of the Chandos series too, others being William Chandos and George Hanbury. But more than just Jonah, other characters from the Berry books are central in this one as well. This story is partly connected to the first in the series Blind Corner as the ‘villain’ of that book ‘Rose’ Noble gets back at Chandos, Mansel, and Hanbury, particularly mansel for getting the better of him in the previous book by taking first some papers, and then kidnapping Adele, the wife of Mansel’s cousin Boy (from the Berry books). Boy himself is out of action with a broken leg, and so it falls to Jonah, Chandos, and Hanbury to rescue Adele. But there is one other, deeper reason that Jonah must do this (and it would be a spoiler to say what it was). The story is basically how the three trace Nobel in Germany and more so how they help Adele escape from the Castle of Gath where she is being held captive. The Castle is a complicated structure and Nobel’s men are everywhere, so it is combination of wit and courage that they need to get them through.

This book was full of old-world chivalry and charm which I enjoyed. But as a thriller, I expected it to be more exciting and certainly to ‘move’ faster but somehow it felt very slow moving throughout, and it was only at the end (or towards the end) that I felt a little anticipation of how things were going to turn out. I enjoyed that the Berry characters were in this book but Yates turned some of those relationships on their head, and that somewhat spoiled the light-hearted (‘all’s right in the world’) feeling that I associate with those books. But at the same time the sentiment he brought out (an old-world one) I liked, and would have probably really appreciated had it been some other characters. Of the Berry books, this one also had the Rolls Royces in which the Pleydells usually travel around the country and to the continent, which Jonah and his troop use. There is also a Sealyham called Tester which belongs to Jonah and I wondered if this was Nobby (Boy’s Sealyham from the Berry books) in another avatar (Yates liked his Sealyham’s certainly). This was a nice enough read but not among my favourites of Yates but I may still try another of this series before making up my mind entirely.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second of Dornford Yate's Chandos books is still a gripping yarn, but not quite as good as the first. A direct sequel to Blind Corner, this time with arch-criminal "Rose" Noble out for revenge. I don't know how I managed it but I read the first book Blind Corner without realising that Jonathan Mansel was Jonah from the Berry books! Here as "Boy" Pleydell's wife Adele has been kidnapped the cross-over between the two series is more obvious. Most of this book is set in an Austrian castle and I found the complex set up of rooms, corridors and spurs tricky to follow, so although the book gripped I wasn't always entirely sure where we were, or why. It also lacked the truly thrilling climax that Blind Corner had with it's well accent. Still Yate's can write better than most of his contemporaries such as Edgar Wallace and Sapper and his books continue to be a pleasure to read.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, more adventure than straight mystery. A burglary, followed by an abduction, lead Jonathan Mansel and his friends William Chandos and George Hanford off on another adventure in Austria. The culprit is "Rose" Noble, out to avenge himself for his defeat at their hands in the previous book in this series, Blind Corner. And the victim is Adele Pleydell, wife of Mansel's cousin — but also Mansel's lady love. How the three adventurers get on track of Noble and his gang, and then make plans for Adele's rescue make for a very exciting story — especially since those plans have to be adapted and adjusted depending on unforeseen factors. Recommended.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

An adventure tale featuring Jonah Mansel, and a love affair between him and Adele, the wife of his friend Boy, taking place in the roaring 1920s. I prefer the Berry & Co. books [which are lighter and funnier], but the style is fun.

[Kevin Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Direct sequel to Blind Corner. The treasure this time is Mansel's cousin's wife. She is the perishable goods. Great action sequences.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I had read this book in 1929, I would have given it 5 stars. My parents may have read it back then. If they did, they never told me so i will never know how readers of that time felt about this book. Reminded me of an old Charlie Chan movie.

[Annabel Frazer]

I've never liked Dornford Yates' adventure books as much as the Berry books. Although the adventures are quite fun in a Ruritanian way, the narrative style is stiff, pompous and humourless. The ridiculous perfection of everything (girls, cars, views, houses, etc), which is rendered endearing by the charm of the funny Berry books is just a bit insufferable here. And even though I have a bit of a crush on Jonah Mansel, he's very hard to warm to in the adventure books because he's seen through such a haze of glorified heroism - perversely enough, he's more attractive as a foil to Berry's jokes in the stories about the Pleydell and Mansel families.

For this reason, Perishable Goods is probably my favourite of the 'Chandos' adventures. The daring, downright reckless love interest takes it to a completely different dimension and you really do see Jonah from a more sympathetic, human perspective - and the heroine is, for the same reason, a much more interesting and three-dimensional person. I still don't really understand how Dornford Yates could move on from this book back to more of the Berry books, but I enjoy it anyway. (And by the way, the ending is an absolutely shameless imitation of the finish of Rupert of Hentzau.)