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Desmond Merrion #11
The Milk-Churn Murder
The book starts with the gruesome discovery of the dismembered body of an unidentified man in a milk churn outside the premises of a suitably surly farmer. He denies all knowledge of the headless corpse or the churn and Arnold and Merrion set off on the trail, which leads them all over the country. Obviously, the first question to arise is one of identity and in this our detectives are aided by various clues left with the body. Merrion quickly deduces that some have been left by the murderer in order to set the police on the wrong track while others appear to have been planted by someone trying to help the police apprehend the culprit. More hints follow, and despite some false trails, various red herrings and another brutal murder the villain is run to earth in an exciting finale.
255 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1935
About the author
Miles Burton
97 books25 followersAKA John Rhode, Cecil Waye, Cecil J.C. Street, I.O., F.O.O..
Cecil John Charles Street, MC, OBE, (1884 - January 1965), known as CJC Street and John Street, began his military career as an artillery officer in the British army. During the course of World War I, he became a propagandist for MI7, in which role he held the rank of Major. After the armistice, he alternated between Dublin and London during the Irish War of Independence as Information Officer for Dublin Castle, working closely with Lionel Curtis. He later earned his living as a prolific writer of detective novels.
He produced two long series of novels; one under the name of John Rhode featuring the forensic scientist Dr Priestley, and another under the name of Miles Burton featuring the investigator Desmond Merrion. Under the name Cecil Waye, Street produced four novels: The Figure of Eight; The End of the Chase; The Prime Minister's Pencil; and Murder at Monk's Barn. The Dr. Priestley novels were among the first after Sherlock Holmes to feature scientific detection of crime, such as analysing the mud on a suspect's shoes. Desmond Merrion is an amateur detective who works with Scotland Yard's Inspector Arnold.
Critic and author Julian Symons places this author as a prominent member of the "Humdrum" school of detective fiction. "Most of them came late to writing fiction, and few had much talent for it. They had some skill in constructing puzzles, nothing more, and ironically they fulfilled much better than S. S. Van Dine his dictum that the detective story properly belonged in the category of riddles or crossword puzzles. Most of the Humdrums were British, and among the best known of them were Major John Street.
-Wikipedia
Cecil John Charles Street, MC, OBE, (1884 - January 1965), known as CJC Street and John Street, began his military career as an artillery officer in the British army. During the course of World War I, he became a propagandist for MI7, in which role he held the rank of Major. After the armistice, he alternated between Dublin and London during the Irish War of Independence as Information Officer for Dublin Castle, working closely with Lionel Curtis. He later earned his living as a prolific writer of detective novels.
He produced two long series of novels; one under the name of John Rhode featuring the forensic scientist Dr Priestley, and another under the name of Miles Burton featuring the investigator Desmond Merrion. Under the name Cecil Waye, Street produced four novels: The Figure of Eight; The End of the Chase; The Prime Minister's Pencil; and Murder at Monk's Barn. The Dr. Priestley novels were among the first after Sherlock Holmes to feature scientific detection of crime, such as analysing the mud on a suspect's shoes. Desmond Merrion is an amateur detective who works with Scotland Yard's Inspector Arnold.
Critic and author Julian Symons places this author as a prominent member of the "Humdrum" school of detective fiction. "Most of them came late to writing fiction, and few had much talent for it. They had some skill in constructing puzzles, nothing more, and ironically they fulfilled much better than S. S. Van Dine his dictum that the detective story properly belonged in the category of riddles or crossword puzzles. Most of the Humdrums were British, and among the best known of them were Major John Street.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 5, 2025
Another Miles Burton novel that I enjoyed after a few dnf-s. The mystery is full of twists and turns, complex yet entertaining. Perhaps the fact that Inspector Arnold and his friend Mr Merrion are involved in it from quite the beginning.
The mystery begins when a decapitated and headless body is found stuffed inside a stolen milk churn. There are some clues as to identity of the victim but it takes Merrion and Arnold all their wits and perseverance to reach the end of this gruesome murder and finally arrest the killer. The plot is interesting but there were times when I couldn't help but sigh at how obtuse Arnold was being! Recommended.
The mystery begins when a decapitated and headless body is found stuffed inside a stolen milk churn. There are some clues as to identity of the victim but it takes Merrion and Arnold all their wits and perseverance to reach the end of this gruesome murder and finally arrest the killer. The plot is interesting but there were times when I couldn't help but sigh at how obtuse Arnold was being! Recommended.
June 4, 2015
This one was a rather exciting little mystery. The headless body of a man is found in a milk churn (can). Who was he? How did he meet his death? Who killed him and why? These are the questions that the police must find answers to at the start of the trail. From there it gets even more complex. I enjoyed the chase as they sought out the murderer and tried to sort out the true clues from red herrings. Very enjoyable.
April 29, 2026
At first I was going to rate this 4-stars, but as the book progressed, I decided to go only for 3. This was mainly because I didn't like the interplay between Inspector Arnold and his supposed friend, Desmond Merrion. Arnold was the one who invited him to join in, and then became antagonistic towards any suggestions Merrion made. But I didn't like Merrion either. Too much 'the expert'. The author needed someone to solve the case so he brought in the 'bright boy' to show the copper where he was wrong. With all these 'experts' running around, I'm surprised there are any crimes!
October 14, 2021
A dismembered corpse minus a head is discovered in a milk churn leaving Inspector Arnold baffled. Knowing this would be an ideal case for former Intelligence operator he invites Dr Desmond Merrion to assist on the case. John Rhode/Miles Burton puts together a very clever mystery novel as the pair chase a mysterious South African who is disposing any person who may information on who he is. An enjoyable if somewhat macabre novel.
November 11, 2022
Just one of the impossible to actually find Burton books. I wish everyone would stop pretending you can find Burton's books - except, possibly, the 2 I've tracked down - with any reliability. One does find the occasional tatty paperback. Burton was a decent - not great by any shot - writer but his legacy deserves better than these ghost books that are only present in their absence.
September 21, 2025
I really enjoyed reading this e-book.
when a body is found in a Milk-Churn, inspector Arnold and Mr Merrion have not only to find the murderer but to also find out who the dead man was.
would definitely recommend
when a body is found in a Milk-Churn, inspector Arnold and Mr Merrion have not only to find the murderer but to also find out who the dead man was.
would definitely recommend
January 2, 2026
This book is an excellent procedural, but it’s not really a mystery.
November 26, 2025
Gruesome but gripping
Plenty of gore in this classic crime novel but absolutely gripping regardless. Plenty of clues to follow and gratifying to be several steps ahead of the duo, Arnold and Merrion. I was also personally pleased to see Sevenoaks feature as a location!
Plenty of gore in this classic crime novel but absolutely gripping regardless. Plenty of clues to follow and gratifying to be several steps ahead of the duo, Arnold and Merrion. I was also personally pleased to see Sevenoaks feature as a location!
October 11, 2016
When a headless body is found stuffed in a milk can outside a remote farm, Scotland Yard, in the person of Inspector Arnold, is happy that there are some clues in there along with the body. It takes his friend Desmond Merrion and his wild imagination to point out that some of the clues were deliberately misleading and left by the murderer himself. On the other hand, some of the clues were helpful, apparently left by someone working at odds to the murderer. First, it was necessary to identify the victim; then to figure out who wanted him dead. This is not really the most quick-moving of mysteries, but it has subtle charm nonetheless.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews