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Inspector French #10
The Hog's Back Mystery
Dr James Earle and his wife live in comfortable seclusion near the Hog's Back, a ridge in the North Downs in the beautiful Surrey countryside. When Dr Earle disappears from his cottage, Inspector French is called in to investigate. At first he suspects a simple domestic intrigue - and begins to uncover a web of romantic entanglements beneath the couple's peaceful rural life.
The case soon takes a more complex turn. Other people vanish mysteriously, one of Dr Earle's house guests among them. What is the explanation for the disappearances? If the missing people have been murdered, what can be the motive? This fiendishly complicated puzzle is one that only Inspector French can solve.
Freeman Wills Croft was a master of the intricately and ingeniously plotted detective novels, and 'The Hog's Back Mystery' shows him at the height of his powers. This new edition of a classic mystery is introduced by the crime fiction expert Martin Edwards.
The case soon takes a more complex turn. Other people vanish mysteriously, one of Dr Earle's house guests among them. What is the explanation for the disappearances? If the missing people have been murdered, what can be the motive? This fiendishly complicated puzzle is one that only Inspector French can solve.
Freeman Wills Croft was a master of the intricately and ingeniously plotted detective novels, and 'The Hog's Back Mystery' shows him at the height of his powers. This new edition of a classic mystery is introduced by the crime fiction expert Martin Edwards.
327 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1933
102 people are currently reading
1100 people want to read
About the author
Freeman Wills Crofts
140 books88 followersBorn in Dublin of English stock, Freeman Wills Crofts was educated at Methodist and Campbell Colleges in Belfast and at age 17 he became a civil engineering pupil, apprenticed to his uncle, Berkeley D Wise who was the chief engineer of the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (BNCR).
In 1899 he became a fully fledged railway engineer before becoming a district engineer and then chief assistant engineer for the BNCR.
He married in 1912, Mary Bellas Canning, a bank manager's daughter. His writing career began when he was recovering from a serious illness and his efforts were rewarded when his first novel 'The Cask' was accepted for publication by a London publishing house. Within two decades the book had sold 100,000 copies. Thereafter he continued to write in his spare time and produced a book a year through to 1929 when he was obliged to stop working through poor health.
When he and his wife moved to Guildford, England, he took up writing full time and not surprisingly many of his plots revolved around travel and transport, particularly transport timetables and many of them had a Guildford setting.
In retirement from engineering, as well as writing, he also pursued his other interests, music, in which he was an organist and conductor, gardening, carpentry and travel.
He wrote a mystery novel almost every year until his death and in addition he produced about 50 short stories, 30 radio plays for the BBC, a number of true crime works, a play, 'Sudden Death', a juvenile mystery, 'Young Robin Brand, Detective', and a religious work, 'The Four Gospels in One Story'.
His best known character is Inspector Joseph French, who featured in 30 detective novels between 1924 and 1957. And Raymond Chandler praised his plots, calling him "the soundest builder of them all".
Gerry Wolstenholme
May 2010
In 1899 he became a fully fledged railway engineer before becoming a district engineer and then chief assistant engineer for the BNCR.
He married in 1912, Mary Bellas Canning, a bank manager's daughter. His writing career began when he was recovering from a serious illness and his efforts were rewarded when his first novel 'The Cask' was accepted for publication by a London publishing house. Within two decades the book had sold 100,000 copies. Thereafter he continued to write in his spare time and produced a book a year through to 1929 when he was obliged to stop working through poor health.
When he and his wife moved to Guildford, England, he took up writing full time and not surprisingly many of his plots revolved around travel and transport, particularly transport timetables and many of them had a Guildford setting.
In retirement from engineering, as well as writing, he also pursued his other interests, music, in which he was an organist and conductor, gardening, carpentry and travel.
He wrote a mystery novel almost every year until his death and in addition he produced about 50 short stories, 30 radio plays for the BBC, a number of true crime works, a play, 'Sudden Death', a juvenile mystery, 'Young Robin Brand, Detective', and a religious work, 'The Four Gospels in One Story'.
His best known character is Inspector Joseph French, who featured in 30 detective novels between 1924 and 1957. And Raymond Chandler praised his plots, calling him "the soundest builder of them all".
Gerry Wolstenholme
May 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 208 reviews
April 3, 2020
The Hog's Back Mystery is identified by Martin Edwards in The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books in Chapter 4, "Play Up! Play Up! And Play the Game!, as an example of the fair play mystery, where the author drops all of the clues needed to solve the mystery. As an added bonus, Crofts included a "clue finder" in the final chapter, where Inspector French walks the reader through the solution.
I've settled on three stars for this one. The first half of the book was really a two star read for me - I struggled with the pace and felt that it really dragged. I rarely take more than a couple of days to read a book, unless it is weighty non-fiction, so the fact that I started this all the way back on March 3 is pretty telling. I've finished at least 5 books since then, all of which were started after March 3.
However, the second half of the book was a four star read, and it flew by. I picked the book up again today, and within a few pages had gotten to a third disappearance, and suddenly I was completely engaged, and finished it in about an hour.
I think that part of my issue with the book was really Crofts's focus on the "fair play" aspect of the mystery. He obviously wanted to use the clue finder technique, but to me, that bogged things down in unnecessary explication and tedious detail, to the detriment of character development. I had a terrible time even remembering who all of the characters were - I found them all fairly flat and interchangeable.
Except for Inspector French, who I really liked a lot. There were also some little details that Crofts brought into the story to humanize him that I appreciated, such as the brief scene where he and his wife take a day trip out to the shore that was just so charming:
"They enjoyed every minute of it and found the breath of sea air invigorating and wholly delightful. These excursions counted for a great deal in both their lives. Though married for more years than French cared to contemplate, he and his wife remained as good pals as ever they had been."
I always love it when I see glimpses of good marriages in crime fiction, because they are so rare. All too often fictional detectives are depicted as dysfunctional cheating alcoholics with their lives in turmoil, so Inspector French's simple, prosaically happy marriage was a breath of fresh air that added some much needed complexity to his character.
It has long been clear to me that character depth and development is just as important to my enjoyment of a book as a compelling plot or a surprising twist. I will definitely give Crofts another go on the strength of my affinity for French, but for my money, he could forgo some of the tedious clue dropping and just get on with the story.
I've settled on three stars for this one. The first half of the book was really a two star read for me - I struggled with the pace and felt that it really dragged. I rarely take more than a couple of days to read a book, unless it is weighty non-fiction, so the fact that I started this all the way back on March 3 is pretty telling. I've finished at least 5 books since then, all of which were started after March 3.
However, the second half of the book was a four star read, and it flew by. I picked the book up again today, and within a few pages had gotten to a third disappearance, and suddenly I was completely engaged, and finished it in about an hour.
I think that part of my issue with the book was really Crofts's focus on the "fair play" aspect of the mystery. He obviously wanted to use the clue finder technique, but to me, that bogged things down in unnecessary explication and tedious detail, to the detriment of character development. I had a terrible time even remembering who all of the characters were - I found them all fairly flat and interchangeable.
Except for Inspector French, who I really liked a lot. There were also some little details that Crofts brought into the story to humanize him that I appreciated, such as the brief scene where he and his wife take a day trip out to the shore that was just so charming:
"They enjoyed every minute of it and found the breath of sea air invigorating and wholly delightful. These excursions counted for a great deal in both their lives. Though married for more years than French cared to contemplate, he and his wife remained as good pals as ever they had been."
I always love it when I see glimpses of good marriages in crime fiction, because they are so rare. All too often fictional detectives are depicted as dysfunctional cheating alcoholics with their lives in turmoil, so Inspector French's simple, prosaically happy marriage was a breath of fresh air that added some much needed complexity to his character.
It has long been clear to me that character depth and development is just as important to my enjoyment of a book as a compelling plot or a surprising twist. I will definitely give Crofts another go on the strength of my affinity for French, but for my money, he could forgo some of the tedious clue dropping and just get on with the story.
April 11, 2015
This is the second book by Freeman Wills Crofts from the British Library Crime Classics series which I have read and enjoyed. This one is well written and meticulously plotted and Inspector French is an interesting and likeable character. A semi-retired doctor disappears one evening without trace. Inspector French can find no trace of him at all and he apparently simply walked out of the house in his slippers.
At first French suspects the missing man's wife and her sister are in collusion but after a while he has to discard that theory. A couple of weeks later a friend who is staying with them also disappears in similar circumstances but this time the murderer has left a few clues which French patiently and methodically follows.
The reader can follow the trail just as French does and the last chapter shows where all the clues were and how French arrived at his conclusions. I did work out who I thought it was but couldn't work out how it was done and it is fascinating to see it all explained at the end including page numbers for where the clues appear in the text.
If you like crime novels as puzzles then you will probably enjoy this one.
At first French suspects the missing man's wife and her sister are in collusion but after a while he has to discard that theory. A couple of weeks later a friend who is staying with them also disappears in similar circumstances but this time the murderer has left a few clues which French patiently and methodically follows.
The reader can follow the trail just as French does and the last chapter shows where all the clues were and how French arrived at his conclusions. I did work out who I thought it was but couldn't work out how it was done and it is fascinating to see it all explained at the end including page numbers for where the clues appear in the text.
If you like crime novels as puzzles then you will probably enjoy this one.
June 25, 2024
This is the second book out of the British Library Crime Classics series that I have listened so far, of which I would love to have a hard copy and read it. My guess was right on target, although wasn’t 100% sure till the truth was revealed. A trifle too long i think, and characters a little boring, otherwise on the level of mystery, it was so good.
July 26, 2016
This is the first mystery by Freeman Wills Crofts, that I’ve read, a prolific writer I wasn’t even aware of before. The Hog’s Back Mystery was his fourteenth novel, the fifth featuring his well-known policeman Inspector French.
Freeman Wills Crofts, was a railway engineer who began writing in 1919 during a long illness. Hi first novel The Cask was published in 1920 and he followed it up with almost one book every year for the next thirty-seven years. As well as mystery novels, Freeman Wills Crofts published short story collections and both stage and radio plays. In his introduction to this edition, crime writer Martin Edwards, describes The Hog’s Back Mystery as the work of a skilled craftsman at the height of his powers.
“A short curving drive brought them to the house, a typical modern South of England cottage, with lower walls of purple brick, upper storey and roof of ‘antique’ red tiles and steel-framed casement windows. In front and at both sides the trees had been cleared back to leave room for a small garden. All round was the wood.”
The Hog’s Back Mystery is set near the Hog’s Back, a ridge in the North Downs of the Surrey countryside. Dr James Earle and his wife Julia live in a particularly secluded spot, in their cottage St Kilda. As the novel opens, Julia Earle and her sister Marjorie – who is visiting – are meeting Ursula Stone, an old friend from schooldays, off the train. The three women are all somewhere between thirty-five and forty, but Julie’s husband who she only married a few years earlier, is already sixty and semi-retired from his practice. Ursula immediately senses that the Earle marriage is not as happy as it could be.
Full review: https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2016/...
Freeman Wills Crofts, was a railway engineer who began writing in 1919 during a long illness. Hi first novel The Cask was published in 1920 and he followed it up with almost one book every year for the next thirty-seven years. As well as mystery novels, Freeman Wills Crofts published short story collections and both stage and radio plays. In his introduction to this edition, crime writer Martin Edwards, describes The Hog’s Back Mystery as the work of a skilled craftsman at the height of his powers.
“A short curving drive brought them to the house, a typical modern South of England cottage, with lower walls of purple brick, upper storey and roof of ‘antique’ red tiles and steel-framed casement windows. In front and at both sides the trees had been cleared back to leave room for a small garden. All round was the wood.”
The Hog’s Back Mystery is set near the Hog’s Back, a ridge in the North Downs of the Surrey countryside. Dr James Earle and his wife Julia live in a particularly secluded spot, in their cottage St Kilda. As the novel opens, Julia Earle and her sister Marjorie – who is visiting – are meeting Ursula Stone, an old friend from schooldays, off the train. The three women are all somewhere between thirty-five and forty, but Julie’s husband who she only married a few years earlier, is already sixty and semi-retired from his practice. Ursula immediately senses that the Earle marriage is not as happy as it could be.
Full review: https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2016/...
February 18, 2022
Freeman Wills Croft is an author I will continue to read, until I've read everything he's written. He is a classic mystery writer and this mystery was excellent.
Summary: A woman, Ursula, goes to visit old friends, Dr. James Earle and his wife. Ursula observes troubling clues to a marriage that might be on the brink of divorce.
It never happens, because Dr. Earle strangely disappears. Like poof! He is seen in his house jacket and slippers smoking a pipe and reading. A few minutes later, he's gone. There's no sign of him inside the house or outside.
Enter Mr. French, a homicide detective who has to delve into the backgrounds of everyone to see what might have happened and the possible motives.
What I liked about Crofts' methods is that Inspector French is very human and he goes on quite a few wild goose chases, taking the reader along with him, before the mystery is uncovered, not without a few more surprises and disappearances.
This book kept me mystified until the very end.
Summary: A woman, Ursula, goes to visit old friends, Dr. James Earle and his wife. Ursula observes troubling clues to a marriage that might be on the brink of divorce.
It never happens, because Dr. Earle strangely disappears. Like poof! He is seen in his house jacket and slippers smoking a pipe and reading. A few minutes later, he's gone. There's no sign of him inside the house or outside.
Enter Mr. French, a homicide detective who has to delve into the backgrounds of everyone to see what might have happened and the possible motives.
What I liked about Crofts' methods is that Inspector French is very human and he goes on quite a few wild goose chases, taking the reader along with him, before the mystery is uncovered, not without a few more surprises and disappearances.
This book kept me mystified until the very end.
April 7, 2024
I am proud of the fact I was able to solve this mystery while reading, yet I still had a hell of a good time with it and had difficulty putting it down. I can’t wait to read more from Crofts in the future.
June 7, 2017
The British Library has published a series of crime novels written between the wars. This has to be the slowest and most uninteresting crime novel I have ever read. Three people disappear and are eventually supposed to have been murdered. It is all very middle class and much time is spent pondering the pros and cons by the detective who takes forever to solve the mystery, the author having scattered the book with clues which in the denouement he points out, even giving the page numbers! Not my cup of tea. The cover however is delightful, being a reproduction of one of the pictures which used to decorate railway carriage compartments.
March 3, 2020
This is my first book by this author, and it was a test of endurance. The premise was interesting, even chilling upon reflection. Once the plodding inspector entered the case, the story got bogged down. Maybe those who are particularly entertained by police procedurals
would have a greater appreciation for the endless ruminations of Inspector French.
would have a greater appreciation for the endless ruminations of Inspector French.
August 25, 2020
I wasn’t surprised that in Freeman Wills Crofts’s Mystery in the Channel that there were no women featured to speak of. This was after all the business banking and finance world of the 1930s and as a writer fascinated with history, Detective French realistically wouldn’t have encountered many women to interview.
So I was pleasantly surprised that it was a completely different scenario in The Hog’s Back Mystery and that Wills Croft had a convincing command of his female characters. We encounter the main three straight away. Julia Earle, not long married to Dr James Earle and living not far from the Hog’s Back, a ridge in the North Downs, Surrey; her sister Marjorie is visiting and together the two women meet Ursula Stone, a school friend who has come for a visit too, at the train station.
The characters of the three women are efficiently delineated and Ursula quickly realises that the Earle marriage is not a happy one. The doctor is a lot older and seems to be dominated by Julia’s stronger personality. I particularly liked Ursula’s tone and early on we see quite a bit from her point of view. Here she is contemplating the Earle’s house, St Kilda:
“The place had struck Ursula on her one former visit as small but fascinating and immediately she felt once agin its restful charm.
But what had most impressed her then, and now impressed her more than ever, was the isolation of the house. As far as appearances went it might be the only dwelling in the world.”
And of course this fact is important as the story unfolds. We then meet the occupants of The Red Cottage - the Campions - another doctor, an associate of Earle’s and his talkative wife Alice and her sister Flo, also visiting.
Towards the end of Ursula’s visit with the Earles, Ursula spots Dr Earle in town driving with an attractive young woman. Days later Dr Earle disappears one Sunday evening, strangely it appears with no coat or outdoor shoes, whilst Ursula is visiting the Campions. Dr Campion actually drives her back with the other two women in the car. When they arrive at St Kilda and discover that Marjorie and Julia are alarmed, everyone starts searching the house and grounds.
The local police also conduct a search and then Inspector French is called in. There are lots of twists and turns and another two disappearances which don’t seem connected and cause French a lot of headache:
“The only thing in the whole case of which French felt sure what his conclusion on the previous disappearances were false. These three cases were so much alike that a common origin was irresistibly suggested. It was absurd to suppose that ### had disappeared voluntarily. The question reiterated itself, therefore. Did it not follow that all three, she and Earle and ###, had been abducted or murdered or both?”
I have blanked out the names of the next two people who disappear. Just when I was starting to lose my patience there is a major development in the case and I raced through the last part of the book. An interesting read.
So I was pleasantly surprised that it was a completely different scenario in The Hog’s Back Mystery and that Wills Croft had a convincing command of his female characters. We encounter the main three straight away. Julia Earle, not long married to Dr James Earle and living not far from the Hog’s Back, a ridge in the North Downs, Surrey; her sister Marjorie is visiting and together the two women meet Ursula Stone, a school friend who has come for a visit too, at the train station.
The characters of the three women are efficiently delineated and Ursula quickly realises that the Earle marriage is not a happy one. The doctor is a lot older and seems to be dominated by Julia’s stronger personality. I particularly liked Ursula’s tone and early on we see quite a bit from her point of view. Here she is contemplating the Earle’s house, St Kilda:
“The place had struck Ursula on her one former visit as small but fascinating and immediately she felt once agin its restful charm.
But what had most impressed her then, and now impressed her more than ever, was the isolation of the house. As far as appearances went it might be the only dwelling in the world.”
And of course this fact is important as the story unfolds. We then meet the occupants of The Red Cottage - the Campions - another doctor, an associate of Earle’s and his talkative wife Alice and her sister Flo, also visiting.
Towards the end of Ursula’s visit with the Earles, Ursula spots Dr Earle in town driving with an attractive young woman. Days later Dr Earle disappears one Sunday evening, strangely it appears with no coat or outdoor shoes, whilst Ursula is visiting the Campions. Dr Campion actually drives her back with the other two women in the car. When they arrive at St Kilda and discover that Marjorie and Julia are alarmed, everyone starts searching the house and grounds.
The local police also conduct a search and then Inspector French is called in. There are lots of twists and turns and another two disappearances which don’t seem connected and cause French a lot of headache:
“The only thing in the whole case of which French felt sure what his conclusion on the previous disappearances were false. These three cases were so much alike that a common origin was irresistibly suggested. It was absurd to suppose that ### had disappeared voluntarily. The question reiterated itself, therefore. Did it not follow that all three, she and Earle and ###, had been abducted or murdered or both?”
I have blanked out the names of the next two people who disappear. Just when I was starting to lose my patience there is a major development in the case and I raced through the last part of the book. An interesting read.
January 11, 2022
At the height of his popularity in what is sometimes called the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, Freeman Wills Croft was a believer, in first of all when writing a novel, preparing a synopsis of the actual facts that are supposed to have happened including a chronology, character biographies, and sketch maps of the important localities. He followed this with a summary of how those facts were revealed to the detective concerned (and of course to the reader), again with a chronology, and then he was ready to begin writing the book. He follows all those guidelines explicitly in 'The Hog's Back Mystery'. And the mystery is in doubt right up to the last couple of chapters of this novel.
It all begins with a cosy weekend at St Kilda, the cottage in the country just below the Hog's Back, which is a ridge in the North Downs in the beautiful Surrey countryside. It is the home of Doctor Earle and his wife Julia, the doctor being a semi-retired practitioner. Guests arrive, along with neighbours, to enjoy a peaceful weekend but suddenly Dr Earle disappears from the cottage.
Initially nothing suspicious is suspected but when events take a more seriously mysterious turn, all the neighbours are checked to see if they had any idea where Dr Earle was. When this proved to be fruitless, there was obviously something amiss. The local police are called in but their endeavours lead nowhere and the family think they are doing nothing. But they are, because with no notice, Detective-Inspector Joseph French, CID, New Scotland Yard, arrives to take charge.
And take charge he does, questioning all who he thinks might have something to do with the doctor's disappearance. But as he is investigating there are two other disappearances and one seemingly unconnected incident in the nearby Red Cottage, where the Campions live, Doctor Campian being a one-time partner of Dr Earle.
French, working in conjunction with the local police but taking the lead very much himself, eventually decides that there are six suspects and an plethora of alibis. He is unsure who did what, if anything, and, with great difficulty, he sets about working out what he thinks has happened from the evidence he has uncovered.
And in an interestingly planned denouement he discovers the truth as the plot keeps the reader guessing right to the very end.
As is the case with these British Library Crime Classics, Martin Edwards provides an excellent foreword with a slight foretaste of what is to come - so beware in reading it first!
It all begins with a cosy weekend at St Kilda, the cottage in the country just below the Hog's Back, which is a ridge in the North Downs in the beautiful Surrey countryside. It is the home of Doctor Earle and his wife Julia, the doctor being a semi-retired practitioner. Guests arrive, along with neighbours, to enjoy a peaceful weekend but suddenly Dr Earle disappears from the cottage.
Initially nothing suspicious is suspected but when events take a more seriously mysterious turn, all the neighbours are checked to see if they had any idea where Dr Earle was. When this proved to be fruitless, there was obviously something amiss. The local police are called in but their endeavours lead nowhere and the family think they are doing nothing. But they are, because with no notice, Detective-Inspector Joseph French, CID, New Scotland Yard, arrives to take charge.
And take charge he does, questioning all who he thinks might have something to do with the doctor's disappearance. But as he is investigating there are two other disappearances and one seemingly unconnected incident in the nearby Red Cottage, where the Campions live, Doctor Campian being a one-time partner of Dr Earle.
French, working in conjunction with the local police but taking the lead very much himself, eventually decides that there are six suspects and an plethora of alibis. He is unsure who did what, if anything, and, with great difficulty, he sets about working out what he thinks has happened from the evidence he has uncovered.
And in an interestingly planned denouement he discovers the truth as the plot keeps the reader guessing right to the very end.
As is the case with these British Library Crime Classics, Martin Edwards provides an excellent foreword with a slight foretaste of what is to come - so beware in reading it first!
September 11, 2019
Freeman Wills Crofts was the Golden Age of detection’s master of the complex timetable, and this mystery which starts with a strange disappearance builds to a climax that depends on timing but not timing alone. Slowly building suspense and many, many details/clues sometimes drag the story’s pace, but like a roller coaster which climbs, climbs, climbs before it plunges down, the ending is a surprising, twisting ride. 3.5 stars
August 4, 2022
You begin the story through Ursula Stone's eyes. She is a guest arriving to visit friends she hasn't seen for a while. Upon the first disappearance it changes over to French's. The nice thing about getting this first aspect is that you enter the situation where someone has fresh eyes and very clearly remarks and notices things. It is not long for French to be brought in; and begins using his meticulous mind on every bit of evidence.
It is a puzzler, I had some people I had picked for the murder by the end, it had to be but how. I wasn't sure if the people were the same as French's but the same question had to be answered- how did any of them actually do the crime? And even though this wasn't filmic action; the race to find clues was what made this a page turner. I have read The Cask and probably several shorter stories by F.W.C, and have enjoyed them. I would say that this one - due to being more compact in location and characters really helped keep the momentum going.
FYI- the Hog's Back is a larger thoroughfare that crosses through the area of the crime.
If you like puzzle oriented mysteries this one is for you.
It is a puzzler, I had some people I had picked for the murder by the end, it had to be but how. I wasn't sure if the people were the same as French's but the same question had to be answered- how did any of them actually do the crime? And even though this wasn't filmic action; the race to find clues was what made this a page turner. I have read The Cask and probably several shorter stories by F.W.C, and have enjoyed them. I would say that this one - due to being more compact in location and characters really helped keep the momentum going.
FYI- the Hog's Back is a larger thoroughfare that crosses through the area of the crime.
If you like puzzle oriented mysteries this one is for you.
August 5, 2023
I enjoyed The Hog's Back Mystery way less than I had expected I would. The set-up was good, the narrative tone as expected, the mystery wasn't hald-bad either. What made this a rather plodding read for me was the painstakingly detailed, almost step-by-step description of how Inspector French solved this case. Plus, the final solution, by the time it came, seemed a bit too technical and I did not have the patience to read a step by step analysis of the alibis of the perpetrator and how they could have done it. Which is a shame because mostly that is the most interesting part of a mystery novel.
As to the identity of the perpetrator, i had an idea of who they would be and why they must have done it. And I proved right on both counts. Even then, i hadn't been able to guess the how (at least not completely) and would have loved to know it if only I had the patience of going through the same story one more time, this time with the breaking of the alibis. I read those pages, I really did, but everything seemed to filter right through my brain because it kept shouting, not this again!
As to the identity of the perpetrator, i had an idea of who they would be and why they must have done it. And I proved right on both counts. Even then, i hadn't been able to guess the how (at least not completely) and would have loved to know it if only I had the patience of going through the same story one more time, this time with the breaking of the alibis. I read those pages, I really did, but everything seemed to filter right through my brain because it kept shouting, not this again!
January 15, 2020
This is my third Crofts' novel, and I thnk it's time to take a break. I still like it that the mystery is the main focus, but I am a bit weary of the endless details involved in French's investigations. He goes over and over and over things until you just want to yell, "Get on with it!" This one was the worst because there were so many murders. It's worth reading, but I need a break.
January 13, 2019
Eh. It's no Agatha Christie, but it was entertaining enough for a day and a half.
June 14, 2019
On no, another author to add more to the teetering pile of books waiting to be read!
It is so perfectly thought out, so cleverly crafted. After reading the conclusion I really am in awe.
It is so perfectly thought out, so cleverly crafted. After reading the conclusion I really am in awe.
March 1, 2017
This is my second journey into reading Crofts, and I was pleasantly surprised. Antidote to Venom was written from the perspective of the murderer. We had all of the information, except for how the crime was actually pulled off. Most of the book is spent trailing after Inspector French while he figures it all out. It was a fabulous read!
In this book, Crofts takes an entirely different approach. We don't even know if a crime has been committed throughout most of the book. We have suspiciously missing people. We're given theory after theory for what could have happened. We follow French around while he questions people and gains facts. All the while, we're formulating our own theories from the information we're given. Amidst the second half of the book, things start to fall together. It's not until the last chapter that we're given any answers though.
The most interesting part of this book, from a writing aspect, is the fact that our point of view changes. We start off hearing the tale from Ursula, who is an innocent bystander. She's visiting friends in Hog's Back for two weeks. It's only when Inspector French arrives on the scene that we switch over and begin to see the story from his point of view. In most books, I would be really annoyed by this. It can create a distraction when your world is disrupted like that. In this book, Crofts has pulled it off seamlessly and it's brilliant. You realize the perspective has changed, but it only piques your curiosity further. Instead of distracting you from what's going on, it pulls you in deeper.
I was impressed by Crofts ability to engage me so deeply and stump me. I was partially right on the conclusion that I drew, but not fully. There were so many clues that I had missed! I was right there in Hog's Back, trudging through a misty thicket at sundown, trying to figure out what on earth was going on. The further the story goes, the more confused you become.
Crofts is a master. He can take a mystery and twist it, bend it, leave it gasping for air. What I'm learning is that he can do that from every angle, not just the front. No matter which part of the story we're given to work with (means, motive, opportunity, suspects), we're left feeling like amateurs in French's wake.
Though I was a fan of his writing before, I'm now a die-hard fan. Give me more!
In this book, Crofts takes an entirely different approach. We don't even know if a crime has been committed throughout most of the book. We have suspiciously missing people. We're given theory after theory for what could have happened. We follow French around while he questions people and gains facts. All the while, we're formulating our own theories from the information we're given. Amidst the second half of the book, things start to fall together. It's not until the last chapter that we're given any answers though.
The most interesting part of this book, from a writing aspect, is the fact that our point of view changes. We start off hearing the tale from Ursula, who is an innocent bystander. She's visiting friends in Hog's Back for two weeks. It's only when Inspector French arrives on the scene that we switch over and begin to see the story from his point of view. In most books, I would be really annoyed by this. It can create a distraction when your world is disrupted like that. In this book, Crofts has pulled it off seamlessly and it's brilliant. You realize the perspective has changed, but it only piques your curiosity further. Instead of distracting you from what's going on, it pulls you in deeper.
I was impressed by Crofts ability to engage me so deeply and stump me. I was partially right on the conclusion that I drew, but not fully. There were so many clues that I had missed! I was right there in Hog's Back, trudging through a misty thicket at sundown, trying to figure out what on earth was going on. The further the story goes, the more confused you become.
Crofts is a master. He can take a mystery and twist it, bend it, leave it gasping for air. What I'm learning is that he can do that from every angle, not just the front. No matter which part of the story we're given to work with (means, motive, opportunity, suspects), we're left feeling like amateurs in French's wake.
Though I was a fan of his writing before, I'm now a die-hard fan. Give me more!
June 16, 2020
Crofts gets a bad rap. He's derided as one of the humdrum mystery writers within the Golden Age of Detection, and if you read even a few reviews above and below this one, you will see folks complaining that there are too many details and not enough about the characters.
I'm going to be blunt. If you must have good characters in a mystery novel, Crofts is not for you. There are literally thousands of other writers that will cater to your tastes- yay! But. Crofts write mysteries entirely akin to crossword puzzles. The description is so apt that in the denouement of some of his books, the page on which each clue necessary to the solution of the mystery occurs is provided for the reader as the clue is referenced within the solution. An engineer in his daily life, Crofts assembles complex machines of criminal calamity and asks the reader to disassemble them. In a turn that makes my heart sing (too much), he takes fair play mystery quite seriously.
Compared to Christie, Crofts is both, on average, more technical and longer winded. He reminds me a bit of early Ellery Queen despite significant differences in setting. While he doesn't have the voice of either, I'm happy to say that I found his prose much less soporific than I might have expected. The pacing feels just right.
I read the Cask first and thought little of it, as there was reasonably interesting police procedural but little meat on the whodunnit. Hog's Back is reputed to be one of Croft's better works, and I find it easy to agree with this assessment. Here, there's a broader array of suspects (if not broad enough- this is still the weakest aspect of the book), and quite a bit of complexity agglomerating over the course of the case. It was a pleasure to watch Crofts erect layer upon layer to the proceedings in clockwork fashion.
As for the quality of the puzzle, I solved at least half of it. There was no great rugpull, but Crofts assembled a fun, fair puzzle that I enjoyed unraveling. Hog's Back has ensured that I will be returning to Crofts for some time to come.
I'm going to be blunt. If you must have good characters in a mystery novel, Crofts is not for you. There are literally thousands of other writers that will cater to your tastes- yay! But. Crofts write mysteries entirely akin to crossword puzzles. The description is so apt that in the denouement of some of his books, the page on which each clue necessary to the solution of the mystery occurs is provided for the reader as the clue is referenced within the solution. An engineer in his daily life, Crofts assembles complex machines of criminal calamity and asks the reader to disassemble them. In a turn that makes my heart sing (too much), he takes fair play mystery quite seriously.
Compared to Christie, Crofts is both, on average, more technical and longer winded. He reminds me a bit of early Ellery Queen despite significant differences in setting. While he doesn't have the voice of either, I'm happy to say that I found his prose much less soporific than I might have expected. The pacing feels just right.
I read the Cask first and thought little of it, as there was reasonably interesting police procedural but little meat on the whodunnit. Hog's Back is reputed to be one of Croft's better works, and I find it easy to agree with this assessment. Here, there's a broader array of suspects (if not broad enough- this is still the weakest aspect of the book), and quite a bit of complexity agglomerating over the course of the case. It was a pleasure to watch Crofts erect layer upon layer to the proceedings in clockwork fashion.
As for the quality of the puzzle, I solved at least half of it. There was no great rugpull, but Crofts assembled a fun, fair puzzle that I enjoyed unraveling. Hog's Back has ensured that I will be returning to Crofts for some time to come.
January 25, 2023
This is one of my favourite Inspector French crimes.
It is interesting and intricate, a really good example of a classic puzzle mystery.
It is interesting and intricate, a really good example of a classic puzzle mystery.
October 12, 2017
I enjoyed this British Library Crime Classic, the fourth or fifth I’ve read from the collection. This one was a bit ‘dry’, in that it’s mostly procedure. There’s very little in the way of character development, and I found the scene-setting a bit inadequate in parts. The plot, though, is clever and detailed, which does go some way to making it an enjoyable read. It seems from Martin Edwards’ foreword that the author did concentrate on procedure and investigation. During the full explanation at the end the author even provides page references to prove that he has provided all of the necessary facts for the reader to solve the mystery!
As with most of this series it was written in the 1930s, and therefore the writing reflects attitudes of the time.
As with most of this series it was written in the 1930s, and therefore the writing reflects attitudes of the time.
May 1, 2020
“What terrible and sinister agency could be behind these manifestations?
That may sound spooky, but there is really nothing spooky about this book, not the least bit spooky. Instead, it’s chilling, slowing, creepily chilling. But just what is it that has happened? A murder? A kidnapping? A vanishing? Just be prepared when you least suspect it…
There is a lot that I want to say about this police procedural, but I can’t think of how to say it without spoiling it for you. So just let me highly recommend you read it soon.
There were a few ‘mild’ curse words. There were also references to harsher curse words. Illicit affairs are hinted at throughout the whole book, but that is all part of the mystery and may mean nothing after all.
That may sound spooky, but there is really nothing spooky about this book, not the least bit spooky. Instead, it’s chilling, slowing, creepily chilling. But just what is it that has happened? A murder? A kidnapping? A vanishing? Just be prepared when you least suspect it…
There is a lot that I want to say about this police procedural, but I can’t think of how to say it without spoiling it for you. So just let me highly recommend you read it soon.
There were a few ‘mild’ curse words. There were also references to harsher curse words. Illicit affairs are hinted at throughout the whole book, but that is all part of the mystery and may mean nothing after all.
April 26, 2017
The Hog’s Back Mystery, A British Library Crime Classic by Freeman Crofts The Hog’s Back Mystery, A British Library Crime Classic by Freeman Crofts is a mystery that has lots of twists and turns and kept me guessing. Because the pace was slow I gave it three stars.
I received a complimentary Kindle copy from Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley. That did not change my opinion for this review.
Link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Hogs-Back-Myst...
I received a complimentary Kindle copy from Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley. That did not change my opinion for this review.
Link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Hogs-Back-Myst...
December 12, 2019
Very detailed and meticulously plotted. It got a little bogged down in some of the details, but that may be due to the writing style of when it was written. The inclusion of the page numbers where clues to the denouement may be found in the text itself was a little weird, and made me feel the author underestimated his audience. I liked the main character and would probably be interested in reading another book featuring him.
January 1, 2024
A classic example of a murder mystery from the golden age of crime. First off, the reader needs to let go of any expectations around modern policing and forensics. There is nothing vaguely realistic about this book but it’s a well written and thoughtfully plotted mystery which a thorough explanation at the end. I still prefer Miss Marple or Poirot over French but I’d read another in this series.
June 9, 2017
I have to admit that there are elements of the writing style that irk me — particularly the presentations of calamity and the asides that disrupt the flows of conversations — but the plotting is excellent.
April 22, 2024
I loved this book! Engaging writing, excellent plotting, great setting and characters. Inspector French is a gem - intelligent, charming and no peculiar quirks. I will definitely be reading more Freeman Wills Crofts.
July 30, 2019
Struggled to get through this book because of the writing style, but kept me guessing to the end.
February 11, 2021
Four stars is maybe a bit generous, but this is a clever, well structured murder mystery. And you have to love a book with a character called Sergeant Sheepshanks!
March 19, 2022
A Golden Age mystery that hasn’t aged especially well. I’ve never seen the police officer’s round up of clues include page number references before, which was fun but the book itself felt over-long and without tension.
December 18, 2022
A fair mystery. Interesting and quite complex a solution. Started out fantastic but I felt it lost a little steam in the middle, but a worthy book
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