What do you think?
Rate this book
Chief Inspector Wake #1
Murder in Piccadilly
'Scores of men and women died daily in London, but on this day of days one of them had died in the very midst of a crowd and the cause of his death was a dagger piercing his heart. Death had become something very real.'
When Bobbie Cheldon falls in love with a pretty young dancer at the Frozen Fang night club in Soho, he has every hope of an idyllic marriage. But Nancy has more worldly ideas about her future: she is attracted not so much to Bobbie as to the fortune he expects to inherit.
Bobbie's miserly uncle Massy stands between him and happiness: he will not relinquish the ten thousand a year on which Nancy's hopes rest. When Bobbie falls under the sway of the roguish Nosey Ruslin, the stage is set for murder in the heart of Piccadilly - and for Nancy's dreams to be realised. When Chief Inspector Wake of Scotland Yard enters the scene, he uncovers a tangled web of love affairs, a cynical Soho underworld, and a motive for murder.
The good-natured vintage mystery novel is now republished for the first time since the 1930s, with an introduction by the award-winning crime writer Martin Edwards, the leading expert on inter-war detective fiction.
When Bobbie Cheldon falls in love with a pretty young dancer at the Frozen Fang night club in Soho, he has every hope of an idyllic marriage. But Nancy has more worldly ideas about her future: she is attracted not so much to Bobbie as to the fortune he expects to inherit.
Bobbie's miserly uncle Massy stands between him and happiness: he will not relinquish the ten thousand a year on which Nancy's hopes rest. When Bobbie falls under the sway of the roguish Nosey Ruslin, the stage is set for murder in the heart of Piccadilly - and for Nancy's dreams to be realised. When Chief Inspector Wake of Scotland Yard enters the scene, he uncovers a tangled web of love affairs, a cynical Soho underworld, and a motive for murder.
The good-natured vintage mystery novel is now republished for the first time since the 1930s, with an introduction by the award-winning crime writer Martin Edwards, the leading expert on inter-war detective fiction.
314 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1936
64 people are currently reading
1147 people want to read
About the author
Charles Kingston
60 books9 followersCharles Kingston, born about 1884, was the pen name of Charles Kingston O'Mahoney.
Little is known of the man but he began his writing career with 'The Viceroys of Ireland', which was published under his own name Charles O'Mahoney in 1912.
He turned to crime fiction in 1921 when he wrote 'Stolen Virtue' and thereafter he wrote 25 twenty crime novels, 17 of them in the golden age of British crime fiction between the two world wars and eight in the 1940s. His final novel was 'Fear Followed On', published posthumously in 1945. Many of his books are set in London.
He died in 1944.
Gerry Wolstenholme
Little is known of the man but he began his writing career with 'The Viceroys of Ireland', which was published under his own name Charles O'Mahoney in 1912.
He turned to crime fiction in 1921 when he wrote 'Stolen Virtue' and thereafter he wrote 25 twenty crime novels, 17 of them in the golden age of British crime fiction between the two world wars and eight in the 1940s. His final novel was 'Fear Followed On', published posthumously in 1945. Many of his books are set in London.
He died in 1944.
Gerry Wolstenholme
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
February 13, 2023
Before this, I read a book titled
The Piccadilly Murder
by Anthony Berkeley so I decided that since I had another book with the same setting, I'd give it a go. It's a pretty reasonable setup: Bobbie Cheldon, a young man of name but not yet means, falls for a dancer in a club and wishes to marry. The dancer is a gold-digger and not satisfied to have a husband with a job (that quote will follow here at the end & it's a double-taker that tossed me out of the story!) so will only marry him if he inherits the title and manor. Uncle Massey Cheldon is the current holder of those things and likely to live a couple decades yet, much to Bobbie's chagrin. Enter a couple of others from the club who see an opportunity and before too long a plot is concocted and embarked upon to get Bobbie his inheritance. The murder of Uncle is investigated and proves wily for the detectives to solve but there was a ringer in the end that none saw coming that made fools all around.
The actual murder here takes place almost halfway through the story and no, the preamble wasn't that scintillating to warrant so long a run-up. It's a peeve of mine in murder mysteries. Accordingly, the second half of the book was much faster. Chief Inspector Wake was okay but ultimately does not bring the architect of the conspiracy in and that was a bit unsatisfying. Also, there's an aspect of the crime that is asked about at the end of the book and is never answered. I still have no idea who screamed and whether or not it was an unconnected diversion or part of the plan. That was annoying.
There are two racial slurs used in this story and given the characters, made sense. The extent of othering "foreigners" was threaded throughout and off-putting. To be sure, this story is peopled with plenty of dregs, properly English and spanning the class ladder. Trash from the top down. So, in the end, when so many anglers found their schemes or opportunism foiled, that was quite satisfying.
The British Library Crime Classics are always worth reading even though each can't be a favourite. The forward by Martin Edwards of course didn't disappoint here and even referenced that other Piccadilly book I mentioned at the beginning of this review.
A fair number of new-to-me words for crosswords and other puzzles were acquired: valetudinarian : person unduly concerned about their health; hypochondriac. purlieus : a person's usual haunts; surrounding area. termagant : harsh tempered, over-bearing woman. darbies : handcuffs.
Memorable quotes & passages:
On Bobbie Cheldon, lazy nephew: Bobbie’s hatred and contempt for his uncle were ingrained and nothing had ever happened to weaken them. The boy had grown up to idealise a father who had died in action on the very day that Massy Cheldon had received the O.B.E. for his eminent services as the Food Controller of a small provincial town. There had been nothing for the soldier except a shell which had torn him to pieces, but for the civilian there had been a reward for successful evasion of military service.
On Massey Cheldon, mean uncle: Resentment deepened into something lower than mere jealousy when he reminded himself that all this youth and vivid enjoyment might one day—perhaps, soon—be allied with wealth. A street accident, poisoned food, any of the ordinary ills of life—the middle-aged man who was obsessed by meanness shuddered at the thought of being parted from his museum of coins, banknotes, share certificates and rents.
and
No one had ever thought of offering him anything outside the liability of his cheque-book and he resented any increase in the importance of his neighbours.
An exchange on those who marry perpetually: “Most of my pals have had a shot at it and missed badly. Look at Tom Hedley who’s been married four times and——”“Four times!” Ruby exclaimed. “Why, it’s polygamy on the instalment plan.”
From Nancy, the gold-digger dancer: "A job? I don't want to marry a man with a job. I want to marry one who can afford to do without one. I work like a damned nigger and where am I? When the agent's paid and the landlady and the bill at the clubs where I've got to spend or they won't have me, there's nothing left."
The actual murder here takes place almost halfway through the story and no, the preamble wasn't that scintillating to warrant so long a run-up. It's a peeve of mine in murder mysteries. Accordingly, the second half of the book was much faster. Chief Inspector Wake was okay but ultimately does not bring the architect of the conspiracy in and that was a bit unsatisfying. Also, there's an aspect of the crime that is asked about at the end of the book and is never answered. I still have no idea who screamed and whether or not it was an unconnected diversion or part of the plan. That was annoying.
There are two racial slurs used in this story and given the characters, made sense. The extent of othering "foreigners" was threaded throughout and off-putting. To be sure, this story is peopled with plenty of dregs, properly English and spanning the class ladder. Trash from the top down. So, in the end, when so many anglers found their schemes or opportunism foiled, that was quite satisfying.
The British Library Crime Classics are always worth reading even though each can't be a favourite. The forward by Martin Edwards of course didn't disappoint here and even referenced that other Piccadilly book I mentioned at the beginning of this review.
A fair number of new-to-me words for crosswords and other puzzles were acquired: valetudinarian : person unduly concerned about their health; hypochondriac. purlieus : a person's usual haunts; surrounding area. termagant : harsh tempered, over-bearing woman. darbies : handcuffs.
Memorable quotes & passages:
On Bobbie Cheldon, lazy nephew: Bobbie’s hatred and contempt for his uncle were ingrained and nothing had ever happened to weaken them. The boy had grown up to idealise a father who had died in action on the very day that Massy Cheldon had received the O.B.E. for his eminent services as the Food Controller of a small provincial town. There had been nothing for the soldier except a shell which had torn him to pieces, but for the civilian there had been a reward for successful evasion of military service.
On Massey Cheldon, mean uncle: Resentment deepened into something lower than mere jealousy when he reminded himself that all this youth and vivid enjoyment might one day—perhaps, soon—be allied with wealth. A street accident, poisoned food, any of the ordinary ills of life—the middle-aged man who was obsessed by meanness shuddered at the thought of being parted from his museum of coins, banknotes, share certificates and rents.
and
No one had ever thought of offering him anything outside the liability of his cheque-book and he resented any increase in the importance of his neighbours.
An exchange on those who marry perpetually: “Most of my pals have had a shot at it and missed badly. Look at Tom Hedley who’s been married four times and——”“Four times!” Ruby exclaimed. “Why, it’s polygamy on the instalment plan.”
From Nancy, the gold-digger dancer: "A job? I don't want to marry a man with a job. I want to marry one who can afford to do without one. I work like a damned nigger and where am I? When the agent's paid and the landlady and the bill at the clubs where I've got to spend or they won't have me, there's nothing left."
April 15, 2019
Robert ‘Bobbie’ Cheldon is twenty-three, jobless and incapable of doing work, spoiled rotten by his mother Ruby Cheldon, and brought up in the expectation of inheriting his uncle, Massy Cheldon’s substantial estate (with an income of ten thousand a year). But Massy has a good few years, may be decades, before him yet. Bobbie however has fallen in love with a very pretty but not too talented dancer Nancy Curzon, who dances at a nightclub called the Frozen Fang. And the only way she will accept his suit is if he has a fortune—now! The only solution his mother and uncle have for the present is for him to get a job which they ensure he gets, but he must start at the bottom of the ladder. And Bobbie doesn’t want to work. However, he is also too much of a namby pamby to think murder, well may be not think it, but carry it out at any rate. But the murder does happen, and Bobbie, wittingly or unwittingly becomes involved, for there are unsavoury elements, friends of Nancy, among them ex-pugilist Nosey Ruslin, happy to nudge him in that direction, since it would be sure to give them a golden-egg-laying goose. And Bobbie is too young and foolish to see what’s coming. When the murder takes place, Chief Inspector Wake of Scotland Yard is given charge of the case, and while he is quick to work out who may be involved, he must find the requisite connections and proof, and the extent that each person he suspects is indeed involved, and this starts a sort of battle of wits with Nosey Ruslin. How will the Inspector put the clues together, and does he manage to do it as quickly as he thinks he can?
This certainly wasn’t a conventional murder mystery since we knew who the victim was and who plotted the murder, but it was still surprisingly interesting reading throughout. In the initial parts, as I said, while it is clear who the intended victim is, and who could be the possible killer, one can’t be very sure whether the murder will actually take place and how, though when it does, we have sufficient warning. And then, while we know who has been plotting the murder, we don’t know immediately who actually did the deed, so this remains a bit of a mystery. Once Chief Inspector Wake comes into the picture, the story for me got even more interesting as one begins to see how he acts on both intuition and evidence, preferring human clues who can reveal things to the more traditional understanding of clues, though even these turn out to help him in more than one way. Watching Nosey and the Inspector pit their wits against each other, even when we ‘know’ Wake will come out victorious turned out to be good fun. And the end, well, that has its own little surprises in store as the characters get their just desserts in a way one didn’t see coming (though there was a hint along the way). Even in terms of the investigation, things turn out quite differently than what I expected, and I was left wondering whether any of the characters really ‘won’. So this turned out to be mystery that wasn’t a mystery and yet had plenty to surprise me when I read it. Entertaining and fun!
This certainly wasn’t a conventional murder mystery since we knew who the victim was and who plotted the murder, but it was still surprisingly interesting reading throughout. In the initial parts, as I said, while it is clear who the intended victim is, and who could be the possible killer, one can’t be very sure whether the murder will actually take place and how, though when it does, we have sufficient warning. And then, while we know who has been plotting the murder, we don’t know immediately who actually did the deed, so this remains a bit of a mystery. Once Chief Inspector Wake comes into the picture, the story for me got even more interesting as one begins to see how he acts on both intuition and evidence, preferring human clues who can reveal things to the more traditional understanding of clues, though even these turn out to help him in more than one way. Watching Nosey and the Inspector pit their wits against each other, even when we ‘know’ Wake will come out victorious turned out to be good fun. And the end, well, that has its own little surprises in store as the characters get their just desserts in a way one didn’t see coming (though there was a hint along the way). Even in terms of the investigation, things turn out quite differently than what I expected, and I was left wondering whether any of the characters really ‘won’. So this turned out to be mystery that wasn’t a mystery and yet had plenty to surprise me when I read it. Entertaining and fun!
July 16, 2021
I just can't resist a crime novel with a London setting and all the action in this one takes place in the heart of the West End, as the title suggests.
The novel is an interesting construction because no murder takes place until halfway through the book but while we are led to realise who is probably going to be murdered, there is plenty of tension building while the story develops.
The plot revolves around Bobbie Cheldon who falls in love with a dancing girl, Nancy Curzon, from the idiosyncratically named 'Frozen Fang' nightclub. She says that she does want to marry him but not until he has some money to his name and without a job that prospect is bleak for Bobbie. But Bobbie does not give up and he knows that ultimately he is the heir to his uncle, Massy Cheldon's, estate, Broadbridge Manor, which carries with a £10,000 per year annuity.
However, Massy Cheldon is fit and healthy, in early middle age, and he does not approve of his nephew's choice of wife, nor of the fact that he is making no effort to earn any money. Bobbie's mother, Massy's widowed sister-in-law Ruby, is devoted to her son and she will hear no wrong spoken of him so she defends his position with her brother-in-law. This causes family tensions between the three of them. However, Massy does make some effort to assist Bobbie in getting him a position in the City, one that Bobbie is not too pleased with for work is not his preferred career path.
Meanwhile Bobbie meets Nosey Ruslin, a character of dubious reputation but who endears himself to Bobbie and makes various suggestions ostensibly to assist Bobbie in his aim of marrying Nancy. There is an added complication to the scenario in that Nancy has a dancing partner Billy Bright who is also in love with Nancy and this causes problems between him and Bobbie. But Nosey convinces Bobbie that he can sort that little problem out.
There is a nicely set up murder plot, which has one or two twists and turns before the crime is committed and then Scotland Yard's Chief Inspector Wake arrives on the scene to investigate. He inveigles himself with nonchalance ease into the confidence of those he thinks are involved and they fall for his charm, which relaxes them to a degree that encourages Wake in his investigations.
And there is a surprising, and unexpected, twist in the tail before Wake, not surprisingly, uncovers exactly who did what and makes the necessary arrests while those on the periphery of the action continue their lavish lifestyle.
'Murder in Piccadilly' is a typical so-called 'Golden Age' detective story and does not contain lots of aggressive action nor gruesome scenes but nevertheless it is a most enjoyable ramble around London's West End with a well thought out plot.
The novel is an interesting construction because no murder takes place until halfway through the book but while we are led to realise who is probably going to be murdered, there is plenty of tension building while the story develops.
The plot revolves around Bobbie Cheldon who falls in love with a dancing girl, Nancy Curzon, from the idiosyncratically named 'Frozen Fang' nightclub. She says that she does want to marry him but not until he has some money to his name and without a job that prospect is bleak for Bobbie. But Bobbie does not give up and he knows that ultimately he is the heir to his uncle, Massy Cheldon's, estate, Broadbridge Manor, which carries with a £10,000 per year annuity.
However, Massy Cheldon is fit and healthy, in early middle age, and he does not approve of his nephew's choice of wife, nor of the fact that he is making no effort to earn any money. Bobbie's mother, Massy's widowed sister-in-law Ruby, is devoted to her son and she will hear no wrong spoken of him so she defends his position with her brother-in-law. This causes family tensions between the three of them. However, Massy does make some effort to assist Bobbie in getting him a position in the City, one that Bobbie is not too pleased with for work is not his preferred career path.
Meanwhile Bobbie meets Nosey Ruslin, a character of dubious reputation but who endears himself to Bobbie and makes various suggestions ostensibly to assist Bobbie in his aim of marrying Nancy. There is an added complication to the scenario in that Nancy has a dancing partner Billy Bright who is also in love with Nancy and this causes problems between him and Bobbie. But Nosey convinces Bobbie that he can sort that little problem out.
There is a nicely set up murder plot, which has one or two twists and turns before the crime is committed and then Scotland Yard's Chief Inspector Wake arrives on the scene to investigate. He inveigles himself with nonchalance ease into the confidence of those he thinks are involved and they fall for his charm, which relaxes them to a degree that encourages Wake in his investigations.
And there is a surprising, and unexpected, twist in the tail before Wake, not surprisingly, uncovers exactly who did what and makes the necessary arrests while those on the periphery of the action continue their lavish lifestyle.
'Murder in Piccadilly' is a typical so-called 'Golden Age' detective story and does not contain lots of aggressive action nor gruesome scenes but nevertheless it is a most enjoyable ramble around London's West End with a well thought out plot.
December 10, 2021
Тази ретро криминална книга е много различна от другите с подобен сюжет. Още отначало знаем кой е замесен, а убийството се случва чак по средата на книгата. В историята са забъркани танцьорка, която иска да се омъжи за богаташ и нейни приятели, мошеници от класа, които оплитат в мрежите си бъдещ наследник на имение и титла. Неговата наивност задвижва поредица от събития, които ще доведат до неочакван край. Инспектор Уейк от Скотланд Ярд, който разследва убийството на богаташа, е хитър и умен. Много ми допаднаха дедукцията и техниките му на разпит. Книгата е описателна за всичко, диалозите са пространни, за да може да разбере читателят какво се случва и това я отличава от съвременните книги, които препускат в сюжета. Въпреки това, авторът успява да завърти един доста неочакван край, но въпреки това не ми хареса напълно развръзката, остана ми горчив привкус. Не всеки беше наказан и поставен на мястото си.
Това е една книга с ретро звучене и наивни герои, на които ми идеше да им завъртя някой шамар. Не на всеки би се харесало. Даже първите 200 страници ми се видяха излишни, но се оказа, че това е подход на самия автор.
Това е една книга с ретро звучене и наивни герои, на които ми идеше да им завъртя някой шамар. Не на всеки би се харесало. Даже първите 200 страници ми се видяха излишни, но се оказа, че това е подход на самия автор.
November 5, 2018
Did not like it. I am still wondering why the author ever thought this story had to be written down. Almost nothing happens in the book and there is no suspense at all. Can probably be summarised in half a page. Come to think of it, that is exactly what the blurb on the back of the book did: there is little else to tell about the story than what's given away there. Boring characters, very predictable plot (if you want to call it that). Avoid like the plague.
March 31, 2015
Bobbie Cheldon has fallen in love with someone his snobbish Uncle Massy considers completely unsuitable. She is a dancer in a seedy Soho nightclub. Bobbie is a bit naïve and has been very spoilt by his mother, Ruby, and he has grown up in the knowledge that he is his uncle's heir so he doesn't need to work for a living. His uncle has different ideas. Bobbie thinks that if only his uncle would die soon and then he would be able to afford to marry Nancy.
The reader knows that Massy Cheldon has been killed as the result of a conspiracy but doesn't know at first who exactly the murderer was so we can follow Chief Inspector Wake's investigation as he uncovers the facts. A dislikeable corpse and an incredibly naïve and innocent prime suspect - represented by Bobbie - not to speak of a group of singularly dislikeable characters from the seedy side of London nightclub life in the 1930s make this an interesting and entertaining read.
I liked the humour in this book and I thought the author did an excellent job of portraying Bobbie as an innocent abroad. If you like 1930s crime novels then you might want to try this one.
The reader knows that Massy Cheldon has been killed as the result of a conspiracy but doesn't know at first who exactly the murderer was so we can follow Chief Inspector Wake's investigation as he uncovers the facts. A dislikeable corpse and an incredibly naïve and innocent prime suspect - represented by Bobbie - not to speak of a group of singularly dislikeable characters from the seedy side of London nightclub life in the 1930s make this an interesting and entertaining read.
I liked the humour in this book and I thought the author did an excellent job of portraying Bobbie as an innocent abroad. If you like 1930s crime novels then you might want to try this one.
December 21, 2014
Got to admit I struggled with this. I didn't really like the characters or care and it took too long for the scene to be set. However, if you like 1920''s/30's crime it might tick a reading box.
June 14, 2015
A little bit wordy...but a quintessential murder mystery from the early 20th century. Nice plot and great London settings. I liked it, but no more.
September 19, 2021
In this story we meet Bobbie, who is a spoiled young man. He does not know what a job is and the only thing he relies on is that when his uncle dies he will leave him his home and his wealth. Bobby is in love with Nancy, who is not in his class and is a dancer. However, she is quite mercantile and states that she will marry him only if he is rich. Her friend Nosey comes to her aid and gets everyone in a rather awkward situation involving the murder of Bobby's uncle. Chief Inspector Wake of Scotland Yard is working to solve the crime, and no one can catch their breath of worry.
The difference in this book is that we know who the killer is. The question that bothers us is whether he and his accomplices will get what they deserve. The only character I liked was the inspector. Not only was he extremely smart and resourceful, but he knew how to keep suspects in suspense. I would read another book with him on a more complicated case. I'm not sure I liked the end of the story. But Annie's appearance was unexpected and surprised me. I think the book could be almost half the volume, because the author went into long descriptions that could be written in short.
I didn't like the other characters at all. Bobbie's mother was too labile. He himself is characterless. Nancy disgusted me with her demeanor and impulses. Nosey turned out to be a trickster, and I wanted another end for him. Ah, Billy has remained somewhat underdeveloped as a character. But, I guess that was the author's goal, which he did quite well. I think the book would appeal to fans of the genre, especially British crime. I hope that the publishing house will continue to delight us with more such books.
The difference in this book is that we know who the killer is. The question that bothers us is whether he and his accomplices will get what they deserve. The only character I liked was the inspector. Not only was he extremely smart and resourceful, but he knew how to keep suspects in suspense. I would read another book with him on a more complicated case. I'm not sure I liked the end of the story. But Annie's appearance was unexpected and surprised me. I think the book could be almost half the volume, because the author went into long descriptions that could be written in short.
I didn't like the other characters at all. Bobbie's mother was too labile. He himself is characterless. Nancy disgusted me with her demeanor and impulses. Nosey turned out to be a trickster, and I wanted another end for him. Ah, Billy has remained somewhat underdeveloped as a character. But, I guess that was the author's goal, which he did quite well. I think the book would appeal to fans of the genre, especially British crime. I hope that the publishing house will continue to delight us with more such books.
August 1, 2015
I just love that the Poisoned Pen Press is reprinting a series of British mysteries from the golden age of that genre (1930's through 1950's) Their first choice is a good one. It is about a man who will inherit his uncle's wealth after his passing. This is complicated by the fact that his love interest will not marry him until he becomes a man of substance. When the uncle is stabbed in Piccadilly Square he becomes the obvious suspect. However, the last half of the book is full of unsuspected twists and turns that caught me off guard. Kudos to P. P. P. and posthumously to the author Charles Kingston.
March 28, 2016
When I first started this, I didn't think I'd like the dated writing style and the seemingly flat, stock characters. But after about 50 pages, every time I put it down, I kept looking forward to picking it up again. I can see this as one of those good 30s movies--I was even casting it in my mind!
July 28, 2023
The presumptive heir to a country estate, and a ne'er-do-well because of that presumption, falls for a pretty dancer at a Soho night club, but finds that the pretty dancer has eyes only for wealth in this rather typical story written by Charles Kinston in 1935.
But young Bobbie Cheldon may be unlucky in love as his uncle Massy Cheldon is only in his 50s and can be expected to live 20 years more. Unless there is an accident ...
Perhaps his new best friend, Nosey Ruslin, has an idea — and he does.
Kingston's story is nothing new and things happen fairly predictably. The characters are all pretty unlikeable, except for perhaps Chief Inspector Wake of Scotland Yard, who makes the suspects feel under the police microscope as they wait for the conclusion of the inquest. And the twists that come in short order make this an interesting reading.
But young Bobbie Cheldon may be unlucky in love as his uncle Massy Cheldon is only in his 50s and can be expected to live 20 years more. Unless there is an accident ...
Perhaps his new best friend, Nosey Ruslin, has an idea — and he does.
Kingston's story is nothing new and things happen fairly predictably. The characters are all pretty unlikeable, except for perhaps Chief Inspector Wake of Scotland Yard, who makes the suspects feel under the police microscope as they wait for the conclusion of the inquest. And the twists that come in short order make this an interesting reading.
May 2, 2025
I liked the (black) comedy tone, and wish this reverse-mystery had included a bit more of that and a bit less of the repetitive scenes. Overall it was a bit slow and probably could have been a novella.
March 18, 2015
Charles Kingston O'Mahoney is another mystery author from the genre's Golden Age, who's since slipped through the cracks of history; Kingston wrote 25 mystery novels between 1921 and 1945, but not much else is known about him. First published in 1936, Murder in Piccadily falls somewhere in the middle of that bibliography, and it is currently Kingston's only novel in print thanks to the British Library Crime Classics series (distributed via Poisoned Pen Press in North America). Like others in the series, it comes with excellent cover art---a re-purposed London travel poster---and an introduction by Martin Edwards. I've been very interested to read some of the British Library's rediscoveries, and am very grateful that I received an advance review copy from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an open and honest review.
Robert "Bobbie" Cheldon lives the life of the idle rich---though, while he's perfected the "idle" and remains unemployed at the age of 23, he hasn't worked out the "rich" part yet. Instead, his doting mother brought him up a gentleman in poverty, expecting a flow of wealth from the death of his miserly uncle, Massey Cheldon. Massy's very much alive and in the peak of health at fifty-three, living in control of an estate that brings in ten thousand quid a year. (However, he may be willing to find his nephew a fifty-shilling-a-week clerk's job.) Unfortunately for Bobbie, he's smitten with a dancer named Nancy, and she refuses to marry a pauper---she wants him to be the wealthy gentleman he's always claimed he will be, and demands he obtain his inheritance. Worse, Bobbie's fallen under the sway of one Nosey Ruslin, Nancy's theatrical agent hoping to profit from Bobbie's relationship woes and wealthy uncle. And soon, Massy's life will end on a crowded platform of the London Underground, the killer pursued by Scotland Yard's Inspector Wake.
I expected Murder in Piccadilly to be a whodunit, but it's not that type of novel. Most Golden Age mysteries begin with the murder and leave who did it and why as the mystery, but Murder in Piccadilly does not rush to bloodshed. Instead, the first half of the book is spent establishing these characters and their motivations; around the halfway point, we follow Massy's last day of life and see it snuffed out by a scoundrel's dagger. From there, it's more in line with a suspense/thriller, where Inspector Wake starts his investigation and the situation looks bleak for the characters (and for good reason). Kingston took a cynical view and most of the characters are not likable---Nosey, Nancy, and Billy Bright are rather unsavory, passionate only in their greed for Massy's wealth, and I wanted to see them caught as much as I wanted to see the miserly snob Massy dead---but I did have a passing sympathy for Bobbie, blinded to sense and logic because of his love for Nancy. I assume calling him the childlike "Bobbie" instead of the more mature "Robert" is a cultural thing, but I found it apt: it reflects his naive and inexperienced demeanor very well.
Kingston writes well enough, and displays a jovial wit at times---that aforementioned chapter following Massy around on his last day has a brilliant ironic undertone. I'd rank him as a journeyman writer; no master stylist, but a man with a firm grasp of setting, character, and some very readable prose. The plotting is pretty good as well, though the setup probably won't please puzzle lovers---there is no real puzzle as the culprit and motives are established before the murder, and Inspector Wake acquires a lot of clues without doing a lot of investigating. I actually enjoyed that element of the novel: framing the characters, establishing motivations, and seeing the seeds of murder take root. And near the end, there are several twists I didn't see coming that threw me for a loop---Kingston did a masterful job preparing some real surprises.
Murder in Piccadilly is a fascinating piece of mystery history, a look back to the London of the 1930s. It's not the typical whodunit and its lack of a puzzle may disappoint readers looking for that element in their Golden Age reads, instead being more of a murder-mystery and dramatic study of some unscrupulous characters in their quest for greed. The characters in particular are well-drawn, and Kingston displays some skill toward making his misanthropic creations unique and interesting. If you don't mind the slow scene-setting, or the 1930s pacing and prose, it's a very enjoyable read. Perhaps not the best of the genre, but a good second-tier novel that may be of interest to vintage mystery readers. I'm glad it's been saved from falling into obscurity by the British Library.
Robert "Bobbie" Cheldon lives the life of the idle rich---though, while he's perfected the "idle" and remains unemployed at the age of 23, he hasn't worked out the "rich" part yet. Instead, his doting mother brought him up a gentleman in poverty, expecting a flow of wealth from the death of his miserly uncle, Massey Cheldon. Massy's very much alive and in the peak of health at fifty-three, living in control of an estate that brings in ten thousand quid a year. (However, he may be willing to find his nephew a fifty-shilling-a-week clerk's job.) Unfortunately for Bobbie, he's smitten with a dancer named Nancy, and she refuses to marry a pauper---she wants him to be the wealthy gentleman he's always claimed he will be, and demands he obtain his inheritance. Worse, Bobbie's fallen under the sway of one Nosey Ruslin, Nancy's theatrical agent hoping to profit from Bobbie's relationship woes and wealthy uncle. And soon, Massy's life will end on a crowded platform of the London Underground, the killer pursued by Scotland Yard's Inspector Wake.
I expected Murder in Piccadilly to be a whodunit, but it's not that type of novel. Most Golden Age mysteries begin with the murder and leave who did it and why as the mystery, but Murder in Piccadilly does not rush to bloodshed. Instead, the first half of the book is spent establishing these characters and their motivations; around the halfway point, we follow Massy's last day of life and see it snuffed out by a scoundrel's dagger. From there, it's more in line with a suspense/thriller, where Inspector Wake starts his investigation and the situation looks bleak for the characters (and for good reason). Kingston took a cynical view and most of the characters are not likable---Nosey, Nancy, and Billy Bright are rather unsavory, passionate only in their greed for Massy's wealth, and I wanted to see them caught as much as I wanted to see the miserly snob Massy dead---but I did have a passing sympathy for Bobbie, blinded to sense and logic because of his love for Nancy. I assume calling him the childlike "Bobbie" instead of the more mature "Robert" is a cultural thing, but I found it apt: it reflects his naive and inexperienced demeanor very well.
Kingston writes well enough, and displays a jovial wit at times---that aforementioned chapter following Massy around on his last day has a brilliant ironic undertone. I'd rank him as a journeyman writer; no master stylist, but a man with a firm grasp of setting, character, and some very readable prose. The plotting is pretty good as well, though the setup probably won't please puzzle lovers---there is no real puzzle as the culprit and motives are established before the murder, and Inspector Wake acquires a lot of clues without doing a lot of investigating. I actually enjoyed that element of the novel: framing the characters, establishing motivations, and seeing the seeds of murder take root. And near the end, there are several twists I didn't see coming that threw me for a loop---Kingston did a masterful job preparing some real surprises.
Murder in Piccadilly is a fascinating piece of mystery history, a look back to the London of the 1930s. It's not the typical whodunit and its lack of a puzzle may disappoint readers looking for that element in their Golden Age reads, instead being more of a murder-mystery and dramatic study of some unscrupulous characters in their quest for greed. The characters in particular are well-drawn, and Kingston displays some skill toward making his misanthropic creations unique and interesting. If you don't mind the slow scene-setting, or the 1930s pacing and prose, it's a very enjoyable read. Perhaps not the best of the genre, but a good second-tier novel that may be of interest to vintage mystery readers. I'm glad it's been saved from falling into obscurity by the British Library.
October 21, 2018
Reviewed for the Bibliophibian.
Wow, this was just… kind of disappointing? I mean, there are aspects of it which are fairly unique — actually characterising the skinflint uncle who must die for the heir to inherit, and giving him maybe a softer side; following the crooks and getting into their heads as well as the innocent(ish) bystanders and the police, and the victim, etc. But in the end it just doesn’t come together: you don’t get to see the bad guys get their comeuppance, not all the mysteries are answered (if you even care by that point), and the “hero” insofar as there is one is a weak mummy’s boy who can’t take responsibility for his own actions or figure out how to take care of himself for even a moment.
It’s just… meh all round. I’m not really finding the ‘warm period charm’ Edwards mentions in his introduction; really, I’d be quite happy to have skipped this one.
Wow, this was just… kind of disappointing? I mean, there are aspects of it which are fairly unique — actually characterising the skinflint uncle who must die for the heir to inherit, and giving him maybe a softer side; following the crooks and getting into their heads as well as the innocent(ish) bystanders and the police, and the victim, etc. But in the end it just doesn’t come together: you don’t get to see the bad guys get their comeuppance, not all the mysteries are answered (if you even care by that point), and the “hero” insofar as there is one is a weak mummy’s boy who can’t take responsibility for his own actions or figure out how to take care of himself for even a moment.
It’s just… meh all round. I’m not really finding the ‘warm period charm’ Edwards mentions in his introduction; really, I’d be quite happy to have skipped this one.
January 11, 2015
It took me ages to get into this book, with over half the book devoted to ‘scene setting’ before the murder. Long before this, we knew who was going to be murdered and why!There is, however, a nice twist at the end.
The person who is due to benefit by the murder, Bobbie Cheldon, is not a likeable character; he is a spoilt and easily led. I didn’t feel an ounce of sympathy for him at the final outcome!
Murder in Piccadilly is very much a book of its time; in many places it is wordy and slow. Make sure that you know what an "ex-pugilist" is before you start - it turns up with monotonous regularity!!
The person who is due to benefit by the murder, Bobbie Cheldon, is not a likeable character; he is a spoilt and easily led. I didn’t feel an ounce of sympathy for him at the final outcome!
Murder in Piccadilly is very much a book of its time; in many places it is wordy and slow. Make sure that you know what an "ex-pugilist" is before you start - it turns up with monotonous regularity!!
February 6, 2017
I had a good time with this, although it isn't really a whodunit (we pretty much know that even before the murder occurs). It's more of a will-whodunit-get-away-with-it. I wasn't entirely satisfied with the ending, as it lets one of the bad guys off the hook. Yet there are great characters here, and a wonderful glimpse into the seedy side of 1930s London.
May 29, 2019
Murder in Picadilly is an old fashioned crime novel published in 1936 and set in and around Soho. The story concerns the fortunes of a young man named Bobbie Cheldon. Bobbie has fallen head over heels in love with a dancer at The Frozen Fang nightclub but she will not hear of marriage unless he can support her in the lifestyle to which she would very much like to become accustomed.
Bobbie has a rich uncle, Massy, who is the owner of an estate in Sussex and enjoys a large income from it but is loathe to share any of this with Bobbie and his widowed mother. Bobbie soon falls under the sway of Nosey Ruslin, a London criminal who sees an opportunity to make a great deal of money out of the situation. After all, if Massy Cheldon should die then Bobbie will be the heir to a great fortune.
The murder of Uncle Massy does not occur until about half way through the book so we have plenty of time to get to know both him and the rest of the characters before they come under the spotlight of the indefatigable Inspector Wake.
This is not so much a whodunnit as a character piece where we see the various characters start to crack under the pressure of the police investigation. Inspector Wake is always polite and thorough managing to unnerve both the guilty and innocent with his insight.
Charles Kingston sets the scene well, The Frozen Fang nightclub based in a basement below a butcher's shop, Bobbie and his mother's down at heel rental flat and Massy's estate are all brought to life in the prose and easy to picture. Kingston also has an ability to create the most wonderful and memorable names for his cast of characters. Nosey Ruslin, Italian Charlie and Billy Bright will live on in the memory long after the details of the story have faded.
I enjoyed the book, there is a twist which is obscurely signalled early on but which still came as a surprise. After that though I I found the ending to be quite rushed almost as though Kingston felt that there was no point in stringing out the novel much longer.
As always the book has an informative and erudite introduction by Martin Edwards which helps place it in the context of the writing that was going on at the time and in the development of the detective novel. Kingston was not as well known as some writers of the period and with good reason but that should not detract from the pleasure of reading this forgotten story from the true golden age of detective fiction.
Bobbie has a rich uncle, Massy, who is the owner of an estate in Sussex and enjoys a large income from it but is loathe to share any of this with Bobbie and his widowed mother. Bobbie soon falls under the sway of Nosey Ruslin, a London criminal who sees an opportunity to make a great deal of money out of the situation. After all, if Massy Cheldon should die then Bobbie will be the heir to a great fortune.
The murder of Uncle Massy does not occur until about half way through the book so we have plenty of time to get to know both him and the rest of the characters before they come under the spotlight of the indefatigable Inspector Wake.
This is not so much a whodunnit as a character piece where we see the various characters start to crack under the pressure of the police investigation. Inspector Wake is always polite and thorough managing to unnerve both the guilty and innocent with his insight.
Charles Kingston sets the scene well, The Frozen Fang nightclub based in a basement below a butcher's shop, Bobbie and his mother's down at heel rental flat and Massy's estate are all brought to life in the prose and easy to picture. Kingston also has an ability to create the most wonderful and memorable names for his cast of characters. Nosey Ruslin, Italian Charlie and Billy Bright will live on in the memory long after the details of the story have faded.
I enjoyed the book, there is a twist which is obscurely signalled early on but which still came as a surprise. After that though I I found the ending to be quite rushed almost as though Kingston felt that there was no point in stringing out the novel much longer.
As always the book has an informative and erudite introduction by Martin Edwards which helps place it in the context of the writing that was going on at the time and in the development of the detective novel. Kingston was not as well known as some writers of the period and with good reason but that should not detract from the pleasure of reading this forgotten story from the true golden age of detective fiction.
February 19, 2024
Anyone who likes old timey classics, will want to pick up a popular novel in the British Library Crime Classics series, Murder in Piccadilly, which was actually written by Charles Kingston in 1936.
The book is set in London, and Bobbie Cheldon, who is 23, spoiled, and lazy, is waiting to inherit a fortune from his uncle. Bobbie’s mother, Ruby, has invited her brother-in-law, the cantankerous Massy Cheldon over to try to convince him to give him his inheritance now instead of when he dies. It is even more important now, since Bobby has met “the girl of his dreams,” a dancer below Bobbie’s societal station and will marry him if he has the $10,000 per year (a huge amount in those days) to support her. Since Uncle Massy won’t turn over the money, Bobbie’s future depends on his uncle’s death, or he may lose his girl.
Fans of “classic” novels will love this one. It takes place in London during the golden era and is written in such a way that readers will find themselves enjoying a writing style that is reminiscent of writing at the beginning of the 20th century. While the writing is a bit wordy, it is an enjoyable read. The story flows, and follows along with the manners and customs of the day.
All told, those who like to read old novels with a bit of nostalgic style will enjoy this one.
Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.
The book is set in London, and Bobbie Cheldon, who is 23, spoiled, and lazy, is waiting to inherit a fortune from his uncle. Bobbie’s mother, Ruby, has invited her brother-in-law, the cantankerous Massy Cheldon over to try to convince him to give him his inheritance now instead of when he dies. It is even more important now, since Bobby has met “the girl of his dreams,” a dancer below Bobbie’s societal station and will marry him if he has the $10,000 per year (a huge amount in those days) to support her. Since Uncle Massy won’t turn over the money, Bobbie’s future depends on his uncle’s death, or he may lose his girl.
Fans of “classic” novels will love this one. It takes place in London during the golden era and is written in such a way that readers will find themselves enjoying a writing style that is reminiscent of writing at the beginning of the 20th century. While the writing is a bit wordy, it is an enjoyable read. The story flows, and follows along with the manners and customs of the day.
All told, those who like to read old novels with a bit of nostalgic style will enjoy this one.
Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.
March 3, 2024
This book is about the plot to kill a rich, but mean-spirited Uncle, by his nephew and the lower class members of a Piccadilly night club where his gold-digging girlfriend works. There aren't any likeable characters in this one. The Uncle is sneering, and his Nephew pathetically weak. The girlfriend is blatant in her desire to marry into wealth, while the chief organiser of the crime, Nosey Ruslin shows little regard for anything but his own interests. Sent in to sort out the crime is Inspector Wake, a rather dull policeman, who doesn't really have any wit, and bemoans that he can't just arrest people whether guilty or not.
This isn't really a mystery. We're told early who the victim will be. And even before the killer is revealed, there's only really 3 suspects, and we're told two of them didn't do it straight away!
The book is well written, moving at a decent pace. Just don't expect any mystery, or anyone to root for.
This isn't really a mystery. We're told early who the victim will be. And even before the killer is revealed, there's only really 3 suspects, and we're told two of them didn't do it straight away!
The book is well written, moving at a decent pace. Just don't expect any mystery, or anyone to root for.
June 1, 2021
Another 1930s mystery set in interwar London. And it's a pretty standard set-up: young spoiled nephew falls in love with a lower class dancer who won't marry him unless he is rich. Miserly uncle won't part with his money, makes the nephew get a job. No-good friends of the dancing girl convince the nephew that his uncle stands in his way, that the money (and therefore the girl) should be his. Uncle gets murdered, but nephew has an alibi. Scotland Yard send a plodding detective, who works on getting the suspects to crack. Eventually someone is going down...
I have to admit that the first half of the book is slow, wordy, way too much set-up. But once the rich uncle gets killed, the book flies... and there's even a few surprises along the way. A nice read for those who like the British reissues, especially the second half.
I have to admit that the first half of the book is slow, wordy, way too much set-up. But once the rich uncle gets killed, the book flies... and there's even a few surprises along the way. A nice read for those who like the British reissues, especially the second half.
October 11, 2021
📖Murder In Piccadilly 🖋Charles Kingston
Only one problem separates a spoiled idler from owning the family heritage and the opportunity to marry the beautiful but mercantile dancer from the local club.
London seems a suitable place for a murder, especially Piccadilly, where everyone is watching you at the same time, but no one notices you ...
This is crime novel from the 1936s, in which the relationship between the characters is complicated, but despite the planned murder of an egocentric miser, the end of the story is not at all what is expected to be ...
The characters of a cunning swindler and a shrewd inspector stand out most clearly in the book, as each of them tries to outwit the other ...
.
📜Favorite quotes:
.
📍The weak can often become strong in the hands of the unscrupulous.
.
😂She has a habit of asking those questions that a woman answers herself and then tells you that you are lying to her.
.
⚖The inspector worked with half-truths, lies and all sorts of things like that, because among all of them the definite truth often came to the surface.
.
.
Only one problem separates a spoiled idler from owning the family heritage and the opportunity to marry the beautiful but mercantile dancer from the local club.
London seems a suitable place for a murder, especially Piccadilly, where everyone is watching you at the same time, but no one notices you ...
This is crime novel from the 1936s, in which the relationship between the characters is complicated, but despite the planned murder of an egocentric miser, the end of the story is not at all what is expected to be ...
The characters of a cunning swindler and a shrewd inspector stand out most clearly in the book, as each of them tries to outwit the other ...
.
📜Favorite quotes:
.
📍The weak can often become strong in the hands of the unscrupulous.
.
😂She has a habit of asking those questions that a woman answers herself and then tells you that you are lying to her.
.
⚖The inspector worked with half-truths, lies and all sorts of things like that, because among all of them the definite truth often came to the surface.
.
.
January 21, 2019
This book is too full of unlikeable characters to enjoy it. There's Bobby, who's a weakling and only mopes about not having any money but is too lazy to do any actual work. There's his mother who has spoilt him all his life and now refuses to see that he could do any wrong. His uncle who is so miserly that he won't even give his brother's widow enough money to live as semi-decent life. Bobby's girlfriend Nancy who is a caricature of the greedy gold-digging woman. There's also Nancy's ex Billy and her boss Nosey Ruslin. The latter is supposed to be a clever and cold-blooded criminal but reacts like a deer in the headlight when questioned by the inspector and Billy even faints. It's over the top but not in a humorous way, it's just boring.
February 1, 2020
Expecting the book to be laid out similar to Agatha Christie’s “who-dun-it” books, I was pleasantly surprised that the intention of murder was set out at the very beginning of the book.
The readers are introduced to the characters, from the beginning for us to understand the motive and even describes the actus rea of the book.
We are led to the actual murder halfway to the story. Thinking that is the peak, the subsequent chapters unfolds to more twist, even until the end.
Fascinating way of telling of murder mystery. The tale of greed and love blinding the eyes of a lazy (wannabe)aristocrat, who wanted a fast-track way to wealth. Been fooled by the characters from the underworld, he thought the only way to his so-called entitlement was murder. How naive he was to think that would be.
The readers are introduced to the characters, from the beginning for us to understand the motive and even describes the actus rea of the book.
We are led to the actual murder halfway to the story. Thinking that is the peak, the subsequent chapters unfolds to more twist, even until the end.
Fascinating way of telling of murder mystery. The tale of greed and love blinding the eyes of a lazy (wannabe)aristocrat, who wanted a fast-track way to wealth. Been fooled by the characters from the underworld, he thought the only way to his so-called entitlement was murder. How naive he was to think that would be.
February 14, 2020
The murder victim is known from the beginning but doesn’t die until halfway through the book. This does not make for a lot of tension, but it gives the author chance to describe the social pretensions and mores of the different classes around Soho. The poor gentlefolk who are above the drudgery of earning money and the glitz of the nightclubs, hiding the seediness and the criminality that surrounds them. So, not a tense whodunnit but an interesting social commentary on pre-war life. The ending isn’t the clear cut goodies end well, baddies end badly that we might have expected.
It’s 3.5* but putting it as 4* would have been too generous.
It’s 3.5* but putting it as 4* would have been too generous.
April 4, 2018
I'm not sure if it's "I really liked it" or "I liked it". It would be unfair to say a book is not good because characters aren't nice. Indeed, they seem very human in their weakness and that atests the writer's talent. I found the characters' complexity sometimes annoying but it enriches the story. It's not a crime plot like most: instead of starting from the victim and following the detective's investigation, it follows the people who are related to the eventual victim and their machinations. The detective comes into the story when we're already involved with all its intricacies.
June 20, 2019
Bookriot Read Harder Challenge #09: A book published prior to January 1, 2019, with fewer than 100 reviews on Goodreads.
This story had no hook for me, no appeal, absolutely nothing to keep me turning the pages. The characters are dull and lifeless, nothing of any interest happens, there is no mystery to solve, no suspense, no POINT, no atmosphere.
These British Crime Classics are very hit and miss. Some are hidden treasures, others should have stayed in the 1930s.
Shouldn't have wasted my time finishing it.
This story had no hook for me, no appeal, absolutely nothing to keep me turning the pages. The characters are dull and lifeless, nothing of any interest happens, there is no mystery to solve, no suspense, no POINT, no atmosphere.
These British Crime Classics are very hit and miss. Some are hidden treasures, others should have stayed in the 1930s.
Shouldn't have wasted my time finishing it.
November 29, 2021
It took me about 7 months to get through it (during power outages). Scenes changed without a break so it was hard to follow. Punctuation was kind of weird with commas omitted often so sentences seemed to run together. No real character development. Everyone stayed true to their initial flat descriptions though it was hard to really picture any of them.
I was really excited to read a book from this era, but it was extremely banal. Nothing really happened and by the time what little did, I didn't care.
I was really excited to read a book from this era, but it was extremely banal. Nothing really happened and by the time what little did, I didn't care.
May 13, 2022
This book was written in 1936 and feels like a melodrama. In quite a few scenes it felt, to me, like the author was intending the book to be staged. I wanted to read a book and ended up feeling like I was reading a play.
This book didn’t work on a lot of levels, but most importantly I didn’t like or feel empathy with any of the characters. There is no obvious hero/heroine, no one that I felt a great deal of sympathy for.
And the ending! What was that, other than confusing and a bit of a letdown.
This book didn’t work on a lot of levels, but most importantly I didn’t like or feel empathy with any of the characters. There is no obvious hero/heroine, no one that I felt a great deal of sympathy for.
And the ending! What was that, other than confusing and a bit of a letdown.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews