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The Z Murders
Richard Temperley arrives at Euston station early on a fogbound London morning. He takes refuge in a nearby hotel, along with a disagreeable fellow passenger, who had snored his way through the train journey. But within minutes the other man has snored for the last time – he has been shot dead while sleeping in an armchair.
Temperley has a brief encounter with a beautiful young woman, but she flees the scene.
When the police arrive, Detective Inspector James discovers a token at the crime scene: a small piece of enamelled metal. Its colour was crimson, and it was in the shape of the letter Z. Temperley sets off in pursuit of the mysterious woman from the hotel, and finds himself embroiled in a cross-country chase – by train and taxi – on the tail of a sinister serial killer.
This classic novel by the author of the best-selling Mystery in White is a gripping thriller by a neglected master of the genre.
Temperley has a brief encounter with a beautiful young woman, but she flees the scene.
When the police arrive, Detective Inspector James discovers a token at the crime scene: a small piece of enamelled metal. Its colour was crimson, and it was in the shape of the letter Z. Temperley sets off in pursuit of the mysterious woman from the hotel, and finds himself embroiled in a cross-country chase – by train and taxi – on the tail of a sinister serial killer.
This classic novel by the author of the best-selling Mystery in White is a gripping thriller by a neglected master of the genre.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1932
63 people are currently reading
665 people want to read
About the author
J. Jefferson Farjeon
89 books91 followersJoseph Jefferson Farjeon was always going to be a writer as, born in London, he was the son of Benjamin Leopold Farjeon who at the time was a well-known novelist whose other children were Eleanor Farjeon, who became a children's writer, and Herbert Farjeon, who became a playwright and who wrote the well-respected 'A Cricket Bag'.
The family were descended from Thomas Jefferson but it was his maternal grandfather, the American actor Joseph Jefferson, after whom Joseph was named. He was educated privately and at Peterborough Lodge and one of his early jobs, from 1910 to 1920, was doing some editorial work for the Amalgamated Press.
His first published work was in 1924 when Brentano's produced 'The Master Criminal', which is a tale of identity reversal involving two brothers, one a master detective, the other a master criminal. A New York Times reviewer commented favourably, "Mr. Farjeon displays a great deal of knowledge about story-telling and multiplies the interest of his plot through a terse, telling style and a rigid compression." This was the beginning of a career that would encompass over 80 published novels, ending with 'The Caravan Adventure' in 1955.
He also wrote a number of plays, some of which were filmed, most notably Number Seventeen which was produced by Alfred Hitchcock in 1932, and many short stories.
Many of his novels were in the mystery and detective genre although he was recognised as being one of the first novelists to entwine romance with crime. In addition he was known for his keen humour and flashing wit but he also used sinister and terrifying storylines quite freely. One critic for the Saturday Review of Literature reviewed one of his later books writing that it was "amusing, satirical, and [a] frequently hair-raising yarn of an author who got dangerously mixed up with his imaginary characters. Tricky."
When he died at Hove in Sussex in 1955 his obituary in The Times wrote of his "deserved popularity for ingenious and entertaining plots and characterization".
Gerry Wolstenholme
June 2010
The family were descended from Thomas Jefferson but it was his maternal grandfather, the American actor Joseph Jefferson, after whom Joseph was named. He was educated privately and at Peterborough Lodge and one of his early jobs, from 1910 to 1920, was doing some editorial work for the Amalgamated Press.
His first published work was in 1924 when Brentano's produced 'The Master Criminal', which is a tale of identity reversal involving two brothers, one a master detective, the other a master criminal. A New York Times reviewer commented favourably, "Mr. Farjeon displays a great deal of knowledge about story-telling and multiplies the interest of his plot through a terse, telling style and a rigid compression." This was the beginning of a career that would encompass over 80 published novels, ending with 'The Caravan Adventure' in 1955.
He also wrote a number of plays, some of which were filmed, most notably Number Seventeen which was produced by Alfred Hitchcock in 1932, and many short stories.
Many of his novels were in the mystery and detective genre although he was recognised as being one of the first novelists to entwine romance with crime. In addition he was known for his keen humour and flashing wit but he also used sinister and terrifying storylines quite freely. One critic for the Saturday Review of Literature reviewed one of his later books writing that it was "amusing, satirical, and [a] frequently hair-raising yarn of an author who got dangerously mixed up with his imaginary characters. Tricky."
When he died at Hove in Sussex in 1955 his obituary in The Times wrote of his "deserved popularity for ingenious and entertaining plots and characterization".
Gerry Wolstenholme
June 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 173 reviews
June 27, 2015
Be forewarned! I have read three mysteries by J. Jefferson Farjeon in less than a week’s time. Once you pick up one, you won’t be able to stop! Yes, they’re that enticing! How grateful I am that I got the privilege of an ARC of The Z Murders, first published in 1932 and soon to be re-released!
Richard Temperley’s pretty annoyed with his bad-tempered fellow passenger on the train, who snores like a train himself. (We find out later that the disagreeable old curmudgeon’s named John Amble.) But Temperley’s not annoyed for long: As soon as Temperley and Amble arrive in fogbound London before dawn and take refuge in a hotel, Amble settles himself into an armchair, goes back to sleep — and never reawakens. How could he with a bullet in his heart, having been shot through the window while he slept?
The “Z” of The Z Murders refers to a token that police Detective-Inspector James discovers at the scene of the crime: a crimson-enameled metal Z. What — or who — is Z? Could it be an item belonging to the victim? Or the murderer? Or to a pretty but anguished young woman who Temperley saw fleeing the scene of the crime? At any rate, Temperley’s determined to track down the mystery woman. Needless to say, in tracking down the damsel in distress, Temperley — and Detective-Inspector James, who’s also in hot pursuit — also get closer to the killer.
Three cheers for The British Library and Poisoned Pen Press! They released Thirteen Guests (first published in 1937) last year, and will re-release The Z Murders and Thirteen Guests (1936) on September 1. But what I cannot comprehend is how did Joseph Jefferson Farjeon’s five dozen novels go out of print in the first place? I couldn’t even find them at my public library or second-hand on Amazon! Why is Farjeon not a household name like Dame Agatha Christie, Nicholas Blake, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham, or Michael Innes? Readers will find he’s the equal of any of them, save Christie and Doyle, and even then, he’s nipping at their heels. Farjeon’s definitely an addiction worth cultivating.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.
Richard Temperley’s pretty annoyed with his bad-tempered fellow passenger on the train, who snores like a train himself. (We find out later that the disagreeable old curmudgeon’s named John Amble.) But Temperley’s not annoyed for long: As soon as Temperley and Amble arrive in fogbound London before dawn and take refuge in a hotel, Amble settles himself into an armchair, goes back to sleep — and never reawakens. How could he with a bullet in his heart, having been shot through the window while he slept?
The “Z” of The Z Murders refers to a token that police Detective-Inspector James discovers at the scene of the crime: a crimson-enameled metal Z. What — or who — is Z? Could it be an item belonging to the victim? Or the murderer? Or to a pretty but anguished young woman who Temperley saw fleeing the scene of the crime? At any rate, Temperley’s determined to track down the mystery woman. Needless to say, in tracking down the damsel in distress, Temperley — and Detective-Inspector James, who’s also in hot pursuit — also get closer to the killer.
Three cheers for The British Library and Poisoned Pen Press! They released Thirteen Guests (first published in 1937) last year, and will re-release The Z Murders and Thirteen Guests (1936) on September 1. But what I cannot comprehend is how did Joseph Jefferson Farjeon’s five dozen novels go out of print in the first place? I couldn’t even find them at my public library or second-hand on Amazon! Why is Farjeon not a household name like Dame Agatha Christie, Nicholas Blake, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham, or Michael Innes? Readers will find he’s the equal of any of them, save Christie and Doyle, and even then, he’s nipping at their heels. Farjeon’s definitely an addiction worth cultivating.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.
January 21, 2016
It’s when you read some of the ropier inter-war crime stories that you appreciate why writers like Christie and Sayers are considered to be the masters of the art. I really didn’t rate this, though it has its moments, including an intriguing start. If the rationale behind the British Library’s Crime Classics series is to give a new lease of life to some of the better Thirties mysteries that have been unjustly neglected, then either the general standard was quite low or they need to choose more carefully. I suppose one might say in its defence that it’s not meant to be a conventional whodunit or even a detective story of any kind (there is little detecting and barely any real clueing), but rather a thriller. Even so, it’s not to my mind a good example of that genre, or a particularly good story on any terms – at the very least it hasn’t aged well. The characters are uninteresting and the novel as a whole is talky, melodramatic and hokey. Exhibit A for this latter point: the chief villain and his implausibly extraordinary abilities.
People behave in bizarrely implausible ways in order to move the plot on, and there is an unwelcome appearance for that old trope of the second-rate mystery: For Dumb Reasons I Cannot Possibly Tell The Police What I Know About This Case Even Though It Would Enable Them To Solve It In Five Minutes And Probably Save Several Lives. The motive behind the central crimes is dull and uninspired, as is the manner of its explanation to the reader, a long and contrived exposition dump.
People behave in bizarrely implausible ways in order to move the plot on, and there is an unwelcome appearance for that old trope of the second-rate mystery: For Dumb Reasons I Cannot Possibly Tell The Police What I Know About This Case Even Though It Would Enable Them To Solve It In Five Minutes And Probably Save Several Lives. The motive behind the central crimes is dull and uninspired, as is the manner of its explanation to the reader, a long and contrived exposition dump.
November 9, 2015
A perfectly enjoyable romp through the English countryside in pursuit of an elusive killer who leaves a token engraved with the letter Z at the scenes of his crimes.
Richard Temperley travels south on the overnight train to London where he disembarks, and narrowly misses the murder of the man who had been sharing his compartment in the last leg of the journey.
Add a beautiful but also elusive woman, an extremely accommodating detective, and a villain or two and you have all the makings of a classic murder mystery.
Why then, when I got to the end, did I feel I had missed something? It all rather rushed to a climax, and I found myself having to return and reread some passages.
Thank you to NetGalley and Poison Pen Publishers for the gift of a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Richard Temperley travels south on the overnight train to London where he disembarks, and narrowly misses the murder of the man who had been sharing his compartment in the last leg of the journey.
Add a beautiful but also elusive woman, an extremely accommodating detective, and a villain or two and you have all the makings of a classic murder mystery.
Why then, when I got to the end, did I feel I had missed something? It all rather rushed to a climax, and I found myself having to return and reread some passages.
Thank you to NetGalley and Poison Pen Publishers for the gift of a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 18, 2021
“Dick!” exclaimed his sister, admonishingly. “Are you on the edge of a scrape?”
Police Officer to DI James, “We’re up against some pretty damn blackguards, aren’t we?”
Melodramatic Golden Age murder mysteries - don’t you just love them? The lower classes and those living in the countryside (or anywhere outside London!) are spoken about disparagingly; gypsies are thieves and a character with low intelligence is described as an imbecile and a half-wit. Women are simple, weak little things that need to be looked after and saved by strong men.
The plot itself kept my interest at a peak, even though it became quite convoluted towards the end. It was a good read, I enjoyed it, but I’m well aware that this is not great literature!
Police Officer to DI James, “We’re up against some pretty damn blackguards, aren’t we?”
Melodramatic Golden Age murder mysteries - don’t you just love them? The lower classes and those living in the countryside (or anywhere outside London!) are spoken about disparagingly; gypsies are thieves and a character with low intelligence is described as an imbecile and a half-wit. Women are simple, weak little things that need to be looked after and saved by strong men.
The plot itself kept my interest at a peak, even though it became quite convoluted towards the end. It was a good read, I enjoyed it, but I’m well aware that this is not great literature!
May 11, 2021
Richard Temperley arrives at Euston station early one morning--too early to go on to his sister's house where he is due to stay. So, upon the advice of a helpful porter, he heads to the hotel across the street to rest for a bit before a warm fire in the lounge. On the way into the room, he encounters a beautiful young woman who seems in a bit of a hurry. A noisy fellow passenger who snored all through the train ride has also sought shelter in the room. As Temperley settles into a chair by the fire, he sees the man (as he thinks) asleep in a chair by the window. But then he notices something odd...the man is no longer snoring. And there's a very good reason for that. He's been shot. And a mysterious bit of crimson enameled metal has been left at the scene--shaped as the letter Z.
When questioned by the police, Temperley has little to tell and Inspector James seems satisfied with his answers. But when the inspector leaves the room for a moment, Temperpley chances to find a woman's handbag in the crack of his chair. Does it belong to the alluring young woman? He's made up his mind that she's innocent in this business and keeps his find to himself. As soon as the police release him, he's off to try and find the woman. And winds up involved in a cross-country trek. He on the track of the woman--and the police dogging his heels (they didn't quite believe he was telling all he knew...).
Then a second murder occurs and it just so happens that the lovely lady was on her way to the very town where it happened. Is she really innocent? Why won't she confide in the police--or in Temperley when he finally catches up to here? What does she know and what is she so afraid of? And what does the Z represent? Temperley will find these answers when he gets on the trail of a particularly evil serial killer.
I am in two minds about this mystery by Farjeon. On the one hand, it's an interesting early example of the serial killer in the Golden Age. And I quite enjoyed the cross-country chase--particularly when Temperley and Miss Wynne (our lovely heroine) convince the cabbie to drove them 150 miles or so. And the poor thing gets chloroformed and then drugged into the bargain. It makes for a fun thriller with high adventure, though I didn't find it as engaging as Thirteen Guests or Mystery in White. But the ending is rushed and things aren't really explained clearly. And, our hero falls madly in love even more quickly than usually happens in these GAD mysteries with a bit of romance thrown in.
Suggested for those who like thrills and adventure in their mysteries without needing every little thing explained clearly. Overall, a fun read.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
When questioned by the police, Temperley has little to tell and Inspector James seems satisfied with his answers. But when the inspector leaves the room for a moment, Temperpley chances to find a woman's handbag in the crack of his chair. Does it belong to the alluring young woman? He's made up his mind that she's innocent in this business and keeps his find to himself. As soon as the police release him, he's off to try and find the woman. And winds up involved in a cross-country trek. He on the track of the woman--and the police dogging his heels (they didn't quite believe he was telling all he knew...).
Then a second murder occurs and it just so happens that the lovely lady was on her way to the very town where it happened. Is she really innocent? Why won't she confide in the police--or in Temperley when he finally catches up to here? What does she know and what is she so afraid of? And what does the Z represent? Temperley will find these answers when he gets on the trail of a particularly evil serial killer.
I am in two minds about this mystery by Farjeon. On the one hand, it's an interesting early example of the serial killer in the Golden Age. And I quite enjoyed the cross-country chase--particularly when Temperley and Miss Wynne (our lovely heroine) convince the cabbie to drove them 150 miles or so. And the poor thing gets chloroformed and then drugged into the bargain. It makes for a fun thriller with high adventure, though I didn't find it as engaging as Thirteen Guests or Mystery in White. But the ending is rushed and things aren't really explained clearly. And, our hero falls madly in love even more quickly than usually happens in these GAD mysteries with a bit of romance thrown in.
Suggested for those who like thrills and adventure in their mysteries without needing every little thing explained clearly. Overall, a fun read.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
March 1, 2016
Utter drivel. Silly characters & non existent plot. The author didn't seem particularly keen to reveal the mystery even at the end. Most of the time, even if I hate a book, I'd say that it's just an opinion, read it for yourself & make your own mind up. This? Really, don't bother. A child could come up with a better murder mystery.
January 28, 2018
This was my first read by the author, and a book I read of course because it was on my TBR, but also for a challenge, part of which required me to read a book/ author with ‘Q, X, or Z’.
Our ‘hero’, Richard Temperley arrives at Euston Station at 5 am after an uncomfortable train journey on which though he had upgraded his ticket to first class to be able to get some sleep, he was unable to as his co-passenger snored. So sleepy and not in the best of moods, Temperley takes up the porter’s suggestion to use a hotel smoking room to catch up on some sleep. He steps out of the room to make some inquiries about his luggage, and on his return a beautiful young lady runs past him. In the smoking room he finds his only other companion is the snoring man from the train. But when Temperley settles down to sleep, he notices something amiss, the man is no longer snoring. He’s been shot! When the police arrive on the scene they find a red ‘z’. And thus begins the mystery of the ‘z’ murders. Temperley has quite obviously fallen for the beautiful young lady, who is quite obviously on the police’s list of suspects. He determines to get to her before the police do, and soon enough finds himself on the trail of the murderer. Meanwhile other ‘z’ murders take place, seemingly unconnected, and save for one (which happens in front of us), with no visible motive. How does it all connect, and how is the young lady (Sylvia Wynne) connected with it all?
This was a book I ended with mixed feelings about. I enjoyed the writing, and some of the dialogue, the sort of banter between Temperley and DI James, the little insight we get into Temperley’s mind working (more so at the start when the effects of fatigue are obvious), and the idea of the mystery certainly. Temperley is the hero and a reasonably bright one, but the author makes him fairly human and fallible, not beyond making mistakes, another thing which I liked. The Inspector and his sergeant(?) Dutton were again characters I quite liked, since while they may well have humoured Temperley, cut him a lot of slack even but they were clearly some steps ahead of him at most times. I wished they had a stronger role in the latter part of the story.
However, while this wasn’t a “whodunit”, I would have still liked the mystery to be “solved’ at the end by the Inspector, or Temperley even, but instead much of the answer is revealed (towards the end of course) but through a conversation of the “villain” himself and his accomplice (and that too before they are tacked down), who we “meet” in a manner of speaking fairly early on. Also, I wasn’t entirely convinced on Temperley’s reasons for not wanting to work with the police from the start or at least not doing what he did some way in (specifying this might be a spoiler) earlier on. It was the same for the murderer’s explanation, his explanation made sense, but I wasn’t convinced by the entire thing. But that said, the author did manage to create a fairly sinister image of him. The ending again, partly because of the way the denouement or at least explanation for the “villain”’s actions came about, and partly because it felt almost like an end of a romance/adventure film (a touch silly even), rather than a murder mystery was a tad disappointing. I wouldn’t have actually minded the end if the mystery aspect had ended or at least been revealed differently.
Nevertheless, I do have a couple of other books by the author on my TBR and I am still going to be reading them.
Our ‘hero’, Richard Temperley arrives at Euston Station at 5 am after an uncomfortable train journey on which though he had upgraded his ticket to first class to be able to get some sleep, he was unable to as his co-passenger snored. So sleepy and not in the best of moods, Temperley takes up the porter’s suggestion to use a hotel smoking room to catch up on some sleep. He steps out of the room to make some inquiries about his luggage, and on his return a beautiful young lady runs past him. In the smoking room he finds his only other companion is the snoring man from the train. But when Temperley settles down to sleep, he notices something amiss, the man is no longer snoring. He’s been shot! When the police arrive on the scene they find a red ‘z’. And thus begins the mystery of the ‘z’ murders. Temperley has quite obviously fallen for the beautiful young lady, who is quite obviously on the police’s list of suspects. He determines to get to her before the police do, and soon enough finds himself on the trail of the murderer. Meanwhile other ‘z’ murders take place, seemingly unconnected, and save for one (which happens in front of us), with no visible motive. How does it all connect, and how is the young lady (Sylvia Wynne) connected with it all?
This was a book I ended with mixed feelings about. I enjoyed the writing, and some of the dialogue, the sort of banter between Temperley and DI James, the little insight we get into Temperley’s mind working (more so at the start when the effects of fatigue are obvious), and the idea of the mystery certainly. Temperley is the hero and a reasonably bright one, but the author makes him fairly human and fallible, not beyond making mistakes, another thing which I liked. The Inspector and his sergeant(?) Dutton were again characters I quite liked, since while they may well have humoured Temperley, cut him a lot of slack even but they were clearly some steps ahead of him at most times. I wished they had a stronger role in the latter part of the story.
However, while this wasn’t a “whodunit”, I would have still liked the mystery to be “solved’ at the end by the Inspector, or Temperley even, but instead much of the answer is revealed (towards the end of course) but through a conversation of the “villain” himself and his accomplice (and that too before they are tacked down), who we “meet” in a manner of speaking fairly early on. Also, I wasn’t entirely convinced on Temperley’s reasons for not wanting to work with the police from the start or at least not doing what he did some way in (specifying this might be a spoiler) earlier on. It was the same for the murderer’s explanation, his explanation made sense, but I wasn’t convinced by the entire thing. But that said, the author did manage to create a fairly sinister image of him. The ending again, partly because of the way the denouement or at least explanation for the “villain”’s actions came about, and partly because it felt almost like an end of a romance/adventure film (a touch silly even), rather than a murder mystery was a tad disappointing. I wouldn’t have actually minded the end if the mystery aspect had ended or at least been revealed differently.
Nevertheless, I do have a couple of other books by the author on my TBR and I am still going to be reading them.
April 24, 2022
Race into danger…
Richard Temperley arrives at Euston station after an irritating journey on the night train. The man with whom he’d shared a carriage had snored loudly all night, keeping Richard awake. Now it’s three in the morning, and the porter suggests he should go to a nearby hotel where they will let him snooze in the smoking room until day properly breaks. Richard thinks this sounds like a good plan till he gets to the smoking room and discovers the snoring man has beaten him to it. But oddly the man is no longer snoring. Possibly because he’s been shot dead…
This is a thriller rather than a mystery, mostly involving long journeys across England by rail and road in pursuit of the mysterious villain who is bumping people off, apparently randomly, and leaving a small piece of enamelled metal in the shape of a Z as his calling card. The reader meets the villain long before Richard does, but although we know who he is and gradually what he’s doing, we still don’t know his motive until near the end. Richard’s motivation is much easier to understand – he caught sight of a beautiful young woman leaving the smoking room just as he went in, and he’s fearful that the police will assume she did the deed. So rather than helping the police with their enquiries like a good little citizen, he sets off to find the woman and, that achieved, to try to save her by finding out what’s going on. Meantime the police go about their business and it becomes a race as to whether the police or Richard and the woman, Sylvia Wynne, will arrive at the unknown destination first, and whether any of them will get there in time to stop the villain from fulfilling his mission.
Like a lot of thrillers, the story in this is well beyond the bounds of credibility and the villain is completely over the top in evilness. However, I really enjoyed Farjeon’s writing which in the descriptive passages is often quite literary, but in the action passages is fast-paced and propulsive. He’s very good at creating a sense of place and atmosphere, and several times he gets a real sense of creepy impending horror into the story. Richard’s exhaustion in the first chapters is very well done, leaving him a bit woozy and not thinking too clearly. Both Richard and the mysterious Sylvia are likeable characters and their dialogue is fun in that snappy style of the era, and this reader was happy to overlook Richard’s unlikely love at first sight and hope for their romance to blossom.
As I said, the villain is over the top (Martin Edwards describes him perfectly as “lurid”), but that doesn’t prevent him from being scary! Farjeon gives the villain a disability to make him seem freakish – not unusual for that time, but not such comfortable reading now. However, it is effective even if it adds to the incredibility of his actions. He lacks all sympathy for others and in return it’s impossible for the reader to have any sympathy for him. A real baddie with no ambiguity in the characterisation, he made me shudder more than once!
Unfortunately Farjeon spoils it a bit at the end by having the villain and his accomplice reveal the motive, which has been the main mystery, through a conversation with each other, rather than either Richard or the police working it out. But the thriller aspect works well and I found the pages turning quickly as Richard and Sylvia raced towards danger. I’ve only read one Farjeon novel before, Thirteen Guests, and had a similar reaction – good writing and an interesting set-up, but let down a little by the way he resolves the mystery without the detective showing any particular brilliance. However, in this one I felt he developed a much more effective atmosphere of tension and danger that made me more willing to overlook any flaws. Overall I found it fast-paced and entertaining and, while it may not yet have made Farjeon one of my favourite vintage crime writers, I’ll certainly be happy to read more from him.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Richard Temperley arrives at Euston station after an irritating journey on the night train. The man with whom he’d shared a carriage had snored loudly all night, keeping Richard awake. Now it’s three in the morning, and the porter suggests he should go to a nearby hotel where they will let him snooze in the smoking room until day properly breaks. Richard thinks this sounds like a good plan till he gets to the smoking room and discovers the snoring man has beaten him to it. But oddly the man is no longer snoring. Possibly because he’s been shot dead…
This is a thriller rather than a mystery, mostly involving long journeys across England by rail and road in pursuit of the mysterious villain who is bumping people off, apparently randomly, and leaving a small piece of enamelled metal in the shape of a Z as his calling card. The reader meets the villain long before Richard does, but although we know who he is and gradually what he’s doing, we still don’t know his motive until near the end. Richard’s motivation is much easier to understand – he caught sight of a beautiful young woman leaving the smoking room just as he went in, and he’s fearful that the police will assume she did the deed. So rather than helping the police with their enquiries like a good little citizen, he sets off to find the woman and, that achieved, to try to save her by finding out what’s going on. Meantime the police go about their business and it becomes a race as to whether the police or Richard and the woman, Sylvia Wynne, will arrive at the unknown destination first, and whether any of them will get there in time to stop the villain from fulfilling his mission.
Like a lot of thrillers, the story in this is well beyond the bounds of credibility and the villain is completely over the top in evilness. However, I really enjoyed Farjeon’s writing which in the descriptive passages is often quite literary, but in the action passages is fast-paced and propulsive. He’s very good at creating a sense of place and atmosphere, and several times he gets a real sense of creepy impending horror into the story. Richard’s exhaustion in the first chapters is very well done, leaving him a bit woozy and not thinking too clearly. Both Richard and the mysterious Sylvia are likeable characters and their dialogue is fun in that snappy style of the era, and this reader was happy to overlook Richard’s unlikely love at first sight and hope for their romance to blossom.
As I said, the villain is over the top (Martin Edwards describes him perfectly as “lurid”), but that doesn’t prevent him from being scary! Farjeon gives the villain a disability to make him seem freakish – not unusual for that time, but not such comfortable reading now. However, it is effective even if it adds to the incredibility of his actions. He lacks all sympathy for others and in return it’s impossible for the reader to have any sympathy for him. A real baddie with no ambiguity in the characterisation, he made me shudder more than once!
Unfortunately Farjeon spoils it a bit at the end by having the villain and his accomplice reveal the motive, which has been the main mystery, through a conversation with each other, rather than either Richard or the police working it out. But the thriller aspect works well and I found the pages turning quickly as Richard and Sylvia raced towards danger. I’ve only read one Farjeon novel before, Thirteen Guests, and had a similar reaction – good writing and an interesting set-up, but let down a little by the way he resolves the mystery without the detective showing any particular brilliance. However, in this one I felt he developed a much more effective atmosphere of tension and danger that made me more willing to overlook any flaws. Overall I found it fast-paced and entertaining and, while it may not yet have made Farjeon one of my favourite vintage crime writers, I’ll certainly be happy to read more from him.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
May 7, 2024
I must admit I was very captivated and intrigued by this plot, as for each step you move forward you certainly go back 3 paces. The one thing you can rely upon? Another murder. And more confusion.
The ending itself seemed a little rushed— I’d have liked another chapter. But, overall, an interesting read!
I was anticipating a psychic turn to the plot, based on the previous Farjeon novel I’d read. It seems his variety of story is wider than I initially thought.
My favourite line has to be:
“Five unendurable minutes passed before he found a cab that was not engaged. Then followed ten minutes even more unendurable, for the cab turned out to be one of the two Taxis that had gone into the Ark, and it was being driven by Noah’s grandfather.”
The ending itself seemed a little rushed— I’d have liked another chapter. But, overall, an interesting read!
I was anticipating a psychic turn to the plot, based on the previous Farjeon novel I’d read. It seems his variety of story is wider than I initially thought.
My favourite line has to be:
“Five unendurable minutes passed before he found a cab that was not engaged. Then followed ten minutes even more unendurable, for the cab turned out to be one of the two Taxis that had gone into the Ark, and it was being driven by Noah’s grandfather.”
January 20, 2019
If you like author John Dickson Carr (Carter Dickson), you will probably enjoy this author.
December 29, 2019
I can only suspend my disbelief so far and this book went further. Much further. It's the story of Richard Temperley who enters the smoking-room of a hotel just when a woman is leaving. He has never met this woman before and they don't talk. Richard then finds a murdered man in the room and calls the police as any honest citizen would. He also mentions the woman to the police and of course that makes them curious. But Richard decides that the woman can't have committed the murder because...she's a woman and also beautiful? And beautiful women can't commit crimes. Ever. Even when the inspector patiently points out that the police doesn't necessarily suspect her but is still looking for her because she might have seen something Richard goes basically "I see. You are planning to lock her in the darkest dungeon and throw away the key. YOU MONSTER! And anyway it's not like I would know where to find her." and the inspector then shows massive self-restraint by not murdering Richard on the spot.
Then Richard picks up the handbag the mysterious lady lost and that the police conveniently missed, finds her calling card in it and goes to visit her. He meets her there but she is incapable of giving a straightforward answer and really does nothing that makes it seem she is an innocent bystander who knows nothing about the crime. Does Richard care? No. His blood left his brain long ago and is now somewhere else. So when the lady disappears again he decides to look for her himself instead of talk to the police.
To be fair to the book: this isn't a classic mystery. This is an unashamedly batshit insane pulp thriller with an unashamedly batshit insane finale (which I admit was beautiful). It's not meant to be realistic, or even vaguely reality-adjacent in the way Christie et al. are. I didn't expect it to be. I've read Farjeon before. Seven Dead features both a shipwreck and a plane-crash. But -well- I can only suspend my disbelief so far and this plot made me overstretch it and I might have injured my eyes from rolling them so much.
Perhaps I could have lived with it if Richard had known the woman before. It still would have been a shallow reason for his actions but "I know this woman and can't believe she's a murderer even if she's acting oddly" is still better than "she's too pretty to be evil".
Then Richard picks up the handbag the mysterious lady lost and that the police conveniently missed, finds her calling card in it and goes to visit her. He meets her there but she is incapable of giving a straightforward answer and really does nothing that makes it seem she is an innocent bystander who knows nothing about the crime. Does Richard care? No. His blood left his brain long ago and is now somewhere else. So when the lady disappears again he decides to look for her himself instead of talk to the police.
To be fair to the book: this isn't a classic mystery. This is an unashamedly batshit insane pulp thriller with an unashamedly batshit insane finale (which I admit was beautiful). It's not meant to be realistic, or even vaguely reality-adjacent in the way Christie et al. are. I didn't expect it to be. I've read Farjeon before. Seven Dead features both a shipwreck and a plane-crash. But -well- I can only suspend my disbelief so far and this plot made me overstretch it and I might have injured my eyes from rolling them so much.
Perhaps I could have lived with it if Richard had known the woman before. It still would have been a shallow reason for his actions but "I know this woman and can't believe she's a murderer even if she's acting oddly" is still better than "she's too pretty to be evil".
February 15, 2025
There might be some slight spoilers of early events in the book here. Proceed with caution.
In my reaction to the first book I read by this author I called the writing "a bit flowery and self-conscious", and that still stands. At times I feel like he's trying to be atmospheric and literary and merely achieves awkward. I didn't mind at first because our MC is a personable young man, so I was happy to follow along with him as he gets caught up in discovering who murdered the snoring man. (He does think that all public snorers deserve to be murdered. lol) However, the heroine starts out as a blank and remains that way throughout the story.
The book began to drag in the middle and there was a lot of chasing around the countryside that wasn't very interesting. If I had been enjoying the writing style I might not have minded, but for me it didn't work. The ending was ok, but I didn't find it particularly compelling or satisfying. So I can't recommend this book unless you know you enjoy this writer's style. 2 stars
In my reaction to the first book I read by this author I called the writing "a bit flowery and self-conscious", and that still stands. At times I feel like he's trying to be atmospheric and literary and merely achieves awkward. I didn't mind at first because our MC is a personable young man, so I was happy to follow along with him as he gets caught up in discovering who murdered the snoring man. (He does think that all public snorers deserve to be murdered. lol) However, the heroine starts out as a blank and remains that way throughout the story.
The book began to drag in the middle and there was a lot of chasing around the countryside that wasn't very interesting. If I had been enjoying the writing style I might not have minded, but for me it didn't work. The ending was ok, but I didn't find it particularly compelling or satisfying. So I can't recommend this book unless you know you enjoy this writer's style. 2 stars
September 1, 2015
J. Jefferson Farjeon may be a name mystery readers recognize, after his Mystery in White became an instant bestseller in December 2014. Those record sales are in part responsible for catapulting the British Library Crime Classics series into the limelight, and causing them to increase their number of 2015 releases... including the addition of several more novels by Farjeon. It's an odd twist of fate, considering that Farjeon had fallen into deep obscurity despite a prodigious output---he had penned over sixty books between 1924 and his death in 1955, though aside from a few reprinted in the mid-1980s, few of them remained in print. Dorothy Sayers remarked that he was "unsurpassed for creepy skill in mysterious adventures." Yet it's the Crime Classics series that can be credited with a resurgent interest in Farjeon, and word of mouth over Mystery in White fascinated me enough to try another re-release, The Z Murders.
As Richard Temperley rode the night train into London, he wished his onerous traveling companion dead. Fate had put them together in the same cabin, the aging man whose incessant snoring keeps Temperley awake, though their arrival at the platform causes Temperley to hope he can escape to some semblance of solitude. Alas, the disagreeable snorer follows Temperley to the same hotel, both having the idea to doze in the hotel waiting room until a room becomes available at 8am. But Temperley is rudely awaken by a sudden realization: the man's snoring has stopped---because he has been shot. The only clue to the crime is a crimson piece of enameled metal in the shape of a "Z." The only other suspect is a beautiful woman whom Temperley had passed when he entered the waiting room.
The police aren't after Temperley per se---they're after him because of his good old-fashioned honor, as he refuses to condemn a mysterious woman (Sylvia Wynne) to police inquiry and suspicion without first hearing her side of the story. With that, he and the police-inspectors compete for the same prize---to learn Sylvia's secret and catch an even more mysterious killer. When Temperley finds her bag at the first murder scene, giving him clues to her location, our amateur hero is off on an overland trek, full of twists and turns and a developing romance between Richard and Sylvia. It's a little far-fetched, but it is very much a Golden Age trope, so I'll roll with it. Heading from London to the English countryside gives the novel plenty of charm; it's also interesting to see the novel start as a more urban mystery before heading out into the countryside for further murders.
I have to say, Farjeon's prose quite impressed me---it's very lively, moreso than some of his contemporaries, with a graceful flow. Farjeon has a distinctive sense of humor, but his writing can be quite compelling, with tense mystery at every turn. Combined with his astute plotting, I'm surprised he is not as well remembered as, say, Dorothy Sayers or Margery Allingham, since Farjeon is nearly the equal of either. There are some awkward elements to his writing---the narrator changes from covert to overt at points, intruding on the story to relay information and display some of Farjeon's humor. But overall the novel is a gem. So not only is it well-written, The Z Murders is fairly tense and compelling, a Golden Age thriller I found hard to put down; in particular, there's a car chase following a race-to-a-train that I found hard to put down... especially when the car chase ends on yet another mysterious murder. Farjeon keeps up a brisk pace as both Temperley and the killer race to their final confrontation.
It's easy for me to see why Mystery in White became such an overnight success, rocketing an overlooked and long out-of-print author onto the bestseller lists: I imagine its writing is comparable to the excellent Z Murders, and it's a seasonal Christmas mystery to boot. The Z Murders strikes me as the work of a neglected master, perhaps the distillation of everything good in a Golden Age thriller: strong prose, a stronger mystery, good characterization and dialogue, and a tense, compelling story. Of course, readers accustomed to the modern definition of "thriller" may find it shockingly---maybe refreshingly?---clean and old-fashioned, but it's a treat for vintage mystery fans. The Z Murders is a better thriller than the few John Buchan novels I've read, and a mystery on-par with the aforementioned Sayers and Allingham, with a similar (but unique) humorous charm. I will be giving Farjeon much higher priority when picking golden age reads.
Review, and other vintage mystery reviews, on my blog.
As Richard Temperley rode the night train into London, he wished his onerous traveling companion dead. Fate had put them together in the same cabin, the aging man whose incessant snoring keeps Temperley awake, though their arrival at the platform causes Temperley to hope he can escape to some semblance of solitude. Alas, the disagreeable snorer follows Temperley to the same hotel, both having the idea to doze in the hotel waiting room until a room becomes available at 8am. But Temperley is rudely awaken by a sudden realization: the man's snoring has stopped---because he has been shot. The only clue to the crime is a crimson piece of enameled metal in the shape of a "Z." The only other suspect is a beautiful woman whom Temperley had passed when he entered the waiting room.
The police aren't after Temperley per se---they're after him because of his good old-fashioned honor, as he refuses to condemn a mysterious woman (Sylvia Wynne) to police inquiry and suspicion without first hearing her side of the story. With that, he and the police-inspectors compete for the same prize---to learn Sylvia's secret and catch an even more mysterious killer. When Temperley finds her bag at the first murder scene, giving him clues to her location, our amateur hero is off on an overland trek, full of twists and turns and a developing romance between Richard and Sylvia. It's a little far-fetched, but it is very much a Golden Age trope, so I'll roll with it. Heading from London to the English countryside gives the novel plenty of charm; it's also interesting to see the novel start as a more urban mystery before heading out into the countryside for further murders.
I have to say, Farjeon's prose quite impressed me---it's very lively, moreso than some of his contemporaries, with a graceful flow. Farjeon has a distinctive sense of humor, but his writing can be quite compelling, with tense mystery at every turn. Combined with his astute plotting, I'm surprised he is not as well remembered as, say, Dorothy Sayers or Margery Allingham, since Farjeon is nearly the equal of either. There are some awkward elements to his writing---the narrator changes from covert to overt at points, intruding on the story to relay information and display some of Farjeon's humor. But overall the novel is a gem. So not only is it well-written, The Z Murders is fairly tense and compelling, a Golden Age thriller I found hard to put down; in particular, there's a car chase following a race-to-a-train that I found hard to put down... especially when the car chase ends on yet another mysterious murder. Farjeon keeps up a brisk pace as both Temperley and the killer race to their final confrontation.
It's easy for me to see why Mystery in White became such an overnight success, rocketing an overlooked and long out-of-print author onto the bestseller lists: I imagine its writing is comparable to the excellent Z Murders, and it's a seasonal Christmas mystery to boot. The Z Murders strikes me as the work of a neglected master, perhaps the distillation of everything good in a Golden Age thriller: strong prose, a stronger mystery, good characterization and dialogue, and a tense, compelling story. Of course, readers accustomed to the modern definition of "thriller" may find it shockingly---maybe refreshingly?---clean and old-fashioned, but it's a treat for vintage mystery fans. The Z Murders is a better thriller than the few John Buchan novels I've read, and a mystery on-par with the aforementioned Sayers and Allingham, with a similar (but unique) humorous charm. I will be giving Farjeon much higher priority when picking golden age reads.
Review, and other vintage mystery reviews, on my blog.
May 14, 2018
Published in the British Library Crime Classics series J.Jefferson Farjeon is a largely forgotten author of crime novels, this one first published in 1932. The plot has similarities with the far superior ABC Murders by Agatha Christie. Richard Temperley is caught up in a shooting at a hotel near Euston Station in London where he arrives early one morning by train from the North. Why he is allowed to go unchecked by Detective Inspector James remains a mystery. However the story goes from London to Bristol then Boston, Lincolnshire and onto Whitchurch in Shropshire with only Temperley and a mysterious young woman realising why.
Far fetched and fully of such flowery prose that I might easily have thrown it down but I'm a sucker for punishment and did actually read to the end. No wonder the author was forgotten.
2 stars. At a stretch.
Far fetched and fully of such flowery prose that I might easily have thrown it down but I'm a sucker for punishment and did actually read to the end. No wonder the author was forgotten.
2 stars. At a stretch.
May 26, 2018
The introduction to this Golden Age classic places this as a serial murder, but actually the reader does not find the police trying to establish correspondence among the victims. Of course, the book takes in a span of 36 hours, so there isn't the buildup of suspense and fear that most serial killings bring. Richard Temperley discovers a dead man in a hotel smoking room, but is more interested in the beautiful girl who had just left the room. He follows her rather than confide in the police, who are in turn following him. They all travel separately from London to Bristol by train, and then some of them find themselves in taxis speeding to Boston. But that's not where the last act of this sinister revenge drama winds up. Even in the 1920's or 1930's setting, it's not really my kind of book, but it is enjoyable in an old fashioned way.
February 13, 2022
Z Murders is very much of its time, complete with simpering female character. A murder at a hotel near Euston followed by a couple more across the country sets Richard Temperley into a chase. The pacing was a bit slow, but it was an enjoyable read.
February 2, 2016
J. Jefferson Farjeon may be a name mystery readers recognize, after his Mystery in White became an instant bestseller in December 2014. Those record sales are in part responsible for catapulting the British Library Crime Classics series into the limelight, and causing them to increase their number of 2015 releases... including the addition of several more novels by Farjeon. It's an odd twist of fate, considering that Farjeon had fallen into deep obscurity despite a prodigious output---he had penned over sixty books between 1924 and his death in 1955, though aside from a few reprinted in the mid-1980s, few of them remained in print. Dorothy Sayers remarked that he was "unsurpassed for creepy skill in mysterious adventures." Yet it's the Crime Classics series that can be credited with a resurgent interest in Farjeon, and word of mouth over Mystery in White fascinated me enough to try another re-release, The Z Murders.
As Richard Temperley rode the night train into London, he wished his onerous traveling companion dead. Fate had put them together in the same cabin, the aging man whose incessant snoring keeps Temperley awake, though their arrival at the platform causes Temperley to hope he can escape to some semblance of solitude. Alas, the disagreeable snorer follows Temperley to the same hotel, both having the idea to doze in the hotel waiting room until a room becomes available at 8am. But Temperley is rudely awaken by a sudden realization: the man's snoring has stopped---because he has been shot. The only clue to the crime is a crimson piece of enameled metal in the shape of a "Z." The only other suspect is a beautiful woman whom Temperley had passed when he entered the waiting room.
The police aren't after Temperley per se---they're after him because of his good old-fashioned honor, as he refuses to condemn a mysterious woman (Sylvia Wynne) to police inquiry and suspicion without first hearing her side of the story. With that, he and the police-inspectors compete for the same prize---to learn Sylvia's secret and catch an even more mysterious killer. When Temperley finds her bag at the first murder scene, giving him clues to her location, our amateur hero is off on an overland trek, full of twists and turns and a developing romance between Richard and Sylvia. It's a little far-fetched, but it is very much a Golden Age trope, so I'll roll with it. Heading from London to the English countryside gives the novel plenty of charm; it's also interesting to see the novel start as a more urban mystery before heading out into the countryside for further murders.
I have to say, Farjeon's prose quite impressed me---it's very lively, moreso than some of his contemporaries, with a graceful flow. Farjeon has a distinctive sense of humor, but his writing can be quite compelling, with tense mystery at every turn. Combined with his astute plotting, I'm surprised he is not as well remembered as, say, Dorothy Sayers or Margery Allingham, since Farjeon is nearly the equal of either. There are some awkward elements to his writing---the narrator changes from covert to overt at points, intruding on the story to relay information and display some of Farjeon's humor. But overall the novel is a gem. So not only is it well-written, The Z Murders is fairly tense and compelling, a Golden Age thriller I found hard to put down; in particular, there's a car chase following a race-to-a-train that I found hard to put down... especially when the car chase ends on yet another mysterious murder. Farjeon keeps up a brisk pace as both Temperley and the killer race to their final confrontation.
It's easy for me to see why Mystery in White became such an overnight success, rocketing an overlooked and long out-of-print author onto the bestseller lists: I imagine its writing is comparable to the excellent Z Murders, and it's a seasonal Christmas mystery to boot. The Z Murders strikes me as the work of a neglected master, perhaps the distillation of everything good in a Golden Age thriller: strong prose, a stronger mystery, good characterization and dialogue, and a tense, compelling story. Of course, readers accustomed to the modern definition of "thriller" may find it shockingly---maybe refreshingly?---clean and old-fashioned, but it's a treat for vintage mystery fans. The Z Murders is a better thriller than the few John Buchan novels I've read, and a mystery on-par with the aforementioned Sayers and Allingham, with a similar (but unique) humorous charm. I will be giving Farjeon much higher priority when picking golden age reads.
Review, and other vintage mystery reviews, on my blog.
As Richard Temperley rode the night train into London, he wished his onerous traveling companion dead. Fate had put them together in the same cabin, the aging man whose incessant snoring keeps Temperley awake, though their arrival at the platform causes Temperley to hope he can escape to some semblance of solitude. Alas, the disagreeable snorer follows Temperley to the same hotel, both having the idea to doze in the hotel waiting room until a room becomes available at 8am. But Temperley is rudely awaken by a sudden realization: the man's snoring has stopped---because he has been shot. The only clue to the crime is a crimson piece of enameled metal in the shape of a "Z." The only other suspect is a beautiful woman whom Temperley had passed when he entered the waiting room.
The police aren't after Temperley per se---they're after him because of his good old-fashioned honor, as he refuses to condemn a mysterious woman (Sylvia Wynne) to police inquiry and suspicion without first hearing her side of the story. With that, he and the police-inspectors compete for the same prize---to learn Sylvia's secret and catch an even more mysterious killer. When Temperley finds her bag at the first murder scene, giving him clues to her location, our amateur hero is off on an overland trek, full of twists and turns and a developing romance between Richard and Sylvia. It's a little far-fetched, but it is very much a Golden Age trope, so I'll roll with it. Heading from London to the English countryside gives the novel plenty of charm; it's also interesting to see the novel start as a more urban mystery before heading out into the countryside for further murders.
I have to say, Farjeon's prose quite impressed me---it's very lively, moreso than some of his contemporaries, with a graceful flow. Farjeon has a distinctive sense of humor, but his writing can be quite compelling, with tense mystery at every turn. Combined with his astute plotting, I'm surprised he is not as well remembered as, say, Dorothy Sayers or Margery Allingham, since Farjeon is nearly the equal of either. There are some awkward elements to his writing---the narrator changes from covert to overt at points, intruding on the story to relay information and display some of Farjeon's humor. But overall the novel is a gem. So not only is it well-written, The Z Murders is fairly tense and compelling, a Golden Age thriller I found hard to put down; in particular, there's a car chase following a race-to-a-train that I found hard to put down... especially when the car chase ends on yet another mysterious murder. Farjeon keeps up a brisk pace as both Temperley and the killer race to their final confrontation.
It's easy for me to see why Mystery in White became such an overnight success, rocketing an overlooked and long out-of-print author onto the bestseller lists: I imagine its writing is comparable to the excellent Z Murders, and it's a seasonal Christmas mystery to boot. The Z Murders strikes me as the work of a neglected master, perhaps the distillation of everything good in a Golden Age thriller: strong prose, a stronger mystery, good characterization and dialogue, and a tense, compelling story. Of course, readers accustomed to the modern definition of "thriller" may find it shockingly---maybe refreshingly?---clean and old-fashioned, but it's a treat for vintage mystery fans. The Z Murders is a better thriller than the few John Buchan novels I've read, and a mystery on-par with the aforementioned Sayers and Allingham, with a similar (but unique) humorous charm. I will be giving Farjeon much higher priority when picking golden age reads.
Review, and other vintage mystery reviews, on my blog.
February 21, 2024
Didn't enjoy as much as his other books, mainly I think because the female protagonist annoyed me too much for some reason and I found the narrative a little spasmodic, not as flowing as he usually writes. Interesting story though.
June 20, 2017
I’m disappointed to read some of the less favourable reviews as I loved it. I guess you’ll have to make your own mind up but please don’t assume that because some didn’t enjoy the book, everybody didn’t.
I’ve just discovered I have a new favourite author on my list of favourite authors! Firstly, I love detective fiction and whodunits from the Golden Age (between the wars), so this book was always likely to appeal, but I enjoyed it more than I would have hoped because of the writing of J. Jefferson Farjeon. His prose and writing style is clear, clever and humorous in places. The book is full of well crafted phrases and clever uses of words. I was concerned initially at the main character thinking to himself in clear, lucid statements as a way of explaining to the reader what was happening, I worried it would be a too simplistic device and be used as a short cut to save having to describe exactly what was happening in the story, but it was so well done it added rather than took anything away from the story.
As is often the case with crime thrillers of this vintage the end when it came was a little bizarre and farfetched, certainly compared with some of the realism of modern crime fiction, but it wasn’t ridiculous and I thoroughly enjoyed the big reveal that explained the journey the characters and I had been on together. Great example of the genre written by a genuinely great writer. Can’t wait for more of his.
I’ve just discovered I have a new favourite author on my list of favourite authors! Firstly, I love detective fiction and whodunits from the Golden Age (between the wars), so this book was always likely to appeal, but I enjoyed it more than I would have hoped because of the writing of J. Jefferson Farjeon. His prose and writing style is clear, clever and humorous in places. The book is full of well crafted phrases and clever uses of words. I was concerned initially at the main character thinking to himself in clear, lucid statements as a way of explaining to the reader what was happening, I worried it would be a too simplistic device and be used as a short cut to save having to describe exactly what was happening in the story, but it was so well done it added rather than took anything away from the story.
As is often the case with crime thrillers of this vintage the end when it came was a little bizarre and farfetched, certainly compared with some of the realism of modern crime fiction, but it wasn’t ridiculous and I thoroughly enjoyed the big reveal that explained the journey the characters and I had been on together. Great example of the genre written by a genuinely great writer. Can’t wait for more of his.
July 20, 2016
The Z Murders: A British Library Crime Classic (British Library Crime Classics Book 10) by J Jefferson Farjeon The Z Murders: A British Library Crime Classic (British Library Crime Classics Book 10) by J Jefferson Farjeon is a compelling mystery that kept my attention from start to finish. It had just enough intrigue to keep me guessing. The taxi rides were a bit much, but because the author made me laugh & think, I gave it five stars.
I would like to thank Poison Pen Press for breathing fresh life into these classics. I discovered a wonderful writer. He has a way with words to describe a scene & make it believable.
"But there is one London which you may never or rarely have met. It is the London of the cold grey hour, & you are wise to miss it, for in its period of transition it has nothing gracious to offer you. The tail-end of a tired blackness. The gradual, grudging intrusion of a light not yet conscious of its purpose. The chill of empty spaces. The loneliness of eternity."
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley. That did not change my opinion for this review.
Link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Murders-Britis...
I would like to thank Poison Pen Press for breathing fresh life into these classics. I discovered a wonderful writer. He has a way with words to describe a scene & make it believable.
"But there is one London which you may never or rarely have met. It is the London of the cold grey hour, & you are wise to miss it, for in its period of transition it has nothing gracious to offer you. The tail-end of a tired blackness. The gradual, grudging intrusion of a light not yet conscious of its purpose. The chill of empty spaces. The loneliness of eternity."
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley. That did not change my opinion for this review.
Link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Murders-Britis...
October 19, 2017
Not all forgotten books need to be remembered - this one would have been much better consigned to the dustbin of history. I can't believe it's by the same person who wrote Mystery in White, that book was excellent while this one was absolute bilge.
The characters were dull, the plot was contrived and nonsensical, and nobody behaved with the slightest hint of intelligence from the police to the killer(s) to the main protagonists. It's one of those books that is so bad it makes you angry you bothered reading it. I wouldn't use it to line the cat litter tray. I hate throwing books away, but I honestly don't want to inflict it on anybody else. It's not even worth 10p from a church jumble sale. I'm going to be seething about this for the rest of the day now!
The characters were dull, the plot was contrived and nonsensical, and nobody behaved with the slightest hint of intelligence from the police to the killer(s) to the main protagonists. It's one of those books that is so bad it makes you angry you bothered reading it. I wouldn't use it to line the cat litter tray. I hate throwing books away, but I honestly don't want to inflict it on anybody else. It's not even worth 10p from a church jumble sale. I'm going to be seething about this for the rest of the day now!
December 11, 2020
Disappointing, bordering poor.
"Z Murders" is dated and lacks authenticity: Set in the 1930s the British labour movement was in full swing and yet every working class character was one dimensional, monosyllabic, deferential and thick. The police were inexplicably forgiving of the main character who was so love struck that he hadn't considered he was hindering a murder investigation.
None of it stacked up!
Lacked authenticity for the period it's set in.
"Z Murders" is dated and lacks authenticity: Set in the 1930s the British labour movement was in full swing and yet every working class character was one dimensional, monosyllabic, deferential and thick. The police were inexplicably forgiving of the main character who was so love struck that he hadn't considered he was hindering a murder investigation.
None of it stacked up!
Lacked authenticity for the period it's set in.
February 10, 2017
Abandoned on page 56 of 256. Very atmospheric and written well but more a chase than a murder mystery with clues. Didn't really care what happened next.
December 23, 2017
A padded short story, needlessly repetitious, about a dumb guy and a useless heroine who has nothing going for her other than she's beautiful.
December 11, 2018
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
J. Jefferson Farjeon has a way with setting the atmosphere of a book that I can’t help but love. The first page of each of his books got me right away — and not in the same way, either. There’s something in the way he can describe a scene, and his mysteries quickly take over, clever and strange. The only thing I’d say I don’t fall in love with is the romance: you can see it coming a mile off, and it’s the obvious two people, and you know it’s going to end with marriage.
That aside, The Z Murders works really well at the suspense throughout. Sometimes the main character is just so stupid it makes me want to bash him over the head (sure, let’s not tell the police everything when there’s an indiscriminate killer on the loose!), but it kind of works, and the plot would be a bit stuck without it. This is, I believe, one of the earliest serial killer novels — although it’s not quite the stereotypical mentally ill killer who does it on a whim. The antagonist does have a reason and an end in mind… although that reason does still seem unhinged.
Overall, Farjeon’s books are a pleasure, and I’m sorry I’ve only got Mystery in White left to read of the British Library reissues. The Ben the Tramp books don’t seem quite my thing.
J. Jefferson Farjeon has a way with setting the atmosphere of a book that I can’t help but love. The first page of each of his books got me right away — and not in the same way, either. There’s something in the way he can describe a scene, and his mysteries quickly take over, clever and strange. The only thing I’d say I don’t fall in love with is the romance: you can see it coming a mile off, and it’s the obvious two people, and you know it’s going to end with marriage.
That aside, The Z Murders works really well at the suspense throughout. Sometimes the main character is just so stupid it makes me want to bash him over the head (sure, let’s not tell the police everything when there’s an indiscriminate killer on the loose!), but it kind of works, and the plot would be a bit stuck without it. This is, I believe, one of the earliest serial killer novels — although it’s not quite the stereotypical mentally ill killer who does it on a whim. The antagonist does have a reason and an end in mind… although that reason does still seem unhinged.
Overall, Farjeon’s books are a pleasure, and I’m sorry I’ve only got Mystery in White left to read of the British Library reissues. The Ben the Tramp books don’t seem quite my thing.
August 14, 2017
I've read four or five of these British Library Crime Classics now, and I'm starting to think I may have to build a collection! This one I really enjoyed. It's fast-paced, with plenty of mystery and menace. At times I forgot it was written over 80 years ago. No spoilers from me regarding the plot, but I liked the characters, especially Diggs. I wasn't quite certain who had done what in the final scene, but the outcome was satisfying anyway!
October 14, 2017
This is one of those quaint British thrillers from the Thirties that never makes much sense, in which a plucky young man aids a young woman in distress and becomes entangled in a bizarre random killing/jewel heist plot. There's lots of motoring around England and a pervading sense of danger, but I still dare anyone to explain it in any way that sounds logical.
May 21, 2019
A mixed review. Interesting premise but was slightly let down by the execution. An easy, light-hearted crime novel, that is a product of its time. If you enjoy Golden Age crime writing, you might enjoy this. 3 / 5
Read the full review, and others, on Sammi Loves Books: https://sammicox.wordpress.com/
Read the full review, and others, on Sammi Loves Books: https://sammicox.wordpress.com/
September 28, 2024
What an utter load of crap. That’s all i will say. Don’t wish to spend one more second on this waste of paper and money and resources. Not worth republishing as British Crimes Classics at all.
If you need more details, check out Niall’s review under the book.
If you need more details, check out Niall’s review under the book.
January 29, 2019
Where has Dame Agatha gone????
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