Swing Low, Swing Death

Prof. John Stubbs

by R.T. Campbell, Peter Main (Foreword)

"There's always a good murder around if ye know where to look for it," declares Professor John Stubbs. "It may be masqueradin' as accidental death or suicide," he solemnly adds, "but once ye start rootin' around ye'll find that it's murder." And murder it is, on public display in London's controversial new modern art museum. When the unveiling of a contemporary masterpiece reveals the body of a prominent art dealer dangling from a picture hook, Professor Stubbs is faced with a rogue's gallery of librarian Douglas Newsome, an aspiring poet with a desperate thirst for alcohol; Alec Carr, an avant-garde interior decorator tied to the apron strings of his gin-soaked mother; Dr. Cornelius Bellamy, a pompous windbag of an art critic; and Miss Emily Wallenstein, nervous patron of the arts.
Originally published in 1946, and never before in the U.S., Swing Low, Swing Death is one of a series of seven novels featuring Professor Stubbs, the beer-swilling, pipe-smoking amateur detective. Poet and art historian Ruthven Todd, writing as R. T. Campbell, vividly recaptures the atmosphere of postwar London and his brisk, humorous narrative is brightened with many droll allusions to the works of T. S. Eliot, Kipling, Shakespeare, and other poets.

Genres: Mystery

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1946

About the author

R.T. Campbell was the pseudonym of Ruthven Todd.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway. Thank You Robin and Dover publications.
The blurb describes this book as a murder mystery set in postwar London with a brisk, humorous narrative. However, I found it to be rather tedious. The first third of the book was very slow. I only read about 20-30 pages a day, taking 6 days to read this 160 page book. There are some humorous moments connected to the mother of artist Alec Carr, who drinks copious amounts of booze. Indeed, most of the characters are heavy drinkers, and it is surprising that they accomplished anything. I suspected the killer early on. The mystery is solved by Professor John Stubbs, amateur detective.
Perhaps if I were British I might have appreciated this book more, but it was not my cup of tea.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was very heavy going for just about the entire first half. There is an incredibly long and tedious build up to the grand opening of the museum and given my usual reading rate, it should not have taken four days to read 70 pages. But it did. And given my previous experience with Campbell (Bodies in a Bookshop and Unholy Dying), I would have expected this installment to live up to the blurb on the back that promises a "brisk, humorous narrative." It didn't. There are some humorous bits, particularly with the "interior decorator" Mr. Carr and his ancient mother--both of whom can put away great quantities of liquor without batting an eye. And Max, Professor Stubbs's right-hand man, provides some delicious running commentary on his boss and the events. But there isn't nearly enough to say that the narrative overall is humorous. And it certainly isn't brisk. Of the three Campbell books I've sampled so far, this is the most disappointing. I missed the witty narrative of the previous books and the motive and culprit seemed to me to be glaringly obvious--especially when a certain item is continuously harped on. ★★ and 1/2 (rounded up)

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got off to a very slow start, and the book was filled with obnoxious characters.

[Lisa Brantly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weak as a who-dun-it, but Max & the Professor are fun.

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smart and entertaining.