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Dr. Priestley #21
Mystery at Olympia: A Psychological Thriller About an Impossible Murder in Plain Sight
The next time you visit Olympia, take a good look around and see if you think it would be possible to murder someone in the middle of the crowd there without being seen.
The new Comet was fully expected to be the sensation of the annual Motor Show at Olympia. Suddenly, in the middle of the dense crowd of eager spectators, an elderly man lurched forward and collapsed in a dead faint. But Nahum Pershore had not fainted. He was dead, and it was his death that was to provide the real sensation of the show.
A post-mortem revealed no visible wound, no serious organic disorder, no evidence of poison. Doctors and detectives were equally baffled, and the more they investigated, the more insoluble the puzzle became. Even Dr Lancelot Priestley’s un-rivalled powers of deduction were struggling to solve this case.
The new Comet was fully expected to be the sensation of the annual Motor Show at Olympia. Suddenly, in the middle of the dense crowd of eager spectators, an elderly man lurched forward and collapsed in a dead faint. But Nahum Pershore had not fainted. He was dead, and it was his death that was to provide the real sensation of the show.
A post-mortem revealed no visible wound, no serious organic disorder, no evidence of poison. Doctors and detectives were equally baffled, and the more they investigated, the more insoluble the puzzle became. Even Dr Lancelot Priestley’s un-rivalled powers of deduction were struggling to solve this case.
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1935
About the author
John Rhode
144 books33 followersAKA Miles Burton, Cecil Waye, Cecil J.C. Street, I.O., F.O.O..
Cecil John Charles Street, MC, OBE, (1884 - January 1965), known as CJC Street and John Street, began his military career as an artillery officer in the British army. During the course of World War I, he became a propagandist for MI7, in which role he held the rank of Major. After the armistice, he alternated between Dublin and London during the Irish War of Independence as Information Officer for Dublin Castle, working closely with Lionel Curtis. He later earned his living as a prolific writer of detective novels.
He produced two long series of novels; one under the name of John Rhode featuring the forensic scientist Dr Priestley, and another under the name of Miles Burton featuring the investigator Desmond Merrion. Under the name Cecil Waye, Street produced four novels: The Figure of Eight; The End of the Chase; The Prime Minister's Pencil; and Murder at Monk's Barn. The Dr. Priestley novels were among the first after Sherlock Holmes to feature scientific detection of crime, such as analysing the mud on a suspect's shoes. Desmond Merrion is an amateur detective who works with Scotland Yard's Inspector Arnold.
Critic and author Julian Symons places this author as a prominent member of the "Humdrum" school of detective fiction. "Most of them came late to writing fiction, and few had much talent for it. They had some skill in constructing puzzles, nothing more, and ironically they fulfilled much better than S. S. Van Dine his dictum that the detective story properly belonged in the category of riddles or crossword puzzles. Most of the Humdrums were British, and among the best known of them were Major John Street.
-Wikipedia
Cecil John Charles Street, MC, OBE, (1884 - January 1965), known as CJC Street and John Street, began his military career as an artillery officer in the British army. During the course of World War I, he became a propagandist for MI7, in which role he held the rank of Major. After the armistice, he alternated between Dublin and London during the Irish War of Independence as Information Officer for Dublin Castle, working closely with Lionel Curtis. He later earned his living as a prolific writer of detective novels.
He produced two long series of novels; one under the name of John Rhode featuring the forensic scientist Dr Priestley, and another under the name of Miles Burton featuring the investigator Desmond Merrion. Under the name Cecil Waye, Street produced four novels: The Figure of Eight; The End of the Chase; The Prime Minister's Pencil; and Murder at Monk's Barn. The Dr. Priestley novels were among the first after Sherlock Holmes to feature scientific detection of crime, such as analysing the mud on a suspect's shoes. Desmond Merrion is an amateur detective who works with Scotland Yard's Inspector Arnold.
Critic and author Julian Symons places this author as a prominent member of the "Humdrum" school of detective fiction. "Most of them came late to writing fiction, and few had much talent for it. They had some skill in constructing puzzles, nothing more, and ironically they fulfilled much better than S. S. Van Dine his dictum that the detective story properly belonged in the category of riddles or crossword puzzles. Most of the Humdrums were British, and among the best known of them were Major John Street.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 30, 2018
A very solid ,expertly crafted mystery . Again,the how of the crime is very important and Dr. Priestley is helped by a chance encounter by his Doctor friend .
This was my second Dr. Priestly after Invisible weapons and even though I liked the first one better, this one is no slouch.It has quite a large cast of suspects and multiple murder attempts.Rhodes precise but adequate writing style is ideal for a murder mystery as I do not really like the forced show of erudition (Sayers specially ) .Obviously the prose is dry and devoid of any literary or classical allusions .Characterization is adequate even though description of people and places is somewhat scarce.
Most of the time we follow superintendent Hanslet,who I suspect is a kinsman of Lestrade as he tries his best to fit all his facts to his suspect by overlooking other facts and when it becomes too difficult,he suspects someone else and repeat the process.He is likable enough but obstinate as a mule.
The characters of Hardisen and Pershore is well sketeched and the interviews of Hanslet are quite enjoyable as these don't involve too much regurgitation or timetable establishing.
My only point of unease is about the murder method ,which IMHO is not one of great certainty and it's difficult to see why someone would take that path .
All in all, a nice whodunnit with plenty going for it.3.75 is my rating.
This was my second Dr. Priestly after Invisible weapons and even though I liked the first one better, this one is no slouch.It has quite a large cast of suspects and multiple murder attempts.Rhodes precise but adequate writing style is ideal for a murder mystery as I do not really like the forced show of erudition (Sayers specially ) .Obviously the prose is dry and devoid of any literary or classical allusions .Characterization is adequate even though description of people and places is somewhat scarce.
Most of the time we follow superintendent Hanslet,who I suspect is a kinsman of Lestrade as he tries his best to fit all his facts to his suspect by overlooking other facts and when it becomes too difficult,he suspects someone else and repeat the process.He is likable enough but obstinate as a mule.
The characters of Hardisen and Pershore is well sketeched and the interviews of Hanslet are quite enjoyable as these don't involve too much regurgitation or timetable establishing.
My only point of unease is about the murder method ,which IMHO is not one of great certainty and it's difficult to see why someone would take that path .
All in all, a nice whodunnit with plenty going for it.3.75 is my rating.
April 4, 2025
My second post eye op audiobook for listening to during eye rests. I've only ever read short stories featuring Dr Priestley - this was my first full length novel. Interesting setting and good puzzles. But it's so slow and repetitive! It would have been better if Dr Priestley featured in it more than he does.
July 6, 2018
Published by Collins The Crime Club in 1935. I will put the book taster at the bottom of this review.
Rhode again bumps off a rich middle aged bachelor (Nigel Pershore) - this is his favourite target from the John Rhode/Miles Burton novels I have read. This time Rhode has the Motor Show as the setting for the murder. He complicates the story by the post mortem revealing that the body had a small amount of both arsenic & carbon monoxide poisoning as well as gun shot in his legs - none of which killed him - and the doctors have to opt for Syncope as the cause of death. Inspector Hanslet meanwhile is introduced to the case through a non fatal poisoning of a servant at Mr Pershore's house. Professor Priestley also gets wind of Mr Pershore's death through his friend Dr Oldfield who is at the Motor show when Pershore collapses and dies. As is normal - Priestley is Hanslet's sounding board and regulator and steers him from making illogical decisions which are usually based on motive and opportunity of the main suspect. The book concentrates on 10 characters all of which could have murdered Mr Pershore either alone or in conjunction with another character. What is unlikely however in this novel is the fact that 4 different attempts to kill Mr Pershore happened within days of one another. It also becomes apparent to a seasoned classical crime reader that the author in the last 75 pages could actually have chosen any one of the characters as the murderer and found a suitable motive - and Rhode used the least likely suspect for his culprit (like many of Agatha Christies novels) which is a sign of a lazy author or one that wants/needs to move onto their next book. I will have to say that Rhode novels are generally enjoyable reads which have inventive ways to kill off rich bachelor uncles (poor bunnies) and often have interesting settings and never tax the brain (we all need our brains stroked sometimes). This does lead one to the fact - that most of his novels are of the mediocre to just above mediocre level and only occasionally does he produce a good to very good novel (but never excellent). This novel I would classify as above mediocre level and would give the book 6.5 out of 10.
Book taster taken from the first edition of this novel.
A dense crowd surrounded the new Comet car that was fully expected to be the sensation of the great Motor Show at Olympia. Suddenly one of the eager spectators, an elderly man, lurched forward and collapsed in what appeared to be a dead faint on the ground. But Nigel Pershore was dead, and it was his death that provided the real sensation of the show. A post-mortem examination revealed no visible wound, no serious organic disorder, no evidence of poison. Doctors and detectives were equally baffled. Every chapter unfolds a new aspect of an apparently insoluble puzzle. Then a fortunate discovery opens the way for Dr. Priestley's unrivalled deductions and a solution of the mystery that brings to a close a really brilliant story.
Rhode again bumps off a rich middle aged bachelor (Nigel Pershore) - this is his favourite target from the John Rhode/Miles Burton novels I have read. This time Rhode has the Motor Show as the setting for the murder. He complicates the story by the post mortem revealing that the body had a small amount of both arsenic & carbon monoxide poisoning as well as gun shot in his legs - none of which killed him - and the doctors have to opt for Syncope as the cause of death. Inspector Hanslet meanwhile is introduced to the case through a non fatal poisoning of a servant at Mr Pershore's house. Professor Priestley also gets wind of Mr Pershore's death through his friend Dr Oldfield who is at the Motor show when Pershore collapses and dies. As is normal - Priestley is Hanslet's sounding board and regulator and steers him from making illogical decisions which are usually based on motive and opportunity of the main suspect. The book concentrates on 10 characters all of which could have murdered Mr Pershore either alone or in conjunction with another character. What is unlikely however in this novel is the fact that 4 different attempts to kill Mr Pershore happened within days of one another. It also becomes apparent to a seasoned classical crime reader that the author in the last 75 pages could actually have chosen any one of the characters as the murderer and found a suitable motive - and Rhode used the least likely suspect for his culprit (like many of Agatha Christies novels) which is a sign of a lazy author or one that wants/needs to move onto their next book. I will have to say that Rhode novels are generally enjoyable reads which have inventive ways to kill off rich bachelor uncles (poor bunnies) and often have interesting settings and never tax the brain (we all need our brains stroked sometimes). This does lead one to the fact - that most of his novels are of the mediocre to just above mediocre level and only occasionally does he produce a good to very good novel (but never excellent). This novel I would classify as above mediocre level and would give the book 6.5 out of 10.
Book taster taken from the first edition of this novel.
A dense crowd surrounded the new Comet car that was fully expected to be the sensation of the great Motor Show at Olympia. Suddenly one of the eager spectators, an elderly man, lurched forward and collapsed in what appeared to be a dead faint on the ground. But Nigel Pershore was dead, and it was his death that provided the real sensation of the show. A post-mortem examination revealed no visible wound, no serious organic disorder, no evidence of poison. Doctors and detectives were equally baffled. Every chapter unfolds a new aspect of an apparently insoluble puzzle. Then a fortunate discovery opens the way for Dr. Priestley's unrivalled deductions and a solution of the mystery that brings to a close a really brilliant story.
June 2, 2020
My second John Rhode crime fiction book and it's massive improvement on the Paddington Mystery. Murder at the Olympia fits more comfortably as a cozy mystery rather than a gripping crime thriller. The murder of Nahum Pershore takes place at the Car Show at the Olympia and followed quickly after is the poisoning of his maid on the same day. Much of the investigation is done by Superintendent Hanslet, who as plenty of suspects to play with. Dr Priestly only really appears towards the end of the book and his conclussion is far from left field that it's leaves the reader slightly cheated.
November 10, 2025
Murder at the car show. Who would have thought?
An interesting quandary. A pretty good procedural. And the team seeking justice is a bit creative: the police folks are not as stupid as in sherlock holmes, but they get help from a wiser man; the best crime solver never ventures out, but solves things from a distance, like Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe, except that this professor is not so fat and can get out of his chair to do other things besides detective work.
Enjoyable. Perhaps a 3-1/2 star book.
An interesting quandary. A pretty good procedural. And the team seeking justice is a bit creative: the police folks are not as stupid as in sherlock holmes, but they get help from a wiser man; the best crime solver never ventures out, but solves things from a distance, like Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe, except that this professor is not so fat and can get out of his chair to do other things besides detective work.
Enjoyable. Perhaps a 3-1/2 star book.
November 27, 2024
Fine! I found the story tedious, I didn’t care about any of the characters (I had a hard time even keeping them straight), and a LOT of what happens is laughably unbelievable, but the narrator of the audiobook makes for a pleasant listen. I almost gave this book two stars but that’s really reserved for books that actively annoy me and this one didn’t really do that.
May 21, 2018
Quite interesting. There were many legitimate clues to follow. My problem with the book was that it was written in British English which was distracting for me. I would read more of this author's works/
September 25, 2025
One of his best
If this is your first John Rhode book, I suggest that you read some of the others first. Save this one as the icing on the cake.
John is one of the most accurate mystery writers. He knows or researches technical topics.
If this is your first John Rhode book, I suggest that you read some of the others first. Save this one as the icing on the cake.
John is one of the most accurate mystery writers. He knows or researches technical topics.
July 11, 2017
Solid entertaining entry from Rhode into the Priestley canon. Full review at classicmystery.wordpress.com
May 27, 2018
Maddening that this is “Death at the Motor Show” under a different name and that Amazon let me buy it despite my buying the above a couple of years ago as an Amazon kindle edition.
February 28, 2019
I adored all the period details and the background of the Motor Show which was very new to me, and I enjoyed guessing how the victim died, who did it and why. Very cosy and absorbing.
March 24, 2019
By this author's standards this is a very poor effort. Not one of his best by any means. Very little about this story is believable at all. Can't really say more without spoiling. Most disappointing.
March 1, 2020
Great fun!
July 19, 2019
This had a quite interesting idea of several attempts at murder on one character over a few days, but with the prospective victim apparently meeting a natural end.
How many potential murderers were there? Was the death 'natural"? Is it all a matter of "cui bono"? Is it all down to that favourite '30s suspect, the residuary legatee?
Superintendent Hanslet jumps to lots of conclusions about the case, before Dr Priestley ferrets out the rather mundane motive.
However, I did enjoy the investigation and some of the characters such as the bibulous Odin Hardisen. The rather rushed and melodramatic ending is a bit of a let down but overall this was quite fun.
3.5 stars.
How many potential murderers were there? Was the death 'natural"? Is it all a matter of "cui bono"? Is it all down to that favourite '30s suspect, the residuary legatee?
Superintendent Hanslet jumps to lots of conclusions about the case, before Dr Priestley ferrets out the rather mundane motive.
However, I did enjoy the investigation and some of the characters such as the bibulous Odin Hardisen. The rather rushed and melodramatic ending is a bit of a let down but overall this was quite fun.
3.5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews