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Ludovic Travers #14
The Case of the Monday Murders
'Murder on Mondays! Greatest prophecy of the century! T.P. Luffham was murdered!
Ferdinand Pole of the Murder League claims that, since 1918, thirteen murders have been committed on a Monday. A sleazy economist has now been slain, followed the next week by a blameless actress--both on Monday. While the press have a field day, it is up to Inspector Wharton of Scotland Yard, along with his inspired amateur co-investigator Ludovic Travers, to see if London has a new Jack the Ripper at work. The eccentric parrot-owning Pole seems to be out to implicate himself in the murders, though whether this is bravado or fact remains very much in question . . . This sly, often satirical, whodunit shows a master of classic mystery on top form.
'The Case of the Monday Murders' was originally published in 1936. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.
Travers: "As for my methods of crime detection - well, I haven't any. For that my only tool is a brain that has been called agile, sharpened on crosswords rather than chess."
Ferdinand Pole of the Murder League claims that, since 1918, thirteen murders have been committed on a Monday. A sleazy economist has now been slain, followed the next week by a blameless actress--both on Monday. While the press have a field day, it is up to Inspector Wharton of Scotland Yard, along with his inspired amateur co-investigator Ludovic Travers, to see if London has a new Jack the Ripper at work. The eccentric parrot-owning Pole seems to be out to implicate himself in the murders, though whether this is bravado or fact remains very much in question . . . This sly, often satirical, whodunit shows a master of classic mystery on top form.
'The Case of the Monday Murders' was originally published in 1936. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.
Travers: "As for my methods of crime detection - well, I haven't any. For that my only tool is a brain that has been called agile, sharpened on crosswords rather than chess."
- GenresMystery
202 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1936
36 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Bush
94 books12 followersChristopher Bush was educated in the local school. He then won a scholarship to Thetford Grammar, and went on to study modern languages at King's College London, after which he worked as a school teacher.
He participated in both world wars.
He was a prolific writer of detective novels, wrote three autobiographical novels and nine books about Breckland life using the nom-de-plume Michael Home.
He lived in Great Hockham.
He participated in both world wars.
He was a prolific writer of detective novels, wrote three autobiographical novels and nine books about Breckland life using the nom-de-plume Michael Home.
He lived in Great Hockham.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 27, 2023
I’ve enjoyed every book by Bush so far, so I have a small pile to get to over time. They are great puzzle mysteries with interesting people and places. One thing I like is they move and you get to work out things with Travers.
In this story Travers gets pulled into a series of murders that seem to start off by announcement practically. The Murder League writes a letter to a newspaper stating that there is a serial killer and that they have made a point of killing people on Monday. Also; the first person that Travers goes to see about (by police request) is someone that he had known and who had gone more or less, into hiding.
The circle of people who are suspects aren’t huge and you really have to watch what everyone is doing and what their motive would be. Travers doesn’t always feed you what he’s thinking but if you follow his actions you get an idea that he’s setting certain things up or testing the waters.
If you like puzzle mysteries and likable detectives and intelligent policemen this would be a great series for you to try.
In this story Travers gets pulled into a series of murders that seem to start off by announcement practically. The Murder League writes a letter to a newspaper stating that there is a serial killer and that they have made a point of killing people on Monday. Also; the first person that Travers goes to see about (by police request) is someone that he had known and who had gone more or less, into hiding.
The circle of people who are suspects aren’t huge and you really have to watch what everyone is doing and what their motive would be. Travers doesn’t always feed you what he’s thinking but if you follow his actions you get an idea that he’s setting certain things up or testing the waters.
If you like puzzle mysteries and likable detectives and intelligent policemen this would be a great series for you to try.
February 21, 2018
Curtis Evans' introduction to this re-issue is quite excellent. In it he points out the novel's affinities with the earlier "The Perfect Murder Case" and "Cut Throat" both of which, I think , are far superior to this 1936 send up of the Detection Club and its soi-disant "founder", the somewhat obnoxious Anthony Berkeley.
I loved the parrot, Charlie, originally owned by Ferdinand Pole, detective novelist and president of the Murder League, and bought by Ludo Travers: its role could have been enlarged to great effect.Most of the other characters were a bit lifeless and over-caricatured.
The puzzle was not overly difficult to solve, as the suspects were few. Overall, the central idea did not quite work at book length.
Worth reading, but decidedly not one of my favourites in the series.
I loved the parrot, Charlie, originally owned by Ferdinand Pole, detective novelist and president of the Murder League, and bought by Ludo Travers: its role could have been enlarged to great effect.Most of the other characters were a bit lifeless and over-caricatured.
The puzzle was not overly difficult to solve, as the suspects were few. Overall, the central idea did not quite work at book length.
Worth reading, but decidedly not one of my favourites in the series.
December 31, 2022
In one corner, with the Fleet Street window at his back, young Bridges, who hoped one day to be a junior reporter, was opening the letters intended by their writers for the FROM OUR READERS column and laying them out for the correspondence specialist. ”This looks like something, Mr. Ribbold.”
Ribbold strolled over and, while Bridges still read, took the letter from his hand. He began it with the same bored cynicism but his lips held the dead end of a cigarette by the time he had finished it.
“Good, isn’t it, Mr. Ribbold! Good enough for a splash . . .”
“I’ll hang on to this,” Ribbold told him curtly; and went back to his desk. Marvell looked up as he passed. “Anything good?”
“Might be,” said Ribbold. Marvell followed him and was reading the letter as he went. He read it a second time as he stood by Ribbold’s desk. Long and Matthews came over and read it together when Marvell put it down.
Excerpt from a letter sent by Ferdinand Pole, President of the Murder League:
I am sure your readers will agree that something beyond mere coincidence is in this series of happenings. What lies in the minds of these super-murderers?—for since their crimes have remained unsolved, so we ought to call them. Is there some strange benevolence that watches over the Monday Murderer? Is there among murderers some special tradition that regards Monday as a fortunate day? Or, and here I come to my vital point, could by some fantastic chance most of the murders I have mentioned—or indeed all of them—have been committed by one and the same person, operating through the period of over fifteen years?
Ribbold strolled over and, while Bridges still read, took the letter from his hand. He began it with the same bored cynicism but his lips held the dead end of a cigarette by the time he had finished it.
“Good, isn’t it, Mr. Ribbold! Good enough for a splash . . .”
“I’ll hang on to this,” Ribbold told him curtly; and went back to his desk. Marvell looked up as he passed. “Anything good?”
“Might be,” said Ribbold. Marvell followed him and was reading the letter as he went. He read it a second time as he stood by Ribbold’s desk. Long and Matthews came over and read it together when Marvell put it down.
Excerpt from a letter sent by Ferdinand Pole, President of the Murder League:
I am sure your readers will agree that something beyond mere coincidence is in this series of happenings. What lies in the minds of these super-murderers?—for since their crimes have remained unsolved, so we ought to call them. Is there some strange benevolence that watches over the Monday Murderer? Is there among murderers some special tradition that regards Monday as a fortunate day? Or, and here I come to my vital point, could by some fantastic chance most of the murders I have mentioned—or indeed all of them—have been committed by one and the same person, operating through the period of over fifteen years?
May 30, 2025
Rating 3.5
Another enjoyable entry in this series.
The problems /crimes are usually well drawn with interesting characters and locations.
This one has an interesting start to the novel, a number of suspects some of which are bright red in colour.
This was a quick read that was running along at a fair pace and I did think the ending came up quite suddenly, but then again I have felt the same with a number of other gad era novels lately.
This must the loosest arrangement between police and amateur that I have ever read, on a number of occasion Travers is essentially sent to interview suspects or information sources when it should have been the police doing it. Even for mystery fiction of the time this is probably over the limits of what should have happened, even in fiction.
Overall though a quick entertaining read, however doesn’t really do enough to become a 4 star read.
Another enjoyable entry in this series.
The problems /crimes are usually well drawn with interesting characters and locations.
This one has an interesting start to the novel, a number of suspects some of which are bright red in colour.
This was a quick read that was running along at a fair pace and I did think the ending came up quite suddenly, but then again I have felt the same with a number of other gad era novels lately.
This must the loosest arrangement between police and amateur that I have ever read, on a number of occasion Travers is essentially sent to interview suspects or information sources when it should have been the police doing it. Even for mystery fiction of the time this is probably over the limits of what should have happened, even in fiction.
Overall though a quick entertaining read, however doesn’t really do enough to become a 4 star read.
November 22, 2017
When a noted detective writer sends a letter to one of London's yellower newspapers, claiming that a number of unsolved murders were committed on Mondays, it looks like a publicity stunt--until a seeming accident turns into a case of murder, and it's Monday...Then the murderer himself sends a letter to the paper, claiming he also committed some of the unsolved murders of the past, though Ludovic Travers and Scotland Yard think it's all bluff. That's before a second murder that seems to implicate the mystery writer. Things get even more complex until the murderer makes one little slip, and the whole tangled plot becomes clear to Travers.
April 4, 2018
A pastiche of the Detection Club with a decent murder mystery. Full review at classicmystery.wordpress.com
May 12, 2018
For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
December 13, 2018
I agree with Eric, this is not as good as most of the others. I did enjoy it but found it rather hard going at times. It was quite simple to figure out who the murderer was.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews