The Eye In The Museum

Supt. Ross Mystery #1

by J.J. Connington

The Eye in the Museum, first published in 1930, is the first book in author J. J. Connington’s series featuring Superintendent Ross of Scotland Yard. This ‘golden-age’ mystery centers on a young woman, Joyce Hazlemere, and her wealthy Aunt Evelyn. The aunt, who can become violent when drunk, stands to inherit the Hazlemere estate instead of Joyce. Miss Hazlemere speculates on the possibility of her aunt’s death when the next day Evelyn is found murdered, and Superintendent Ross is called in to solve the mystery and catch the killer. J. J. Connington is a pen-name of Alfred Walter Stewart (1880-1947).

Genres: Mystery, British Literature

221 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1929

About the author

Pseudonym of Alfred Walter Stewart.

Reviews

[Jan C · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the opening chapter, one of the future suspects is taken by her boyfriend to a strange museum. One of the features of the museum is a glass eye and another is a camera obscura. Only place I've ever seen one is in the movie A Matter of Life and Death a/k/a Stairway to Heaven where a doctor spies on his patients strolling down the High Street. He also gets a warning of who his visitors are.

The young lady complains bitterly about an aunt she is forced to live with, Mrs. Fenton, and the boyfriend complains that it will be long before they can afford to marry. Mrs. Fenton is shortly found dead. Suicide? That would be convenient.

Superintendent Ross doubts the suicide angle. The young lady is a likely suspect, as is the boyfriend - at least as an accomplice, if nothing else. Other suspects might include the brothers Hyndford - one a doctor who is an intimate friend of the aunt, and the other recently returned from Japan.

Anonymous notes arrive from "ONE WHO KNOWS". They are questionable. Easy words are spelled incorrectly, hard words correctly and too well punctuated. But who could they be from?

I didn't get it. So I look forward to more books by Connington.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Periodically, Connington gave Clinton Driffield a rest, and this novel is one of two featuring Superintendent Ross whose philosophy is neatly summed up at the start of Chapter 5:-

"Superintendent Ross held firmly that 'If you want reliable evidence, you’d better collect it yourself.' Information, he had learned long ago, always suffered a process of clipping and trimming as it passed from mind to mind."

This concerns the death of the very unpleasant, alcoholic Evelyn Fenton. There are numerous people who may benefit from her death, which appears to be from heart failure.Ross interviews most of them and reaches a solution which some less careful readers may find surprising.

The conclusion is a little like something from an old-fashioned adventure story but the characterisation is, as ever, both solid and interesting

Most enjoyable and recommendable.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly entertaining and well-paced mystery from Connington. It revolves around the murder of a rather unpleasant woman and the consequences that has among the small circle of suspects.

There's a bit of unnecessary density due to some business connected to insurance, IOUs and betting, but it's balanced out by some rather interesting detection based on handwriting analysis; the latter aspect is something much more engaging than it might sound, which is largely down to the author's fluid writing. The motivation behind it all is delightfully dark and deep-seated, leading to a very satisfactory read all round.

[AC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alfred Walter Stewart, the Scottish born professor of Chemistry at Belfast for many years, and a writer of 'humdrum' mysteries under the name of J. J. Connington (John Conington, with one 'n', was a famous 19th cen. verse translator of Horace), fell into obscurity as Sayers and others (with their "mysteries of character-and-manners") threw all of the 'humdrums' (the 'realists' and pure puzzlers) into obscurity; and while Freeman survived in the handbooks, at least, if not in people's actual reading rooms, Connington was completely forgotten until a revival that began around 2012, largely through the efforts of Curtis Evans and the reprints first of Coachwhip and then of Murder Room (both of which went under; Evans, happily, is alive and kicking). Now Connington is beginning to be seen as among the best of the breed.

He is a delightful writer -- far better than Freeman, and this book -- still an early foray -- is a pleasure to read. It is a typical humdrum puzzle-mystery (though marred by a little shoot-out at the end) with a formal clue-finder in the penultimate chapter. It is lively, intelligent, and well-paced. And Superintendent Ross -- who appeared in only two of Connington's mysteries -- is a far better character than the bloggers usually allow. This, at any rate, is an early Connington, and I expect some of the later books to be still better.

[Anna Katharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second J.J. Connington mystery that I've read, and his style is growing on me. For a writer during the 'golden age' of mystery, it's notable that this work isn't 'snobbery with violence,' a characterization critics of the genre are apt to level. This is no depiction of carefree, glamorous living (and dying) at a sprawling country home, but a tale of common struggles, failings, and jealousies of the (upper?) middle class. There was enough sneaking through midnight gardens to provide adequate scenery for anglophilic mystery lovers, and the exposition of unique architectural technology was a fun touch. The mystery itself is a puzzle of logic, and while repressed emotions are ultimately at the root of the murder, the crime is solved through reasoning and logic, not hunches and confessions. I was intrigued by the concurrent narration of two characters' search for truth- the detective proper, and the lawyer representing a key family member- and their mutual revelations at the end. It was almost, but not quite, a foreshadowing of Earle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason novels, the first of which was published 3 years later.

[Joshua Macy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent classic mystery

Really enjoyed this, although there's not anything I can specifically point to as striking or out of the ordinary. There's no real elevator pitch: no gimmicks as far as the setting, murder method, or the detective, just a solidly crafted "play fair" mystery well-written enough to keep me up reading it longer than I intended.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well-plotted golden age mystery. It's an entertaining story about who killed the unpleasant rich lady. The solution isn't obvious, though it's not completely unexpected -- I figured it out a bit before the end.

[nikky hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well plotted

Well written and well thought out Plot intricate but not too tricky it only at then that the title makes sense

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

so Many Interesting Suspects

Golden mystery very true to the genre. Unique setting with the fun of that era of scientific theories and inventions.

[Edward Doe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The eye in the museum

This book was good to read; it was interesting and insightful with good characters and a good pace. Much recommended for mystery lovers of vintage type works.

[John Holmstrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining. I particularly liked the “dual detectives” both of whom solved the case(s).

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

In The Eye in the Museum by J. J. Connington (pen name of Alfred Walter Stewart), the terms of her father's will ties Joyce Hazelmere to her odious, whiskey-swilling, gambling Aunt Evelyn until she turns 25. If she doesn't stay with the old battle-axe or leave with her blessing, then all the money reverts to Evelyn. It's not bad enough that Evelyn treats her horribly--spewing abuse every time she has a whiskey or two too many--but the older woman is also terribly jealous of her lovely young niece and is determined to stand in the way of young love when Evelyn meets the handsome Leslie Seaforth and wants to marry him. After a particularly acrimonious exchange with her aunt, Joyce tells Leslie that all their problems would be solved if only an accident would happen to Evelyn. After all, her aunt has a bit of heart trouble and it's just possible that a bit of excitement might bring on a particularly deadly attack.

You're a lawyer, Leslie. What would happen...suppose I lost my temper and struck back, and she...well, if her heart failed under the strain? They couldn't do anything to me, could they? It would just be an accident, wouldn't it?

And,then, as if her words had some sort of magic power, it seems like that very thing happens. That evening Joyce and Leslie go for a night-time canoe ride and when Joyce returns home she finds her aunt dead in the drawing-room. She calls out to Leslie (who's down by the canoe) who comes to help. There is no sign of violence or disturbance so it would seem that Joyce's wish for freedom has come true. All that remains is to call in Evelyn's doctor, get him to sign the death certificate, and all will be lovely in the garden....

Except Dr. Platt won't sign. He doesn't like the "atmosphere" between the two young people and he insists that although Evelyn's heart wasn't strong there wasn't any reason for her to die suddenly. By the time the postmortem results are in and the inquest is done there are hints of attempted poisoning, a definite death by pressure on the vagus nerve and carotid artery (a lovely method that required medical know-how or special training), and a verdict of "murder by person or persons unknown."

Superintendent Ross is called in to sort out the suspects and hunt for clues. He has to follow a trail strewn with forgery, gambling debts, digitalis, mysterious comings and goings in the dead woman's garden, stories of grudges past and jealousies present, and a view through an all-seeing eye. The harassed niece and her fiance aren't the only suspects. There are several to choose from--from the dead woman's estranged husband who wanted a divorce to marry his lady-love (Evelyn naturally couldn't possibly allow that) to Dr. Hyndford who wasn't Evelyn's doctor but may have had a different sort of bed-side manner to Watchet, Aunt Evelyn's estate agent who may have been cooking the books. Ross will get his villain in the end--after an adventurous chase down the river--and, as in all good vintage mysteries, all the clues will be displayed and the good detective's reasoning will be revealed in a final wrap-up scene.

Connington provides a very nice English countryside murder that is fairly-clued and complete with a red herring or two. Engaging characters--particularly Ross and a lawyer's clerk who turns out to be something of an expert in graphology--and the adventurous ending all make for an interesting reading experience. Quite enjoyable-- ★★★ and a half.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good old English country town story of an unexplained death. Was it murder or natural causes. The local doctor is suspicious and alerts the coroner. Superintendent Ross is sent in to sort it. Ross is quite an engaging detective and I enjoyed the way the author allows the reader to follow his train of thought. There was a very obvious red herring early on but the author plays fair and all the clues are there.

Four stars is maybe a little generous but I believe it's worth better than three. My first foray into JJ Connington and I will keep my eyes open for others. Good. I enjoyed it.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely worked puzzle.