The Condamine Case

Inspector Hugh Collier #12

by Moray Dalton

“’Tes a queer place seemingly. . . . Full of ghostesses, what with beasts coming down from the church roof and her that walks, hair blowing like smoke in the gale. ’T’esn’t a place to be out alone at night.”

In London, rising young movie director Stephen Latimer learns of a gentrified family in Somerset with an old history of witchcraft and haunting. Scenting an excellent subject for his next film, he visits their ancestral manor.

Pleased with his discoveries, Stephen returns to London, planning to spice up the family legend still further for the film. But he is soon to learn that after his departure Death came to Little Baring.

Inspector Hugh Collier of the Yard arrives on the scene, facing a case that concerns not one murder, but two. Whodunit? Someone within the narrow Condamine circle in Little Baring? Or someone farther afield? And is witchcraft really dead in Little Baring?

The Condamine Case was originally published in 1947. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller

217 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1947

About the author

Pseudonym of Katherine Mary Deville Dalton Renoir (1881-1963)

Katherine Dalton was born in Hammersmith, London in 1881, the only child of a Canadian father and English mother. The author wrote two well-received early novels, Olive in Italy (1909), and The Sword of Love (1920). However, her career in crime fiction did not begin until 1924, after which Moray Dalton published twenty-nine mysteries, the last in 1951. The majority of these feature her recurring sleuths, Scotland Yard inspector Hugh Collier and private inquiry agent Hermann Glide. Moray Dalton married Louis Jean Renoir in 1921, and the couple had a son a year later. The author lived on the south coast of England for the majority of her life following the marriage. She died in Worthing, West Sussex, in 1963.

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

A creepy murder mystery where the main heft of the writing is on the background of 17th century witchcraft and ancient evil. TBH that part's more engaging than the thinnish mystery, but great atmosphere.

[Sheila Beaumont · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most enjoyable mystery by an author I had never heard of until a friend recommended her books recently. Published in 1947, this one, set in Somerset, England, is populated with interesting characters and features excellent dialogue. Dalton wrote 29 mysteries from 1924 to 1951. I definitely want to read more of her books, and I have two more of them on hand that I am looking forward to reading soon.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but not one of her best | So much page space was expended on the details of people who had died centuries before, leaving the actual characters involved in the modern day murders basically unexplored. Each of them is very lightly sketched so that the reader knows which common cozy mystery trope they fit, but we never get to know them. Even Scotland Yard, when it gets official background information on them, goes with "nothing known about her before her marriage" and "maiden name probably false, her sister is abroad so no point following up". It's therefore hard to care who was murdered, by whom, and why. Tiny nitpick that was just annoying: Hughes and Latimer discussed how it would help the narrative of their film to add the infamous witch-catcher to it, even though he and his people were never anywhere near that part of the country. They have a whole conversation about how the film-going public doesn't care if they fictionalize things in that way, and how introducing him into the story despite his not really, historically, having been part of the events, will help the film. And then locals who are telling them the historical details include that witch-catcher in exactly the way the directors were putting him in fictionally.

[Don Drewniak · Rating 4 out of 5]

The downside: the first of the murders does not occur until more than a third of the book has passed, and Inspector Hugh Collier, who appears in fifteen of Moray Dalton's books, does not materialize until another six-seven percent. The upside: the balance of the book is classic detective.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most enjoyable, but paled a bit when set beside The Case of Alan Copeland which I had just read.
The background research into a family's history for the writing of a film script was often too obtrusive and detracted from the murders and attempted murder. I am not keen on witchcraft mixed into my mysteries.

Collier is as endearing as ever and most of the characterisation is strong.

[Jyoti Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting. One of those rare ones where descriptions don't run into pages and pages. The atmosphere is just right and characters well sketched.

[Ellis Knox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recommended only to the true fan of golden age mysteries. The story was fine, the writing was fine, but taken all together it didn't gel for me. The main character is the assistant to a movie director. The opening seems it's going to head in the direction of something gothic. Witches, long black hair trailing here and there. Ancient crimes from the Middle Ages.

But that doesn't really get followed up on. Instead, it has more to do with family conflict, grudges, and snatching at the brass ring. The other stuff turns out to be mere stage dressing. I think it may have been intended to be moody, but it didn't work.

Beyond that, the story pulled out some key clues very late, a habit I've noticed in other such mysteries. Anyway, completists and researchers of the obscure will want to read it. The rest, move along.

[Wendy Beutel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written mystery with engaging characters

The Condamine Case is an enjoyable mystery wrapped in well-written prose. The story line involves a movie director and crew making a movie, which happens to be based on a romantic local tale from 300 years past. The characters of the story are assorted and engaging,and Inspector Collier is always enjoyable. Well worth a read!

[monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great storyline

Not one of Moray Dalton’s best. Great read I guess the murder 3/4 f the book. Moray Dalton is one of my favorite Golden Age Mystery writer….

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...

[robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly creepy!! A fun, interesting, original setting for murder, and a local legend easily as unsettling as the Hound of the Baskervilles.

Scratch that. Way more unsettling.