The Man in the Dark

Francis McNab #1

by John Ferguson

A pea-souper's not the only fog facing London's detectives!A prominent Londoner is dead, coldly stabbed in front of his warm, crackling fire. There are clues though, and, most importantly, evidence of a witness. But, if innocent, why on earth won't they come forward? As the days pass, the police, along with private detective Francis McNab and journalist Godfrey Chance, are all left with little to go on.Sandy Kinloch, blind and embittered from the war, visits an old friend on that dreadful evening. A petty disagreement propels him into the grimmest danger as an unwitting witness to murder. Although already ‘in the dark’, he is knocked out, kidnapped, bundled off in a car and held captive in the heart of the sleepy English countryside.Things look bleak for Kinloch as McNab and Chance race to sort out the whys and wherefores of this deadly puzzle. Alone and desperate, fingered for a crime of which he's innocent, in love with someone he can't have, and in mortal danger...Which dire fate awaits young Kinloch?John Ferguson (1871-1952) was born at Callander, Perthshire and is the author of ten mysteries, including Murder on the Marsh (1930) and The Death of Mr Dodsley (1937), though probably best known for his play, Campbell of Kilmohr.

Genres: Mystery, 20th Century, Crime

305 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1928

About the author

John Ferguson (1871-1952) was a Scottish clergyman, playwright, and mystery writer.

John Ferguson was born at Callander, Perthshire, but has made his home in many sharply contrasted places, from the misty isle of Skye to the sunlit island of Guernsey. And though now a resident in the New Forest near Lymington he lived for six years in the grim Dunimarle Castle in Fife, where Macduff's wife and child were murdered by Mac­beth. As a dramatist Mr Ferguson is probably best known for his now famous play Campbell of Kilmohr, which at its first Royalty Theatre production was hailed by the dramatic critic of the Glasgow Herald as 'a new and significant type of Scottish drama'. Of John Ferguson's work one critic has said, 'As no two of his stories are in any sense repetitious, it is probably his practice of setting each tale against the background in which he writes that gives this variety in characterization and action to each of his works.' His books have been translated into many foreign languages, the latest of which is Turkish. In his story of the history and development of the detective story, Masters of Mystery, Douglas Thom­son writes, 'Mr Ferguson is one of the most delight­ful stylists in this genre'.

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first of Ferguson's novels to feature private detective Francis Macnab whose father appears in the earlier "The Dark Geraldine".

It falls more into the adventure/thriller/romance genre, despite having a murder as its starting point, and has very faint echoes of John Buchan. Essentially it is an inverted tale as the reader knows early on who committed the crime, although their name is not divulged.

The organisation of the plot in four sections adds interest, and we meet here the reporter, Godfrey Chance and the GP Peter Dunn who recur in the series.

As with much interwar detective fiction, the long-lasting consequences WW1 are found here in the person of "The Man in the Dark", Sandy Kinloch whose character traits of doggedness, and foolhardiness, combined with romantic susceptibility, make him at once exasperating and likeable.

Francis Macnab also is quite a character and given to pithy and telling comments:-

' Why didn’t I stay in Scotland? ye ask. Well, in the first place Scotland is an honest, law-abiding country; in the next place, in England intelligent competition is less severe.’

‘Logic,’ said McNab coldly, ‘is the science which teaches foolish men a respect for truth not theirs by nature; it trains our ignorant minds to take account of all the facts, and not merely–like lawyers, policemen and politicians–those facts which suit their case.’

I read the five novels out of publication order, which did not spoil my enjoyment, as they are all quite different, but there is more detection in them as time goes on.

3.5 stars.

[Rick Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Major characters:

Alexander "Sandy" Kinloch, the Man in the Dark
Dr. Peter Dunn, a G.P., one of our narrators
Ponsonby Paget (The Man in the Fur Collar); a scandal sheet publisher
Stella Wye, a mysterious woman
Betsy Spedding, a housecleaner
Godfrey Chance, a journalist for The Record, and one of our narrators
Matheson, editor of The Record
Francis McNab, private enquiry agent (detective)
Inspector Snargrove, of Scotland Yard

Locale: London and environs

Synopsis: Sandy Kinloch is down and out in England after coming back injured from the war. Destitute, he decides to visit his prosperous war buddy, Dr. Peter Dunn, in search of a loan - or a handout. With difficulty, he finds his way to Dr. Dunn's in the fog. The meeting doesn't go well, they argue, and Kinloch leaves with having asked for help.

He bumps into a man in the street - The Man in the Fur Collar. After a brief conversation, Fur Collar makes him an offer. He needs a witness to a conversation, and will pay Kinloch £5 to sit and listen to a conversation he will have with another man, to demonstrate to the other man that he is not alone in the house. Kinloch agrees. He sits in the designated spot behind a screen. A caller arrives and the conversation gets under way. Kinloch rattles papers and coughs on cue to show that Fur Collar is not alone.

Fur collar and his caller argue, then fight. Kinloch rises to assist, but is knocked out. He awakes in a car driven by a woman who identifies herself only as Stella; and finds out that Fur Collar is dead. She takes him to a faraway house and cares for his wounds. Kinloch tries to learn where he is by listening to the conversations between Stella and her housecleaner Betsy Spedding.

It is quickly determined that Fur Collar is Ponsonby Paget, publisher of a scandal sheet. The sheet makes some money from direct sales, but mostly from payoffs by persons trying to suppress gossip about themselves.

Godfrey Chance, journalist for The Record, is assigned to cover the story. The paper also employs private enquiry agent (detective) Francis McNab; and the two work as a team.

Inspector Snargrove of Scotland Yard is the official investigator, and proposes his own ludicrous detailed theory of events by his erroneous interpretation of all the evidence.

The story becomes a chase thriller, with Chance and McNab after Kinloch, Kinloch trying to find Stella, and Stella hiding the killer.

Review: Oh, this was an excellent read, and a unique thriller in many aspects.

The book has four parts. The first, the murder, is told in third person. The second, by journalist Godfrey Chance. The third, by Dr. Peter Dunn. The fourth, again by Godfrey Chance.

I was surprised to find Kinloch has a certain "attribute" (which I won't reveal) but which is gradually revealed to the reader's surprise. Once known, I realized all the clues I had missed. This was very cleverly constructed.

Hard to find other books by this author. Caution: there are several authors with this name. This one is (1871-1952) but some sources say (1873-1952).

See also this review on A Penguin A Week (spoiler - reveals the attribute noted above).

[Paul Pferdner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite liked this book, it started out strong, and finished stronger. The story is told in four sections, by three different characters: the titular character, who is in the dark because he was blinded in WWI; a reporter who is friends with a very good private detective; and a doctor who is friends with the titular character. The first section, by the blind man, recounts his destitution and the frankly unbelievable set of circumstances that got him involved in a murder, and how he was sort of rescued from that situation. The reporter covers the first steps of the murder investigation by the police and the involvement of the very good private detective. The doctor covers some stuff that I don't want to spoil for the reader; then back to the reporter and the detective and the end of the chase that closes the book.

I recently read and reported on here another mystery story by this author, in which I complained about the great drag in the middle of the book. I have no such complaint here. The singular circumstances surrounding whodunnit and the blind man's involvement in the murder combine to make one care very much what happens next, and to keep finding out until all is resolved at the end.

In fact, this is less a whodunnit sort of mystery than it is a slam-bang what-happens-next adventure story, where the mystery gets solved along the way. It's not very long at 230 pages in the paperback that I had (sadly, not the original Penguin green cover edition), and goes very quickly. The book is available on Kindle, if you prefer that, or can't find a paper copy.

[David Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid Golden Age murder mystery told through a series of narrators in separate “Books.” It’s 1920s London and we follow the progress of Kinloch, our destitute murder witness as he struggles to Ealing in a desperate attempt to cadge some money off an old university friend who is now a relatively prosperous GP. They argue and Kinloch gets lost in the fog attempting to find his way back to the station. He literally walks into a stranger who has an odd task for him - to be present while someone comes to his house for a clandestine meeting and to remain hidden but audible as protection. Kinloch is happy to earn £5 but things go wrong and he ends up suspected of murder and has been kidnapped and held by the villains until the hue and cry dies down. Although the police don’t know who or where he is they suspect he’s the guilty party. A journalist, Chance, supposed to be the man acting as protection - but fatally delayed by the fog - discovers the body and his editor, who agrees the mystery man is innocent, decides to let a private detective, McNab, perform his own investigation. Can McNab and Chance find the mystery witness before his fate is sealed?

[Dawn Tyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one a lot, the pacing, characters, the story told in four parts from different points of view. Clever use of (albeit temporary) blindness as a plot device. The summing up conversation towards the end was a little awkward and unlikely to have taken place on the patient’s hearing but overall a satisfying and entertaining crime novel.

[Justine Shenton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tead this book because it was featured on Shedunnit but I found it quite hard to follow at times not helpful by the layout and some errors as was a POD edition

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

For my full review click the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.com/2025/...