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Ludovic Travers #24
The Case of the Kidnapped Colonel: A Ludovic Travers Mystery
The curtain had been drawn back and there was the bed. Wharton and a stranger were standing by it, and when Wharton moved to meet me, I saw on the bed the body of Penelope Craye.
"She's dead," I said.
Wharton merely nodded.
Once again, we meet our old friend Ludovic Travers--now Major Travers, and commandant of Camp 55 in England during World War Two. Nearby lives the rather mysterious Colonel Brende--mysterious because he is in possession of certain fact relating to aerial defence.
Travers's suspicions that all is not well are intensified when Penelope, the colonel's flashy secretary, is murdered. Then George Wharton appears on the scene--the Scotland Yard man who has already solved some strange mysteries. In the rush of exciting events which follow, Travers plays a major part in solving the baffling happenings. Christopher Bush, Ludovic Travers, and George Wharton--at their best!
The Case of the Kidnapped Colonel was originally published in 1942. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.
"Curiosity is whetted by the aptness and neatness of his plots. . . All kinds of whys and wherefores could plainly be devised, but it would be hard to imagine any so satisfying as Mr. Bush's." Times Literary Supplement
"Well written, supplied with good characters, its setting and military incidentals realistic . . . in short, a good specimen of detective-story fitted to war-time England." Sunday Times
"No wonder Ludovic Travers is puzzled, and so will be the reader in this amusing variety of the orthodox spy story." Guardian
"She's dead," I said.
Wharton merely nodded.
Once again, we meet our old friend Ludovic Travers--now Major Travers, and commandant of Camp 55 in England during World War Two. Nearby lives the rather mysterious Colonel Brende--mysterious because he is in possession of certain fact relating to aerial defence.
Travers's suspicions that all is not well are intensified when Penelope, the colonel's flashy secretary, is murdered. Then George Wharton appears on the scene--the Scotland Yard man who has already solved some strange mysteries. In the rush of exciting events which follow, Travers plays a major part in solving the baffling happenings. Christopher Bush, Ludovic Travers, and George Wharton--at their best!
The Case of the Kidnapped Colonel was originally published in 1942. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.
"Curiosity is whetted by the aptness and neatness of his plots. . . All kinds of whys and wherefores could plainly be devised, but it would be hard to imagine any so satisfying as Mr. Bush's." Times Literary Supplement
"Well written, supplied with good characters, its setting and military incidentals realistic . . . in short, a good specimen of detective-story fitted to war-time England." Sunday Times
"No wonder Ludovic Travers is puzzled, and so will be the reader in this amusing variety of the orthodox spy story." Guardian
225 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1942
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14 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 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 25, 2018
Outstanding, both as a mystery and as a picture of wartime. Full review at classicmystery.wordpress.com
August 30, 2018
This is an excellent tale, the first in the series with Ludo Travers as narrator. It has numerous interesting strands- illicit affairs, wartime pacifism, spies and secret scientific research, as well as kidnapping and murder.
George Wharton is at his enigmatic best and Travers, now in charge of Camp 55 in Derbyshire, is less fanciful and theoretical than usual. Bush has found a better balance between wartime background detail and detection here than in the previous story.
Most of the characters, major and minor, come over clearly and there is little by way of caricature, even of obvious targets such as the pacifist group.
Most enjoyable and highly recommended at 4.5 stars.
George Wharton is at his enigmatic best and Travers, now in charge of Camp 55 in Derbyshire, is less fanciful and theoretical than usual. Bush has found a better balance between wartime background detail and detection here than in the previous story.
Most of the characters, major and minor, come over clearly and there is little by way of caricature, even of obvious targets such as the pacifist group.
Most enjoyable and highly recommended at 4.5 stars.
November 30, 2018
Wartime life, scientific secrets and mysterious death all contribute to an unusual and well developed mystery with military overtones. This is the twenty fourth Ludovic Travers novel, one of three which captures the wartime experience of the author, like its predecessor “a novel and interesting environment described with evident knowledge” as E.R. Punshon, a fellow author wrote. The tone is confidently knowledgably, the complex plot an elegant construction, and Travers is as always more than competent in his working out of what is really going on. This is a well worked out novel with fascinating elements of wartime life. I was glad to receive a copy from the publishers, Dean Street Press, as part of their reprints of Bush’s novels.
This book is the first one in the series which is narrated by Ludovic himself, and it gives a different voice to the novel. Wharton again appears from the beginning of this book, which adds to the sense that it is building up to a murder, or at the very least a disastrous mystery. Wharton’s presence is only one confusing element in a new posting for Ludovic, as he finds himself in a set up in rural England where a top secret base is established in the family home of a Mrs. Brende. Her husband, Colonel Brende, is the leader of a group of scientists working on a radical new aerial defence technique, which is incredibly secret. Ludovic’s role is to guard the establishment, a task which is made more tricky by local opposition. An air raid occurs when an exercise by the local Home Guard is taking place and in all the confusion there are enemy parachutists and an unfortunate accident. Family tensions make the whole situation more complicated, and a disappearance makes Ludovic wonder if his instincts for the innocent and guilty are correct. Wharton and Ludovic unofficially band together to sort out what is going on in a confusion of disappearing soldiers, secret liaisons and old mysteries.
The switch to Ludovic as narrator is perhaps challenging to get used to for anyone who has previously read books in this series, though it is important to note that this book, like the others, can be enjoyed as a standalone mystery. It does mean that the reader can enter into his thought processes, which is fascinating given his sometimes careful and consistent breaking of alibis and sudden understandings of motive. I found this book a little difficult to follow at times, though it soon gains momentum as several mysteries deepen. As always the characters are well established, and in this book Bush does well in describing the female characters rather than them being mere figures to forward the plot and confuse the issues as has sometimes happened previously. In this book Penelope is particularly well realised, as her actions and speech are carefully developed and understood on several levels. This mature and well executed mystery novel is as always a fascinating read, and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys a sophisticated character driven book in an atmospheric setting, with some subtle humour.
This book is the first one in the series which is narrated by Ludovic himself, and it gives a different voice to the novel. Wharton again appears from the beginning of this book, which adds to the sense that it is building up to a murder, or at the very least a disastrous mystery. Wharton’s presence is only one confusing element in a new posting for Ludovic, as he finds himself in a set up in rural England where a top secret base is established in the family home of a Mrs. Brende. Her husband, Colonel Brende, is the leader of a group of scientists working on a radical new aerial defence technique, which is incredibly secret. Ludovic’s role is to guard the establishment, a task which is made more tricky by local opposition. An air raid occurs when an exercise by the local Home Guard is taking place and in all the confusion there are enemy parachutists and an unfortunate accident. Family tensions make the whole situation more complicated, and a disappearance makes Ludovic wonder if his instincts for the innocent and guilty are correct. Wharton and Ludovic unofficially band together to sort out what is going on in a confusion of disappearing soldiers, secret liaisons and old mysteries.
The switch to Ludovic as narrator is perhaps challenging to get used to for anyone who has previously read books in this series, though it is important to note that this book, like the others, can be enjoyed as a standalone mystery. It does mean that the reader can enter into his thought processes, which is fascinating given his sometimes careful and consistent breaking of alibis and sudden understandings of motive. I found this book a little difficult to follow at times, though it soon gains momentum as several mysteries deepen. As always the characters are well established, and in this book Bush does well in describing the female characters rather than them being mere figures to forward the plot and confuse the issues as has sometimes happened previously. In this book Penelope is particularly well realised, as her actions and speech are carefully developed and understood on several levels. This mature and well executed mystery novel is as always a fascinating read, and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys a sophisticated character driven book in an atmospheric setting, with some subtle humour.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews