Five to Five

by Dorothy Erskine Muir, Curtis Evans (Introduction)

Much had been risked, and the murderer had escaped by such a rare combination of chances.
When elderly, unpleasant Simon Ewing was bludgeoned in his maisonette, and a stranger was seen exiting the building by several of the residents. The murderer had entered-and escaped-in just a few minutes when invalid Ewing was left unattended, implying that someone knew the movements of both his household and the neighbours. Who would run such a risk in a building with multiple comings and goings? Robbery appears to be the motive, but why was only one ring taken from Ewing's secret hoard of valuable jewellery? A second death leads Detective-Inspector Woods to untangle exactly who was where in the crucial minutes before the murder. Five to Five draws its inspiration from a notorious unsolved murder in Glasgow - the Slater Case of 1909 - and creates an alternative fictionalised account of what might have happened.
Dorothy Erskine Muir (1889-1977) was one of seventeen children (twelve who reached adulthood) of John Sheepshanks, Bishop of Norwich. She attended Oxford, worked as an academic tutor, and began writing professionally to supplement the family income after the unexpected death of her husband in 1932. Muir published historical biographies and local histories, as well as three accomplished detective novels, In Muffled Night (1933), Five to Five (1934) and In Memory of Charles (1941). Each is an intricate fictional account based on an unsolved true crime.

Genres: Mystery

286 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2021

About the author

Dorothy Agnes Sheepshanks (1889-1977) was one of seventeen children of John Sheepshanks, Bishop of Norwich. She attended Oxford, worked as an academic tutor, and began writing professionally to supplement the family income after the unexpected death of her husband, in 1932.

Dorothy worked for Oxford University & became an outside specialist tutor to whom colleges might refer undergraduates. According to family sources, Machiavelli and His Times was written with the Political Thought and Renaissance Special Subject papers of the Oxford History School in mind.

Under the moniker, D. Erskine Muir, Dorothy wrote three accomplished detective novels: In Muffled Night. (1933), Five to Five (1934) and In Memory of Charles (1941).

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are, as Curtis Evans points out in his Introduction to this reprint of D Erskine Muir's 1934 novel, many similarities between the principal crimes presented here and the notorious murder of Miss Marion Gilchrist in Glasgow in 1908, popularly known as the Oscar Slater Case.

However, it must be clearly stated that the major difference between fiction and real life is that, whereas in the novel, justice is done and the murderer found and punished, the Glasgow murder was never solved.

Muir is very readable and her characterisation is vivid. Her principal detective, Woods, while thorough and painstaking, is never dull, and he is also very human and real. The solution may in some ways be the obvious one, but the twists and turns on the way to it are both realistic and absorbing.

[Chris Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable minor golden age crime novel that seems to succeed because it’s very comfortable with being quite minor, focusing instead on a small amount of mostly well fleshed out characters and taut and careful writing. Most second league golden age crime writing tends towards stuffing the narrative with way too many characters and at least some failed comedy attempts at accents but neither happens here. It’s not particularly memorable but I do admire Muir for not having any faff in this and executing her solidly plotted - if somewhat uninspired - mystery with efficiency and sparkle

[Elin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fictionalised real mystery by D. Erskine Muir, a fun read but a bit predictable