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Third Alibi: A Golden Age Murder Mystery
After a few convivial drinks, George Petworth convinces his friend Timothy to accept a foolish bet - can he break into George's uncle's house and steal something without being caught? But after breaking into the wrong house, Timothy gets more than he bargained for when he stumbles upon a dead body in the study. Luckily for him, the police believe his story - for now. But it is only by discovering the real culprit that Timothy will be able truly to clear his name. Meanwhile, Colonel Chedder of the local constabulary is hot in pursuit of a kidnapped woman. Could the murder and the kidnapping be connected? And if so, how?
Originally published in 1942, this is a vintage murder mystery from the golden age of crime fiction.
Originally published in 1942, this is a vintage murder mystery from the golden age of crime fiction.
246 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 27, 2022
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 8, 2022
The opening of this tale of two murders is quite striking, but I also found it a bit confusing, as several male characters are named without much introduction, and it was a while before I sorted out who they all were.There is also too much romance for my taste, there being three romantically-involved couples.
There are some very strong female characters but they are underused. For example, the lead detective's fiancee did some investigating , but her involvement soon petered out, and this was the case with all the other women who featured.
At times I also found the plot a bit wearing The author had too many good ideas, and by throwing them all in, he made it a bit fuzzy at times. I knew fairly early on who the murderer had to be, so it was down to how the alibis were broken, and here information was held back from the reader.
It is, however, quite well-written for its type and there is some good snappy dialogue. The relationship between Inspector Hayle and his Chief Constable, Colonel Chedder, is well-handled, the latter not quite as stereotypical as he at first seems.
A reasonable read, but patchy in execution. The denouement is a tad obvious.
3.25 stars.
There are some very strong female characters but they are underused. For example, the lead detective's fiancee did some investigating , but her involvement soon petered out, and this was the case with all the other women who featured.
At times I also found the plot a bit wearing The author had too many good ideas, and by throwing them all in, he made it a bit fuzzy at times. I knew fairly early on who the murderer had to be, so it was down to how the alibis were broken, and here information was held back from the reader.
It is, however, quite well-written for its type and there is some good snappy dialogue. The relationship between Inspector Hayle and his Chief Constable, Colonel Chedder, is well-handled, the latter not quite as stereotypical as he at first seems.
A reasonable read, but patchy in execution. The denouement is a tad obvious.
3.25 stars.
Displaying 1 of 1 review