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The Missing Grave: A Golden Age Murder Mystery
“Who would need to employ a gardener to dig a grave?”
George Hedges is a simple man, whose life revolves around his work and frequent visits to the local alehouse. After one such visit, he is woken by sounds of an intruder at his remote cottage. Then an unearthly voice in his bedroom threatens him with death. Bound and blindfolded he is taken to an obscure location and told to dig. Initially he thinks the intruder is searching for buried treasure. But then he sees the dead body…
When Hedges tells his story, his experiences are written off as a drink-induced dream. But reporter Christopher Davidson is convinced the police have dismissed the tale too lightly – an opinion shared by local magistrate’s daughter Marjorie Richmond, whose father disappeared on the same evening that Hedges was called on to perform his ghastly errand.
Are Marjorie’s worst suspicions correct? If so, who would want to murder her father? And why can nobody discover the site of the missing grave?
Originally published in 1939 this is a vintage murder mystery from the golden age of crime fiction.
George Hedges is a simple man, whose life revolves around his work and frequent visits to the local alehouse. After one such visit, he is woken by sounds of an intruder at his remote cottage. Then an unearthly voice in his bedroom threatens him with death. Bound and blindfolded he is taken to an obscure location and told to dig. Initially he thinks the intruder is searching for buried treasure. But then he sees the dead body…
When Hedges tells his story, his experiences are written off as a drink-induced dream. But reporter Christopher Davidson is convinced the police have dismissed the tale too lightly – an opinion shared by local magistrate’s daughter Marjorie Richmond, whose father disappeared on the same evening that Hedges was called on to perform his ghastly errand.
Are Marjorie’s worst suspicions correct? If so, who would want to murder her father? And why can nobody discover the site of the missing grave?
Originally published in 1939 this is a vintage murder mystery from the golden age of crime fiction.
241 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 30, 2022
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 27, 2022
This was the sixth of Max Dalman's fifteen detective novels, first published in 1939.
As with many of the others, this has a very original opening and an interesting pair of detectives, this time Superintendent Freeman of the local police, and reporter, Christopher Davidson. And, as with the others, the opening promise is not maintained.
Freeman and Davidson theorise then kick around and discard ideas, rather in the manner of Crofts' Inspector French, but usually with less foundation. Another similarity with Crofts is in the failure to follow up a very obvious clue until late on.
There really are too few suspects and the attempts at misdirection and the odd red herring are too feeble to be treated seriously. Once the background to the disappearances and possible deaths had been revealed, I felt that there was, realistically, only one possible perpetrator.
Again, too, the attempt at a dramatic ending goes off like a firework which is about as damp as the obligatory romance. There is a very feisty female character who is greatly underused and in general the characters are a bit thin.
Dalman could write and come up with some great ideas. Unfortunately following them through was too often beyond him.
3.25 stars. Very readable, but a disappointment.
As with many of the others, this has a very original opening and an interesting pair of detectives, this time Superintendent Freeman of the local police, and reporter, Christopher Davidson. And, as with the others, the opening promise is not maintained.
Freeman and Davidson theorise then kick around and discard ideas, rather in the manner of Crofts' Inspector French, but usually with less foundation. Another similarity with Crofts is in the failure to follow up a very obvious clue until late on.
There really are too few suspects and the attempts at misdirection and the odd red herring are too feeble to be treated seriously. Once the background to the disappearances and possible deaths had been revealed, I felt that there was, realistically, only one possible perpetrator.
Again, too, the attempt at a dramatic ending goes off like a firework which is about as damp as the obligatory romance. There is a very feisty female character who is greatly underused and in general the characters are a bit thin.
Dalman could write and come up with some great ideas. Unfortunately following them through was too often beyond him.
3.25 stars. Very readable, but a disappointment.
Displaying 1 of 1 review