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Who Killed Alfred Snowe?
In the quiet town of Wrenchester, the murder of Alfred Snowe, an unassuming antiquarian, sends shockwaves through the community.
Luckily for the police, renowned detective Ronald Camberwell of Chaney and Camberwell Detective Agency is nearby, playing cricket. Camberwell and his partner, Chaney, dive into a complex investigation, following a twisted trail of clues. But as more lives are lost, they realize they are up against a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to obtain a coveted fortune.
With the clock ticking and the danger escalating, Camberwell and Chaney must use all their expertise to outwit the villain and bring justice to Snowe's name - but will they succeed and before they do...
...how many more must die?
Who Killed Alfred Snowe is a gripping tale of suspense and deduction, sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.
Joseph Smith Fletcher (1863-1935) was a journalist and author of more than 220 books on a wide variety of subjects, including over 100 detective stories, including bibliomystery, The Yorkshire Moorland Mystery .
Luckily for the police, renowned detective Ronald Camberwell of Chaney and Camberwell Detective Agency is nearby, playing cricket. Camberwell and his partner, Chaney, dive into a complex investigation, following a twisted trail of clues. But as more lives are lost, they realize they are up against a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to obtain a coveted fortune.
With the clock ticking and the danger escalating, Camberwell and Chaney must use all their expertise to outwit the villain and bring justice to Snowe's name - but will they succeed and before they do...
...how many more must die?
Who Killed Alfred Snowe is a gripping tale of suspense and deduction, sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.
Joseph Smith Fletcher (1863-1935) was a journalist and author of more than 220 books on a wide variety of subjects, including over 100 detective stories, including bibliomystery, The Yorkshire Moorland Mystery .
241 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1933
About the author
J.S. Fletcher
535 books58 followersJoseph Smith Fletcher was an English journalist, writer, and fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He studied law before turning to journalism.
His literary career spanned approximately 200 books on a wide variety of subjects including fiction, non-fiction, histories, historical fiction, and mysteries. He was known as one of the leading writers of detective fiction in the Golden Age .
His literary career spanned approximately 200 books on a wide variety of subjects including fiction, non-fiction, histories, historical fiction, and mysteries. He was known as one of the leading writers of detective fiction in the Golden Age .
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 9, 2026
Mr. Alfred Snowe, a frail and elderly antiquarian, is found strangled at the foot of his stairs. He apparently interrupted an intruder in his home. But did the culprit find whatever he came for? Snowe's nephew, Dr. Aubrey Snowe, is acquainted with Ronald Camberwell, a partner in the well-known Chaney and Camberwell Detective Agency. Fortunately, Camberwell has been playing cricket nearby and is ready and willing to plunge into the fray. Though Inspector Bailiss seems sceptical of "amateurs" at first, he soon welcomes the help of the private detective. However, try as they might, they can find no clues to point them towards a solution to the mystery. Even a mysterious note Alfred Snowe sent to his solicitor mentioning "a most important discovery" that will have "an effect of the most serious sort upon the lives and fortunes of more than one person" leads nowhere since nothing among Snowe's effects seem to indicate what the discovery might be or who might be affected. Until...
Alfred Snowe's will is read. For the most part, it's very straightforward, leaving all he had to his family--life interest shares to his sister and sister-in-law and the remainder to his niece and nephew. And then there's the two codicils. The first instructs that a certain antiquarian bookseller will be offered his library of books--in total (not to be sold piecemeal). Except for one book, A History of Wrenchester by Septimus Flood, which is to be handed over to the Bodleian Library at Oxford. Nothing odd there, except...when they go to find the Flood book, it's not there. Nothing by a nice little empty space on the shelf where it should be. And the local clergyman Canon Revington, who is also an antiquarian, is absolutely certain that the book was on the shelf on the night of Snowe's death. Was that where the important discovery was? And was that the object of burglar? Canon Revington assures the sleuths that he's handled the book often over the years and can think of nothing "important" (other than to historians) therein.
The inquest is held--murder by person or persons unknown. And then a series of events happen--a solicitor's (not Snowe's) clerk, Skrimshaw, goes missing with 2,000 pounds in one pound notes stashed in small case. A bank clerk seems to know too much about both Snowe's and Skrimshaw's business. There are odd goings-on in a couple of tents on the local squire's property. Skrimshaw's favorite walking stick is found abandoned in a small boat. The local squire's very proper butler isn't telling all he knows. The trail takes Chaney, Camberwell, and Bailiss to Paris and back to a lonely farmstead where the trail ends with a small fortune and nice, old-fashioned shoot-out.
Fletcher, it seems to me, loves a good whodunnit with a thriller ending. Our story begins with a classic whodunnit--murder of a fairly unoffensive man; detectives hunt for clues and track down and interview suspects. Then we move into thriller territory--a "superior" villain who seems untouchable (despite our heroes now knowing precisely who's behind everything); a dash to another country in pursuit of said villain; surreptitious surveillance of the bad guy/s at a creepy abandoned farmhouse; much shooting with one hero injured and one poor, unnamed supporting good guy killed; nice, tidy ending with main villain killed (along with supporting villain and one unnamed henchman)--no expense for a trial (yay!).
I hadn't run across Camberwell and Chaney before--but Fletcher indicates that this isn't our heroes' first adventure (and a quick check of the internet shows me at least ten more with Camberwell (and, I assume, Chaney). I enjoyed this combination, especially in harness with Bailiss (one he got over his condensation towards "amateurs"). Clever gentlemen who seem to know exactly how to handle their business. Depending on the type of suspect/witness to be interviewed, either Camberwell or Chaney will take the lead. And each has his own methods of deduction which are interesting to watch put into practice. I will say that Fletcher needed to work a bit harder on camoflaging his villains. While it was fun to watch the detectives pursue their investigations, once met, it wasn't difficult who the main villain and supporting villain was. A bit more mud in the waters would have been good. But--overall a good read. ★★★ and 1/2 [rounded up here]
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
Alfred Snowe's will is read. For the most part, it's very straightforward, leaving all he had to his family--life interest shares to his sister and sister-in-law and the remainder to his niece and nephew. And then there's the two codicils. The first instructs that a certain antiquarian bookseller will be offered his library of books--in total (not to be sold piecemeal). Except for one book, A History of Wrenchester by Septimus Flood, which is to be handed over to the Bodleian Library at Oxford. Nothing odd there, except...when they go to find the Flood book, it's not there. Nothing by a nice little empty space on the shelf where it should be. And the local clergyman Canon Revington, who is also an antiquarian, is absolutely certain that the book was on the shelf on the night of Snowe's death. Was that where the important discovery was? And was that the object of burglar? Canon Revington assures the sleuths that he's handled the book often over the years and can think of nothing "important" (other than to historians) therein.
The inquest is held--murder by person or persons unknown. And then a series of events happen--a solicitor's (not Snowe's) clerk, Skrimshaw, goes missing with 2,000 pounds in one pound notes stashed in small case. A bank clerk seems to know too much about both Snowe's and Skrimshaw's business. There are odd goings-on in a couple of tents on the local squire's property. Skrimshaw's favorite walking stick is found abandoned in a small boat. The local squire's very proper butler isn't telling all he knows. The trail takes Chaney, Camberwell, and Bailiss to Paris and back to a lonely farmstead where the trail ends with a small fortune and nice, old-fashioned shoot-out.
Fletcher, it seems to me, loves a good whodunnit with a thriller ending. Our story begins with a classic whodunnit--murder of a fairly unoffensive man; detectives hunt for clues and track down and interview suspects. Then we move into thriller territory--a "superior" villain who seems untouchable (despite our heroes now knowing precisely who's behind everything); a dash to another country in pursuit of said villain; surreptitious surveillance of the bad guy/s at a creepy abandoned farmhouse; much shooting with one hero injured and one poor, unnamed supporting good guy killed; nice, tidy ending with main villain killed (along with supporting villain and one unnamed henchman)--no expense for a trial (yay!).
I hadn't run across Camberwell and Chaney before--but Fletcher indicates that this isn't our heroes' first adventure (and a quick check of the internet shows me at least ten more with Camberwell (and, I assume, Chaney). I enjoyed this combination, especially in harness with Bailiss (one he got over his condensation towards "amateurs"). Clever gentlemen who seem to know exactly how to handle their business. Depending on the type of suspect/witness to be interviewed, either Camberwell or Chaney will take the lead. And each has his own methods of deduction which are interesting to watch put into practice. I will say that Fletcher needed to work a bit harder on camoflaging his villains. While it was fun to watch the detectives pursue their investigations, once met, it wasn't difficult who the main villain and supporting villain was. A bit more mud in the waters would have been good. But--overall a good read. ★★★ and 1/2 [rounded up here]
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
January 20, 2023
This was a potpourri or perhaps a pick-and-mix JS Fletcher which could have been subtitled "Reader:Choose Your Own Solution".
Contained within the mix were elements to be found in most of his other works, a death in a church, the miserly uncle, provincial clergy, declining aristocrats, shady lawyers, shady lawyers clerks, iffy bankers, lonely houses, mysterious countryside, strange wills, inheritances and financial shenanigans. Missing were any references to Yorkshire, jewel theft or civic corruption. Otherwise it was all there- except for a real solution.
It was almost as if , having driven us to a suitably melodramatic confrontation with some of the villains, the author decided to leave it up to the reader to put the pieces together, which is either quite an original or a very lazy way to end things.
It was never dull, but it reminded me of a jumble sale where you can be lucky if you pick out the good pieces, but often you come away feeling slightly shortchanged.
Contained within the mix were elements to be found in most of his other works, a death in a church, the miserly uncle, provincial clergy, declining aristocrats, shady lawyers, shady lawyers clerks, iffy bankers, lonely houses, mysterious countryside, strange wills, inheritances and financial shenanigans. Missing were any references to Yorkshire, jewel theft or civic corruption. Otherwise it was all there- except for a real solution.
It was almost as if , having driven us to a suitably melodramatic confrontation with some of the villains, the author decided to leave it up to the reader to put the pieces together, which is either quite an original or a very lazy way to end things.
It was never dull, but it reminded me of a jumble sale where you can be lucky if you pick out the good pieces, but often you come away feeling slightly shortchanged.
September 6, 2022
LONG sentences, lots of clauses. Too many names starting with "C" ( Chippendale, Camberwell, Chaney, Clayning, and Celia - a stage name) to mention a few. Long involved descriptions of walking across a field, or having tea. There is a long string of criminals and/or associates to get through to reach the solution. Then, it just ends. And honestly, I don't remember who killed Alfred Snowe. I'm just glad it's over with. Going straight to my donate pile.
November 4, 2023
This 1934 novel is better than the ratings seem to imply. The well written story is told from the investigative standpoint and involving multiple locations and possible motives. The thought processes of the investigators reflect what readers are thinking when the various twists and turns are presented. Suspense is reserved until the end which is abrupt, but that was often also my feeling with Agatha Christie.
October 2, 2022
What a disappointment! 25 chapters of slogging through questions, restated questions, postulations, trips across the Channel...and no real denouement, no explanation of all that had happened, no trying up of loose ends. I feel cheated.
February 23, 2025
This book was a solid 3 stars until the last few chapters, when it got convoluted. Then it just ended, with no explanation or tying up of loose ends. Very unsatisfactory.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews