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Dr. R.V. Davie #1
Death’s Bright Dart
The quiet room seemed to explode. People started out of their seats. Exclamations, reserved and small in themselves, amalgamated like a whistle of steam. As there was nothing he could do. Davie stood watching the extraordinary picture’
It was just another conference in a Cambridge College during the vacation – or so it seemed. But there were some disturbing features about it. For one thing rather too many people there knew rather too much about some very nasty poisons. Then someone stole a lethal blow-pipe from a local exhibition. So elderly but spry Dr Davie turned detective.
Originally published in 1967
It was just another conference in a Cambridge College during the vacation – or so it seemed. But there were some disturbing features about it. For one thing rather too many people there knew rather too much about some very nasty poisons. Then someone stole a lethal blow-pipe from a local exhibition. So elderly but spry Dr Davie turned detective.
Originally published in 1967
218 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1967
259 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
V.C. Clinton-Baddeley
29 books6 followersV(ictor Vaughan Reynolds Geraint) C(linton) Clinton-Baddeley was born in Devon, England. He received an M.A. in history from Jesus College, Cambridge. For a time he was editor of the modern history section of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, but soon turned to theatre and acting and then to radio, where he worked with W. B. Yeats as his poetry reader. His previous writings include works of literary and theatre research, pantomimes, operettas, and plays.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 24, 2020
I do love an academic mystery! I wish that the story had been longer and the suspects more developed as characters. As it was, several of them seemed to be indistinguishable to me. Professor Davie is always endearing as a sleuth, it is a shame that there are only five books in the series.
June 14, 2017
Dr. R.V. Davie, retired college professor and amateur detective, is attending a scientific symposium at the College of St. Nicholas at Cambridge. What is to be an informative and academic event becomes dramatic when murder happens.
Among the learned professors attending is Dr. Brauer, an ambitious, handsome, egotistical man and the featured speaker at the conference. As he takes the podium to speak, he hesitates and then collapses. He has been felled by a poison dart.
There is a museum on the college grounds, which houses a collection of primitive weapons. A blow gun has gone missing and Brauer's death makes the missing weapon a focal point.
During Dr. Davie's investigation, it turns out that a number of the good professors have some deep secrets and possible motives for wanting Brauer dead, and some secrets that may be dark but of no importance. Skeletons in many closets. These all lend themselves to a twisting plot that can surprise the reader at the end.
They style of the writing has a taste of Dickens with the names and descriptions. As it is set in England and in a setting in academia it all fits nicely, in my opinion.
Among the learned professors attending is Dr. Brauer, an ambitious, handsome, egotistical man and the featured speaker at the conference. As he takes the podium to speak, he hesitates and then collapses. He has been felled by a poison dart.
There is a museum on the college grounds, which houses a collection of primitive weapons. A blow gun has gone missing and Brauer's death makes the missing weapon a focal point.
During Dr. Davie's investigation, it turns out that a number of the good professors have some deep secrets and possible motives for wanting Brauer dead, and some secrets that may be dark but of no importance. Skeletons in many closets. These all lend themselves to a twisting plot that can surprise the reader at the end.
They style of the writing has a taste of Dickens with the names and descriptions. As it is set in England and in a setting in academia it all fits nicely, in my opinion.
September 2, 2021
A fun academic mystery set in Cambridge. Professor Bruen suddenly drops dead in the middle of his lecture on poisons. Hmm, what a coincidence! The forward compares this book to Michael Innes, Edmund Crispin, and others and I have to agree. Plenty of suspects, plenty of motives.
February 13, 2023
Excellent! There are red herrings and false trails in this really entertaining book from V. C. Clinton-Baddeley. This is the first in a series and I, for one, look forward to the next. The 'detective' in this series is Dr R V Davie of Cambridge University. Set in the 60's the story takes you back to a time when mobile phones and the internet hadn't even been thought of, or not by the average person anyway. The swinging 60's was just getting underway and life certainly seemed simpler. Solving crimes however, was just as difficult.
November 22, 2018
Decent classic-style murder mystery. Full review at classicmystery.blog
December 13, 2022
I liked it, but at a certain moment weren't the characters interesting enough to keep them in mind, and the story got confusing. Probably read it at a wrong moment....
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January 3, 2023Great holiday reading. I read the whole Dr. Davie series (only 4 or 5 books) which were written quite a few years ago. Nice to remember a different world.
January 30, 2023
Found this a bit staid & wordy. My wordwise dictionary has never had such a work out. Not a hang off every wird, page turning thriller
March 18, 2023
Not bad
I liked Dr. Davie, but thought the plot and other characters were just okay. However, I did enjoy the settings.
I liked Dr. Davie, but thought the plot and other characters were just okay. However, I did enjoy the settings.
June 6, 2023
Light, trivial, and rambling. Did not finish. Frivolity and comic mysteries tend not to work for me.
July 8, 2023
Absolute waste
I'm thankful I didn't pay any more than I did for this drivel. I'm sure this won't be passed on but I feel better.
I'm thankful I didn't pay any more than I did for this drivel. I'm sure this won't be passed on but I feel better.
February 17, 2023
I loved the amateur detective in this first book of a series by V.C. Clinton-Baddeley. Dr.R.V. Davie of Cambridge is a sweetheart. He was charming and self-effacing enough to make me ignore several aspects of this book which were irritating. I chose to ignore the book's dependence on the geography of the crime. It is just too difficult to keep referring back to an infinitesimal map on one's Kindle. I liked Dr. Davie sufficiently well that I could also ignore the fact that there were too many characters to keep sorted.
The novel has a satisfactory post war atmosphere and theme and an entirely satisfying conclusion. I look forward to reading other novels in this series.
The novel has a satisfactory post war atmosphere and theme and an entirely satisfying conclusion. I look forward to reading other novels in this series.
December 11, 2022
Victor Vaughan Reynolds Geraint Clinton Clinton-Baddeley (1900-1970), playwright, actor and founder of a company which recorded poetry and spoken word set to music, wrote five detective novels featuring the academic amateur detective Dr Davie, which were first published from 1967-1972. This is the first of four reissued by Joffe Ostara.
Set mainly in a Cambridge college, but with excursions to London and Ischia, it is a traditional mystery (complete with blow pipes and poison), amusingly written, with some wry and slightly acid observation of the contemporary (late1960s) British scene.
It is, to me, very much a playwright's novel, the murder scene being especially theatrical, with a lot of nicely- captured dialogue and some rather camp touches.
The plot reaches back to WW2 for the motivation behind the murder, and has some good pieces of deception. The solution turns on a matter of "who was where, when...?".
Dr Davie is a complex character, acutely observant, and an interesting addition to the realms of the detective-academic.
This was an enjoyable read and a great bargain.
Recommended.
3.5 stars.
Set mainly in a Cambridge college, but with excursions to London and Ischia, it is a traditional mystery (complete with blow pipes and poison), amusingly written, with some wry and slightly acid observation of the contemporary (late1960s) British scene.
It is, to me, very much a playwright's novel, the murder scene being especially theatrical, with a lot of nicely- captured dialogue and some rather camp touches.
The plot reaches back to WW2 for the motivation behind the murder, and has some good pieces of deception. The solution turns on a matter of "who was where, when...?".
Dr Davie is a complex character, acutely observant, and an interesting addition to the realms of the detective-academic.
This was an enjoyable read and a great bargain.
Recommended.
3.5 stars.
January 27, 2023
St. Nicholas's college Cambridge. Dr. Paul Brauer had just sstarted his speech when he collapsed dead. Does his death have anything to do with the conversation he had with puzzle solver Dr. Davies.
Dr Davie decides to aid Chief Inspector Hodge in his investigation.
An entertaining cozy modern mystery. A good start to this series.
Originally published in 1964
Dr Davie decides to aid Chief Inspector Hodge in his investigation.
An entertaining cozy modern mystery. A good start to this series.
Originally published in 1964
December 31, 2018
For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
February 12, 2008
I've had this book sitting on my shelf for years. I'm kicking myself in the rumpus for not reading it earlier; I would have been through the series (which I also have sitting on my shelf) by now and probably with good memories. I actually enjoyed this book; written in 1967, it is highly reminiscent of an earlier, more classic period of mystery writing that I enjoy so much.
Here's a brief description (don't worry; no spoilers):
A conference is held at Cambridge University in England, and as one of the featured speakers is up at the podium, he takes a drink of water, then keels over dead. Although the death is ruled at first as being due to natural causes, on further examination, it turns out to have been murder. And it wasn't from the water! As the investigation proceeds, there is one person, Dr. Davie, a septuagenarian Cambridge professor, who knows a secret that the dead man had lived with for much of his life. Davie wonders if that secret is what sent the speaker to his death. But in a crowded room full of academics and others, how will he ever figure out who could have pulled off such a crime?
I can't get enough of these really old books and I scour bookstores looking for these obscure titles just because they tend to be quite good and very well written. If you're a British mystery fan of the older school, you'll like this one. If you like academic mysteries, there's a lot here for you as well. I think I like this old Dr. Davie; I'm looking forward to reading his next installment.
Here's a brief description (don't worry; no spoilers):
A conference is held at Cambridge University in England, and as one of the featured speakers is up at the podium, he takes a drink of water, then keels over dead. Although the death is ruled at first as being due to natural causes, on further examination, it turns out to have been murder. And it wasn't from the water! As the investigation proceeds, there is one person, Dr. Davie, a septuagenarian Cambridge professor, who knows a secret that the dead man had lived with for much of his life. Davie wonders if that secret is what sent the speaker to his death. But in a crowded room full of academics and others, how will he ever figure out who could have pulled off such a crime?
I can't get enough of these really old books and I scour bookstores looking for these obscure titles just because they tend to be quite good and very well written. If you're a British mystery fan of the older school, you'll like this one. If you like academic mysteries, there's a lot here for you as well. I think I like this old Dr. Davie; I'm looking forward to reading his next installment.
July 8, 2011
From the back of the book: "The speaker stepped to the podium. The audience waited expectantly. But before the celebrated scientist could utter a word, he clutched his neck, gasped and fell to the ground--the victim of a poisoned dart.
Clearly someone at the conference could handle a primitive blowpipe with deadly precision. The inquisitive Dr. Davie did some research of his own and discovered that each of the distinguished scientists had something to hide. Now he had to discover which one was venomous enough to kill in order to protect his secret."
An excellent academic mystery. I was pleased to discover this series. Have read two and am on the look-out for more.
Clearly someone at the conference could handle a primitive blowpipe with deadly precision. The inquisitive Dr. Davie did some research of his own and discovered that each of the distinguished scientists had something to hide. Now he had to discover which one was venomous enough to kill in order to protect his secret."
An excellent academic mystery. I was pleased to discover this series. Have read two and am on the look-out for more.
February 12, 2009
Dr. Davie of Cambridge investigates the death of a lecturer. Although published in the late '60s, this read like an older book to me (that is as if it had been written before I was born). I wasn't too impressed although I generally like academic mysteries.
August 1, 2023
Who recommended it to me: Someone who is named zoe-lee but I no longer know who that is.
I'm not a fan of mysteries so I can't say if it was a good one or not, but I was definitely bored out of my mind, so one star.
I'm not a fan of mysteries so I can't say if it was a good one or not, but I was definitely bored out of my mind, so one star.
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February 9, 2010Death's bright dart by V. C Clinton-Baddeley (1970)
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews