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Charles Venables #1
Crime in Kensington
Charles Venables, journalist and ex-detective, is looking for lodgings in London and decides to investigate the Garden Hotel in Kensington, where his friend Lady Viola is also staying. Some of the other guests are less amenable, however, and Charles's suspicions are instantly aroused when the first thing he hears on approaching the hotel is a threat of murder. Shortly afterwards, the hotel's proprietor, Mrs. Budge, is attacked and apparently kidnapped. A further gruesome discovery reveals that a ruthless killer is at work in this quiet corner of London - and soon Charles finds himself revisiting his previous vocation as he joins forces with his old acquaintance Inspector Bray to solve the sensational mystery of the Garden Hotel!Originally published in 1933, this is a classic British murder mystery from the golden age of crime fiction.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1933
About the author
Christopher St. John Sprigg
20 books13 followersChristopher St. John Sprigg aka Christopher Caudwell was a British Marxist writer, thinker and poet.
He was born into a Roman Catholic family, resident at 53 Montserrat Road, Putney. He was educated at the Benedictine Ealing Priory School, but left school at the age of 15 after his father, Stanhope Sprigg, lost his job as literary editor of the Daily Express. Caudwell moved with his father to Bradford and began work as a reporter for the Yorkshire Observer. He made his way to Marxism and set about rethinking everything in light of it, from poetry to philosophy to physics, later joining the Communist Party of Great Britain in Poplar, London.
In December 1936 he drove an ambulance to Spain and joined the International Brigades there, training as a machine-gunner at Albacete before becoming a machine-gun instructor and group political delegate. He edited a wall newspaper.
He was killed in action on 12 February 1937, the first day of the Battle of the Jarama Valley. His brother, Theodore, had attempted to have Caudwell recalled by the Communist Party of Great Britain by showing its General Secretary, Harry Pollitt, the proofs of Caudwell's book Illusion and Reality. Caudwell's Marxist works were published posthumously. The first was Illusion and Reality (1937), an analysis of poetry.
Caudwell published widely, writing criticism, poetry, short stories and novels. Much of his work was published posthumously.
He was born into a Roman Catholic family, resident at 53 Montserrat Road, Putney. He was educated at the Benedictine Ealing Priory School, but left school at the age of 15 after his father, Stanhope Sprigg, lost his job as literary editor of the Daily Express. Caudwell moved with his father to Bradford and began work as a reporter for the Yorkshire Observer. He made his way to Marxism and set about rethinking everything in light of it, from poetry to philosophy to physics, later joining the Communist Party of Great Britain in Poplar, London.
In December 1936 he drove an ambulance to Spain and joined the International Brigades there, training as a machine-gunner at Albacete before becoming a machine-gun instructor and group political delegate. He edited a wall newspaper.
He was killed in action on 12 February 1937, the first day of the Battle of the Jarama Valley. His brother, Theodore, had attempted to have Caudwell recalled by the Communist Party of Great Britain by showing its General Secretary, Harry Pollitt, the proofs of Caudwell's book Illusion and Reality. Caudwell's Marxist works were published posthumously. The first was Illusion and Reality (1937), an analysis of poetry.
Caudwell published widely, writing criticism, poetry, short stories and novels. Much of his work was published posthumously.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
May 3, 2025
For a long time at the beginning I felt this was going to be a satirical little poke at the murder mystery genre. Charles Venables, a man with a hidden past himself, is recommended to take a room at the small Garden Hotel in Kensington when he moves to London. It is remarkably cheap for the service provided and is full of eccentric residents. Then Mrs. Budge, the owner, is murdered and her body dismembered, her various parts hidden in different places in the hotel. The severed head in the hatbox is particularly disturbing.
From then the satire slips away as Inspector Bray of Scotland Yard is called in to investigate and Charles, supposedly a jobbing society gossip journalist, begins to show unexpected expertise. Why was the inoffensive Mrs. Budge killed? Who is Mr. Budge? Were the Budges ever actually married? Why do some residents pay thousands of pounds a month to stay in such a dull middle class hotel while others only a few pounds? How has the hotel kept itself running financially? Little seems to make sense until Charles finds some telling clues and life becomes unexpectedly dangerous in this quiet corner of Kensington.
The novel may have a shaky start as the eccentricities of the residents seem a little too far fetched to be funny, but then it speeds up - and speeds up. A seance, a former circus trapeze artist, Charles' former job in Geneva as one of Xavier Cunningham's "Chicks", and the apparently quite, gentle knitter Miss Sanctuary all come together to make a lively, teasing mystery.
From then the satire slips away as Inspector Bray of Scotland Yard is called in to investigate and Charles, supposedly a jobbing society gossip journalist, begins to show unexpected expertise. Why was the inoffensive Mrs. Budge killed? Who is Mr. Budge? Were the Budges ever actually married? Why do some residents pay thousands of pounds a month to stay in such a dull middle class hotel while others only a few pounds? How has the hotel kept itself running financially? Little seems to make sense until Charles finds some telling clues and life becomes unexpectedly dangerous in this quiet corner of Kensington.
The novel may have a shaky start as the eccentricities of the residents seem a little too far fetched to be funny, but then it speeds up - and speeds up. A seance, a former circus trapeze artist, Charles' former job in Geneva as one of Xavier Cunningham's "Chicks", and the apparently quite, gentle knitter Miss Sanctuary all come together to make a lively, teasing mystery.
June 7, 2023
When Charles Venables arrives at the Garden Hotel he immediately senses a strange atmosphere compounded by a mysterious conversation overheard between the proprietors, and a collection of eccentric guests. Then one of the proprietors is abducted and further gruesome discoveries made. Charles, now the society contributor of a daily newspaper, calls upon his previous experience as detective to assist Scotland Yard in their investigation. An interesting setting and well-plotted murder mystery of the Golden Age which I enjoyed and I hope to read more by the author.
November 11, 2018
I was amused to find this set in the Garden Hotel in Kensington — no doubt a fictional invention of the author, and a very strange place. In 1984 my family spent one hilarious night staying in a basement room of the Garden Hotel in Kensington. Most appropriate.
There is a clever plot driving this book, marred for me by a somewhat cynical and smart-alecky tone to the dialogue and minimal character development. Charles Venables, the young journalist and man-about town is too slick and sure of himself to be attractive. DI Bray is deliberately downplayed to the point of bland and unlikely subordination.
It is a shame, because there is a great story here. Perhaps if the author had lived longer he’d have curbed the tendency to show off and written brilliant crime fiction.t
There is a clever plot driving this book, marred for me by a somewhat cynical and smart-alecky tone to the dialogue and minimal character development. Charles Venables, the young journalist and man-about town is too slick and sure of himself to be attractive. DI Bray is deliberately downplayed to the point of bland and unlikely subordination.
It is a shame, because there is a great story here. Perhaps if the author had lived longer he’d have curbed the tendency to show off and written brilliant crime fiction.t
March 31, 2020
Me ha sorprendido para bien este libro. A estas alturas es difícil que una clásica novela de detectives británica de los años 30 aporte algo de originalidad, y ésta lo consigue. Se sale de la norma de las novelas de la época en muchos aspectos, aunque en otros es bastante convencional: el asesino se adivina desde el principio; el detective aficionado es una mezcla curiosa de Lord Peter Wimsey y el reportero Rouletabille; el inspector de Scotland Yard es un modelo standard que combina estolidez, incompetencia inexplicable en algunos casos y tenacidad a toda prueba, pero resulta simpático; la galería de personajes tiene de todo lo habitual: coronel angloindio, solteronas chismosas, médico-clérigo excéntrico... Pero da la sensación de que tanto estereotipo es intencionado y que, en el fondo, el autor se está burlando de un género y sus convenciones, logrando darles una vuelta de tuerca bastante lograda.
Como fallos más destacables, el romance del protagonista no acaba de convencer, el número de personajes me parece excesivo (demasiadas ancianas viudas o solteronas y demasiado iguales; al final no se distinguen unas de otras y uno se pierde) y el autor no sabe muy bien qué hacer con ellos al final, el desenlace resulta un tanto apresurado y convencional después de una trama que hacía esperar algo más original, y además hay un par de incoherencias que con una edición más atenta se podrían haber evitado.
En suma, una agradable sorpresa. Da para pasar una tarde entretenida, que es lo que pretende, ni más ni menos. Me ha gustado bastante más que "Muerte de un aviador", del mismo autor, que prometía mucho y no llegó a cuajar, además de hacerse pesada.
Como fallos más destacables, el romance del protagonista no acaba de convencer, el número de personajes me parece excesivo (demasiadas ancianas viudas o solteronas y demasiado iguales; al final no se distinguen unas de otras y uno se pierde) y el autor no sabe muy bien qué hacer con ellos al final, el desenlace resulta un tanto apresurado y convencional después de una trama que hacía esperar algo más original, y además hay un par de incoherencias que con una edición más atenta se podrían haber evitado.
En suma, una agradable sorpresa. Da para pasar una tarde entretenida, que es lo que pretende, ni más ni menos. Me ha gustado bastante más que "Muerte de un aviador", del mismo autor, que prometía mucho y no llegó a cuajar, además de hacerse pesada.
October 30, 2019
Porque no hay nada más fascinante y divertido que tratar de dilucidar un asesinato a golpe de conjeturas y descartes, “Crimen en Kensington” ha hecho que me vuelva a poner la gabardina y empuñado la lupa para intentar encontrar al asesino que anda suelto en The Garden Hotel.
Y es que, de inicio ya sucede algo extraño, sus huéspedes se comportan de un modo misterioso y ya, cuando la propietaria del lugar aparece asesinada y su cuerpo desmembrado por los rincones del hotel, hasta el apuntador es sospechoso. Su marido, dos adorables ancianitas, un bacteriólogo o un estudiante de medicina entre otros, serán investigados por un inspector algo desorientado y por el gran protagonista de esta historia, el periodista y aficionado investigador Charles Venables.
Con el esquema típico de las novelas de los años 20 y 30 (del que Ronald Knox confeccionó los 10 mandamientos de la novela negra), su autor nos regala un enigma que deberemos desentrañar siendo astutos y observadores.
Una delicia de libro que para los amantes de la novela negra clásica, es de obligada lectura.
Gracias a @sherlockeditorial por dejarme disfrutar de estas obras y sobre todo, por recuperarlas para el disfrute de todos.
Y es que, de inicio ya sucede algo extraño, sus huéspedes se comportan de un modo misterioso y ya, cuando la propietaria del lugar aparece asesinada y su cuerpo desmembrado por los rincones del hotel, hasta el apuntador es sospechoso. Su marido, dos adorables ancianitas, un bacteriólogo o un estudiante de medicina entre otros, serán investigados por un inspector algo desorientado y por el gran protagonista de esta historia, el periodista y aficionado investigador Charles Venables.
Con el esquema típico de las novelas de los años 20 y 30 (del que Ronald Knox confeccionó los 10 mandamientos de la novela negra), su autor nos regala un enigma que deberemos desentrañar siendo astutos y observadores.
Una delicia de libro que para los amantes de la novela negra clásica, es de obligada lectura.
Gracias a @sherlockeditorial por dejarme disfrutar de estas obras y sobre todo, por recuperarlas para el disfrute de todos.
December 25, 2019
es un libro que he disfrutado mucho! la narración me ha gustado, ha sido una lectura muy agradable. el final no me lo esperaba para nada, ha sido muy sorprendente :)
la verdad es que el único punto negativo que le veo es que al inicio se hace un poco pesado, por la confusión con los personajes. aún así, en el principio del libro hay una guia de personajes, echo que facilita bastante la comprensión de la historia.
la verdad es que el único punto negativo que le veo es que al inicio se hace un poco pesado, por la confusión con los personajes. aún así, en el principio del libro hay una guia de personajes, echo que facilita bastante la comprensión de la historia.
October 5, 2026
If you like your mysteries witty and well-written with eccentric characters, you'll love this one.
It was published in 1933 and was the first of this author's seven book-length mysteries. Sadly, Sprigg was only 29 years old when he died in the Spanish Revolution. While Hitler and Mussolini were grabbing headlines, Spanish revolutionaries were fighting Franco's Fascist dictatorship. Idealistic young men from England and the U.S. joined the battle. The freedom-fighters were defeated and massacred and Franco settled into decades of brutal dictatorship, funded by Western governments.
Sprigg took his politics seriously, but had a lighter side, too. This book is always entertaining and frequently hilarious, which is how I like my mysteries. Being grim about murder, blackmail, drug dealing and other crimes won't stop them from happening, so why shouldn't we get a laugh out of them?
Charles Venables, journalist, man-about-town, and amateur detective, is featured in several of Sprigg's books and he's an appealing hero. Coming from an old county family, he knows many of the upper crust. The flamboyant London newspaper the "Mercury" hires him as their social reporter, which suits him fine. His only work history is an unpaid internship at an international organization. In the midst of a depression, he's happy to have a job writing about hi-jinks in high society.
Childhood friend Lady Viola insists he take rooms at the Garden Hotel, where she lives. The rents are low and the food good, but she's convinced there's something shady about the place. Sure enough, Charles overhears a suspicious conversation between the hotel manager (Mrs Budge) and her husband. They've got a game, but what?
Another childhood friend is Detective Inspector Bray of Scotland Yard, so when one of the Budges disappears, Bray is willing to listen to Charles' theories. They bicker and disagree, but Bray knows Charles is more intelligent than he acts and includes him in the investigation. The "Mercury" happily promotes him from Society Editor to Chief Crime Reporter. Bloody crimes sell even more newspapers than aristocratic scandals.
The missing person is found, but not all in one place, if you get my drift. Wouldn't dismembering a large mammal be more complicated than (say) cutting up a chicken? If I wrote mysteries instead of reading them, I'd learn not to ask such questions. Now Inspector Bray (with Charles tagging along) must find a killer and figure out why the corpse was disposed of so oddly.
The inhabitants of the Garden Hotel are odd themselves. Mr Budge helps his wife manage the hotel, but he also owns a laundry which washes more than clothes and linens. The Rev Septimus Blood is milder than his name suggests, but he's an MD and does research with deadly bacteria. Mrs Salterton-Deeley owns a clothing store and was high strung even before she discovered her hat box didn't have a hat in it. Miss Mumby is rich, owns a multitude of cats, and conducts seances. She's crackers.
Miss Geranium is a religious fanatic, convinced God is ready to destroy the wicked human race. Miss Hectoring is supposed to be keeping her out of trouble, but she's weird, too. Colonel Cantrip is the typical bluff retired military man, but has outbursts of weeping. The Egyptian Eppoliki sports one glass eye and has failed more exams at his medical school than all the other students combined. Mrs Walton is tough to figure. Should a beautiful young widow engaged to an adoring wealthy man be so glum and nervous?
The only normal ones are Charles, Lady Viola, and Miss Sanctuary. She's a Miss Marple-type, knitting and smiling sweetly at everyone. Still, people consult her about their problems, sensing a shrewd brain underneath the fluffy white curls. She doesn't miss much and both Inspector Bray and Charles Venables rely on her for information.
Bray is an intelligent man who knows his job, but Venables has the advantage of knowing his fellow residents. And his unpaid internship after college wasn't as insignificant as it looked. The two old friends are a good working team, since they like and respect each other, but don't hesitate to disagree in blunt, colorful language.
The ending took me by surprise, but they usually do. I was too busy enjoying the strange characters and the witty conversations to pay much attention to the clues. I think it's one of the best Golden Age mysteries I've ever read and I'm looking forward to reading more in the series.
It was published in 1933 and was the first of this author's seven book-length mysteries. Sadly, Sprigg was only 29 years old when he died in the Spanish Revolution. While Hitler and Mussolini were grabbing headlines, Spanish revolutionaries were fighting Franco's Fascist dictatorship. Idealistic young men from England and the U.S. joined the battle. The freedom-fighters were defeated and massacred and Franco settled into decades of brutal dictatorship, funded by Western governments.
Sprigg took his politics seriously, but had a lighter side, too. This book is always entertaining and frequently hilarious, which is how I like my mysteries. Being grim about murder, blackmail, drug dealing and other crimes won't stop them from happening, so why shouldn't we get a laugh out of them?
Charles Venables, journalist, man-about-town, and amateur detective, is featured in several of Sprigg's books and he's an appealing hero. Coming from an old county family, he knows many of the upper crust. The flamboyant London newspaper the "Mercury" hires him as their social reporter, which suits him fine. His only work history is an unpaid internship at an international organization. In the midst of a depression, he's happy to have a job writing about hi-jinks in high society.
Childhood friend Lady Viola insists he take rooms at the Garden Hotel, where she lives. The rents are low and the food good, but she's convinced there's something shady about the place. Sure enough, Charles overhears a suspicious conversation between the hotel manager (Mrs Budge) and her husband. They've got a game, but what?
Another childhood friend is Detective Inspector Bray of Scotland Yard, so when one of the Budges disappears, Bray is willing to listen to Charles' theories. They bicker and disagree, but Bray knows Charles is more intelligent than he acts and includes him in the investigation. The "Mercury" happily promotes him from Society Editor to Chief Crime Reporter. Bloody crimes sell even more newspapers than aristocratic scandals.
The missing person is found, but not all in one place, if you get my drift. Wouldn't dismembering a large mammal be more complicated than (say) cutting up a chicken? If I wrote mysteries instead of reading them, I'd learn not to ask such questions. Now Inspector Bray (with Charles tagging along) must find a killer and figure out why the corpse was disposed of so oddly.
The inhabitants of the Garden Hotel are odd themselves. Mr Budge helps his wife manage the hotel, but he also owns a laundry which washes more than clothes and linens. The Rev Septimus Blood is milder than his name suggests, but he's an MD and does research with deadly bacteria. Mrs Salterton-Deeley owns a clothing store and was high strung even before she discovered her hat box didn't have a hat in it. Miss Mumby is rich, owns a multitude of cats, and conducts seances. She's crackers.
Miss Geranium is a religious fanatic, convinced God is ready to destroy the wicked human race. Miss Hectoring is supposed to be keeping her out of trouble, but she's weird, too. Colonel Cantrip is the typical bluff retired military man, but has outbursts of weeping. The Egyptian Eppoliki sports one glass eye and has failed more exams at his medical school than all the other students combined. Mrs Walton is tough to figure. Should a beautiful young widow engaged to an adoring wealthy man be so glum and nervous?
The only normal ones are Charles, Lady Viola, and Miss Sanctuary. She's a Miss Marple-type, knitting and smiling sweetly at everyone. Still, people consult her about their problems, sensing a shrewd brain underneath the fluffy white curls. She doesn't miss much and both Inspector Bray and Charles Venables rely on her for information.
Bray is an intelligent man who knows his job, but Venables has the advantage of knowing his fellow residents. And his unpaid internship after college wasn't as insignificant as it looked. The two old friends are a good working team, since they like and respect each other, but don't hesitate to disagree in blunt, colorful language.
The ending took me by surprise, but they usually do. I was too busy enjoying the strange characters and the witty conversations to pay much attention to the clues. I think it's one of the best Golden Age mysteries I've ever read and I'm looking forward to reading more in the series.
May 21, 2023
This is set in boarding house in London. Charles Venables, a journalist, is recommended the place to stay by Viola Merritt, the woman he he like to marry. He is not there long before the landlord of the hotel goes missing, and later found to be dead. Venables finds that the police detective is an old acquaintance of his and the two share ideas on what may have happened.
At first I found this story rather humorous, but it soon became a different matter, encompassing quite a few crimes along the way,and made a very good mystery read.
At first I found this story rather humorous, but it soon became a different matter, encompassing quite a few crimes along the way,and made a very good mystery read.
October 9, 2021
Charles Venables has spent less than 10 minutes in the Garden Hotel in Kensington, before he overhears the owners, Mr and Mrs Budge, engaged in a vicious quarrel that also seems to indicate that the hotel is not quite what it seems. Charles, who has come to the hotel at the request of his friend Lady Viola, scrutinizes the various guests at the Garden Hotel with some suspicion, a suspicion that is justified when Mrs. Budge disappears from her bedroom and another guest is violently tied up. Scotland Yard is called in, but of course it's the amateur sleuths (Charles and Lady Viola) who find the clues and identify the guilty party.
I thought this was an entertaining story. The eccentric guests at the Garden Hotel were funny, and there were enough twists in the story to keep the reader's attention. At some point I did guess the murderer, but the motive stumped me until quite late in the story, when an element of tragedy crept into the comedy. All in all : a good example of the Golden Age of Mystery story, unjustly forgotten.
(Note : some racist stereotyping of one of the guests at the Garden Hotel)
I thought this was an entertaining story. The eccentric guests at the Garden Hotel were funny, and there were enough twists in the story to keep the reader's attention. At some point I did guess the murderer, but the motive stumped me until quite late in the story, when an element of tragedy crept into the comedy. All in all : a good example of the Golden Age of Mystery story, unjustly forgotten.
(Note : some racist stereotyping of one of the guests at the Garden Hotel)
May 29, 2016
Unfortunately, this author wrote only a few mysteries before his untimely death. This is the second one I've read by him. In it, young journalist Charles Venables moves into the Garden Hotel where his sometimes-girlfriend Lady Viola is living; she recommends it as comfortable, cheap, and vaguely mysterious. When a body is found, Scotland Yard sends a detective who is one of Charles' oldest friends. Sprigg includes characters that resemble those met in other books of the period, but his are quirkier, more real in some respects, and the plot jumps all over the place as Charles and the police both investigate.
December 13, 2022
really silly.
Some things that happened were never even mentioned in trying to solve the murder. The number of ridiculous happenings made no sense. I like thirties mysteries but not this one.
Some things that happened were never even mentioned in trying to solve the murder. The number of ridiculous happenings made no sense. I like thirties mysteries but not this one.
June 27, 2023
Charles Venables, a jobbing journalist, finds himself at the Garden Hotel in Kensington where the woman he loves, Lady Viola, is staying. He finds himself in the middle of a strange crime - the hotel proprietress Mrs Budge has disappeared from her sick bed and an elderly guest, Miss Sanctuary, has been attacked and tied up. Charles takes the opportunity to become crime reporter as events unfold and he assists his friend Inspector Bray of Scotland Yard to track down a dangerous killer.
This began in quite a light hearted vein - Charles has the vague insouciance of a Lord Peter Wimsey or Albert Campion - but darkened as the plot unfolded. The outwardly respectable hotel is revealed as a place with sordid secrets, and the eccentric bunch of characters living there are not as harmless and lovable as they initially appear. The eventual denouement is quite nail biting, with a strangely compelling and affecting ending.
Reading a mystery like this one clarifies for me why I rarely find a modern attempt at a Golden Age mystery can match the originals. There is a boldness and clarity in both subject matter and writing, a menace in the setting, and an atmosphere of moral judgement that can make even the lighter stories powerful and interesting- and Sprigg is a very capable exponent of this.
This began in quite a light hearted vein - Charles has the vague insouciance of a Lord Peter Wimsey or Albert Campion - but darkened as the plot unfolded. The outwardly respectable hotel is revealed as a place with sordid secrets, and the eccentric bunch of characters living there are not as harmless and lovable as they initially appear. The eventual denouement is quite nail biting, with a strangely compelling and affecting ending.
Reading a mystery like this one clarifies for me why I rarely find a modern attempt at a Golden Age mystery can match the originals. There is a boldness and clarity in both subject matter and writing, a menace in the setting, and an atmosphere of moral judgement that can make even the lighter stories powerful and interesting- and Sprigg is a very capable exponent of this.
June 21, 2019
"Omicidio a kensington" è l'opera gialla prima di Christopher St. John Sprigg. Su tale opera ho parecchie perplessità: prima di tutto lo stile, decisamente caotico per via dei capitoli brevi, a mo' di intermezzi, in cui si passa da uno scenario ad un altro, non facendo focalizzare l'attenzione del lettore su un preciso evento e, quindi, rendendo tutto estremamente frammentario; altra cosa che mi ha reso dubbioso sulla votazione è l'assenza di caratterizzazione dei personaggi, che vengono presentati tutti in un breve spazio, e non si ha possibilità di individuarli bene; ultimo ma non meno importante, la soluzione mi ha un po' spiazzato. A parte il fatto che l'impossibilità della fuga dell'assassino descritta nella trama non viene neanche minimamente sfiorata nel corso del romanzo, la meccanica è un po' forzata: come ha fatto una signora anziana, nonostante si sia allenata per anni, a compiere tutte quelle azioni? Insomma, un po' deludente, anche perché arrivare al colpevole è semplice (intuitivamente, in quanto non c'è l'ombra di un indizio). Quindi per me sono 3 stelle e mezzo che arrotondo per difetto.
June 30, 2019
This is a 1933 British mystery by Christopher St. John Sprigg. The book has an alternative title "Pass the Body" which actually is probably more descriptive. The story is about a small resident hotel in Kensington called the Garden Hotel and the murders that happened there. It turns out the hotel is a front for selling drugs to addicts. Many of the residents are heroin addicts who stay there by paying high rents (2000 British pounds a year in 1933) in return for a steady supply of heroin. It so happens the owners of the hotel also engage in some blackmails on the side. When one of their victims' mother tried to save her daughter from ruin, she killed one, and then the other, blackmailer.
The plot is quite interesting and the writing is good. There are a few twists and turns and the solutions came quite unexpectedly. There are also some graphic descriptions of dismembered bodies that you don't see quite often in Golden Age cozy mysteries.
The plot is quite interesting and the writing is good. There are a few twists and turns and the solutions came quite unexpectedly. There are also some graphic descriptions of dismembered bodies that you don't see quite often in Golden Age cozy mysteries.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2023
Published in 1933, this is the second mystery by Christopher St John Sprigg, whose career was cut short by his untimely death in 1937 in the Spanish Civil War.
Charles Venables is a journalist, who goes to live at The Garden Hotel in Kensington. Lady Viola Merritt has suggested he stay there until he finds somewhere more permanant and, as he is trying to convice her to marry him, he happily turns up. Viola feels something is amiss at the hotel and, as soon as he arrives, Charles overhears an odd conversation and, before long, the proprietress, Mrs Budge, vanishes.
This is an interesting mystery, with a good cast of characters, an involved plot and it is not as cosy as modern attempts to replicate these Golden Age books suggest. I am keen to read more by this author and am pleased his books are available on kindle.
Charles Venables is a journalist, who goes to live at The Garden Hotel in Kensington. Lady Viola Merritt has suggested he stay there until he finds somewhere more permanant and, as he is trying to convice her to marry him, he happily turns up. Viola feels something is amiss at the hotel and, as soon as he arrives, Charles overhears an odd conversation and, before long, the proprietress, Mrs Budge, vanishes.
This is an interesting mystery, with a good cast of characters, an involved plot and it is not as cosy as modern attempts to replicate these Golden Age books suggest. I am keen to read more by this author and am pleased his books are available on kindle.
October 4, 2018
Most enjoyable tale of the murder of Mrs Budge, the oddly wealthy owner of the Garden Hotel.
The guests are a mixed and somewhat eccentric bunch and are amusingly depicted.
There is a mixture of amateur and professional detection and some light romance.
Charles Venables, newspaper reporter and not -so-amateur sleuth appears to fall into the category of the 30's "silly ass" detective , but the reader should not be fooled by appearances.
Excellent story, especially for a first attempt at the genre.
The guests are a mixed and somewhat eccentric bunch and are amusingly depicted.
There is a mixture of amateur and professional detection and some light romance.
Charles Venables, newspaper reporter and not -so-amateur sleuth appears to fall into the category of the 30's "silly ass" detective , but the reader should not be fooled by appearances.
Excellent story, especially for a first attempt at the genre.
March 10, 2019
Old fashioned mystery
This book was a little slow-going, but it was such a bizarre tale that I couldn't stop reading it. The setting seemed to be 1930's London. The characters were residents at a very well-run hotel which was also inexpensive. Charles, a neophyte newsman, goes to live at the hotel at the urging of his friend Viola, and the two try their hand at helping the real detective solve the murder of their landlady. The end was unexpected, though logical. Give yourself a great and plow through the 1930 pace to the end. An intriguing book.
This book was a little slow-going, but it was such a bizarre tale that I couldn't stop reading it. The setting seemed to be 1930's London. The characters were residents at a very well-run hotel which was also inexpensive. Charles, a neophyte newsman, goes to live at the hotel at the urging of his friend Viola, and the two try their hand at helping the real detective solve the murder of their landlady. The end was unexpected, though logical. Give yourself a great and plow through the 1930 pace to the end. An intriguing book.
June 6, 2019
This book is a period piece, and very much of its time. The amateur detective is aristocratic, but has to work as a journalist to make ends meet. Conveniently the investigating police officer is an old friend who accepts him as a collaborator in solving the central mystery. In its way it owes a lot to Lord Peter Wimsey and his ilk.
Like all murder mysteries it has a twist at the end (I did not see it coming). It is cliched (there is a classic damsel in distress rescued by hero moment near the end) but despite this it is lightly and entertainingly written.
Like all murder mysteries it has a twist at the end (I did not see it coming). It is cliched (there is a classic damsel in distress rescued by hero moment near the end) but despite this it is lightly and entertainingly written.
October 30, 2018
Enjoyable old mystery.
This mystery has many twists and turns before the true murdered is revealed.
Several people have lived at a hotel for many years but pay extremely high rents to stay the. The wife of the owner is murdered and her body disappears only to show up in th laundry basket and then in in pieces in various locations
This mystery has many twists and turns before the true murdered is revealed.
Several people have lived at a hotel for many years but pay extremely high rents to stay the. The wife of the owner is murdered and her body disappears only to show up in th laundry basket and then in in pieces in various locations
March 29, 2019
Badly written but I read it
There's just something so bad about this story. The writing is bad, the character names are silly, clues are withheld and the detective/journalist dynamic is ridiculous. But overall I'm glad I read it. There were enough unexpected moments to keep me entertained.
There's just something so bad about this story. The writing is bad, the character names are silly, clues are withheld and the detective/journalist dynamic is ridiculous. But overall I'm glad I read it. There were enough unexpected moments to keep me entertained.
November 11, 2021
One of the down side of the British Library Classics which they cherry pick the author's best work and leave behind a disappointing body of work. So I wasn't sure what "Crime in Kensington" would be like but was pleasantly surprised by a cleverly crafted murder at a London hotel. With a decapitated head and all the suspects in the same place the author still produced a clever twist to finish.
June 5, 2023
This is the second book I've read by this author, and I didn't enjoy it as much as Death of an Airman. There is a cast of eccentric characters, a likeable amateur detective, an understanding professional investigator, an almost locked room murder, and touches of humor. However, after an interesting beginning, I rather lost interest in the story.
December 29, 2018
Fun Read
This is as cozy as they get in the most delicious and old-fashioned way! There is wit, eccentric characters, some romance, and this story wears its age well!
This is as cozy as they get in the most delicious and old-fashioned way! There is wit, eccentric characters, some romance, and this story wears its age well!
January 17, 2019
Great narrative, kept me reading.
March 18, 2019
A period piece, and talky, but a clever whodunit.
July 5, 2020
Didn’t quite hold my attention...
September 4, 2023
Most ingenious.
November 28, 2024
A decent locked room mystery, somewhat let down by dense police officers.
July 25, 2026
I’ve twice tried to read this book but couldn’t get passed the silliness of the first part of the narrative. Silly names, silly cat stuff, sort of parodying a detective story.
October 24, 2018
Well written with a nice touch of wit, I thoroughly enjoyed this book even if it was a bit far-fetched. Lots of characters which took a while to familiarise with.
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