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Dr. Priestley #27
Proceed with Caution
The Prologue / Part One - Jimmy's Case / Part 2 - Hanslet's Case / Part Three - Jimmy Gets a Shock / Part Four - Dr. Priestley Comes to the Rescue / Epilogue.
The first case is Jimmy's, that is Inspector Jimmy Waghorn's, a graduate of Cambridge and the Metropolitan Police College who had been for a couple of years attached to Superintendent Hanslet at Scotland Yard. A burnt and thus unidentifiable body has been found in a tar boiler. The circumstances involve a motor hearse, a mysterious commercial traveller and a local drunkard with a hare-lip and a disfigured ear. Jimmy's investigations soon seem to lead to the solution of the mystery. Hanslet's case is about a diamond merchant who disappeared with a valuable necklace. It seems to be easy, too.
But Jimmy gets a shock finding out that his solution for the body in the tar boiler is totally wrong. And Hanslet's results are also far from satisfactory. Both of them didn't follow the advice contained in the title of the novel ‘Proceed with Caution’. So Dr. Priestley comes to the rescue and suggests some new lines of investigation. He even does a bit of sleuthing himself and eventually presents the solution.
The first case is Jimmy's, that is Inspector Jimmy Waghorn's, a graduate of Cambridge and the Metropolitan Police College who had been for a couple of years attached to Superintendent Hanslet at Scotland Yard. A burnt and thus unidentifiable body has been found in a tar boiler. The circumstances involve a motor hearse, a mysterious commercial traveller and a local drunkard with a hare-lip and a disfigured ear. Jimmy's investigations soon seem to lead to the solution of the mystery. Hanslet's case is about a diamond merchant who disappeared with a valuable necklace. It seems to be easy, too.
But Jimmy gets a shock finding out that his solution for the body in the tar boiler is totally wrong. And Hanslet's results are also far from satisfactory. Both of them didn't follow the advice contained in the title of the novel ‘Proceed with Caution’. So Dr. Priestley comes to the rescue and suggests some new lines of investigation. He even does a bit of sleuthing himself and eventually presents the solution.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1937
19 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
John Rhode
144 books31 followersAKA Miles Burton, Cecil Waye, Cecil J.C. Street, I.O., F.O.O..
Cecil John Charles Street, MC, OBE, (1884 - January 1965), known as CJC Street and John Street, began his military career as an artillery officer in the British army. During the course of World War I, he became a propagandist for MI7, in which role he held the rank of Major. After the armistice, he alternated between Dublin and London during the Irish War of Independence as Information Officer for Dublin Castle, working closely with Lionel Curtis. He later earned his living as a prolific writer of detective novels.
He produced two long series of novels; one under the name of John Rhode featuring the forensic scientist Dr Priestley, and another under the name of Miles Burton featuring the investigator Desmond Merrion. Under the name Cecil Waye, Street produced four novels: The Figure of Eight; The End of the Chase; The Prime Minister's Pencil; and Murder at Monk's Barn. The Dr. Priestley novels were among the first after Sherlock Holmes to feature scientific detection of crime, such as analysing the mud on a suspect's shoes. Desmond Merrion is an amateur detective who works with Scotland Yard's Inspector Arnold.
Critic and author Julian Symons places this author as a prominent member of the "Humdrum" school of detective fiction. "Most of them came late to writing fiction, and few had much talent for it. They had some skill in constructing puzzles, nothing more, and ironically they fulfilled much better than S. S. Van Dine his dictum that the detective story properly belonged in the category of riddles or crossword puzzles. Most of the Humdrums were British, and among the best known of them were Major John Street.
-Wikipedia
Cecil John Charles Street, MC, OBE, (1884 - January 1965), known as CJC Street and John Street, began his military career as an artillery officer in the British army. During the course of World War I, he became a propagandist for MI7, in which role he held the rank of Major. After the armistice, he alternated between Dublin and London during the Irish War of Independence as Information Officer for Dublin Castle, working closely with Lionel Curtis. He later earned his living as a prolific writer of detective novels.
He produced two long series of novels; one under the name of John Rhode featuring the forensic scientist Dr Priestley, and another under the name of Miles Burton featuring the investigator Desmond Merrion. Under the name Cecil Waye, Street produced four novels: The Figure of Eight; The End of the Chase; The Prime Minister's Pencil; and Murder at Monk's Barn. The Dr. Priestley novels were among the first after Sherlock Holmes to feature scientific detection of crime, such as analysing the mud on a suspect's shoes. Desmond Merrion is an amateur detective who works with Scotland Yard's Inspector Arnold.
Critic and author Julian Symons places this author as a prominent member of the "Humdrum" school of detective fiction. "Most of them came late to writing fiction, and few had much talent for it. They had some skill in constructing puzzles, nothing more, and ironically they fulfilled much better than S. S. Van Dine his dictum that the detective story properly belonged in the category of riddles or crossword puzzles. Most of the Humdrums were British, and among the best known of them were Major John Street.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 24, 2017
One of those books where the investigators all sit down and compare timetables of actions to deduce who was who and who did what and when they did it. About halfway through I ceased caring. No action, and the characters are all paper thin. The opening setup is good (the author could write well, when he chose) but that is all.
March 27, 2018
"Proceed With Caution" was the title of the 1937 original- and this proves to be good advice for Superintendent Hanslet and Inspector Jimmy Waghorn.
The author uses an interesting device of two apparently unrelated crimes but unfortunately the mysteries degenerate into a somewhat dull and routine affair of railway and ferry timetables which I found rather yawn-inducing.
Needless to say it is crystal clear to Dr. Priestley who solves it all with minimal ratiocination and even less detecting.
This edition has a lot of annoying misprints.
The author uses an interesting device of two apparently unrelated crimes but unfortunately the mysteries degenerate into a somewhat dull and routine affair of railway and ferry timetables which I found rather yawn-inducing.
Needless to say it is crystal clear to Dr. Priestley who solves it all with minimal ratiocination and even less detecting.
This edition has a lot of annoying misprints.
February 27, 2025
Dr. Priestly is a series "detective" (a scientist called on by poor baffled detectives) in early 20th c England. I read an early Dr. Priestly, and found him horribly superior and inhuman; his creator obviously has made him a bit more approachable.
Two major crimes are reported to Scotland Yard: a jeweller is missing, along with the diamonds he carried; an unidentifiable body turns up in a rural village. Two detectives uncover various clues, then reach an impasse, until Dr. Priestly sets them in the right direction.
The plot is as complicated as usual for these early mysteries, but this one has a very clever criminal, flashes of humour, and the reappearance of a supposed dead body.
Two major crimes are reported to Scotland Yard: a jeweller is missing, along with the diamonds he carried; an unidentifiable body turns up in a rural village. Two detectives uncover various clues, then reach an impasse, until Dr. Priestly sets them in the right direction.
The plot is as complicated as usual for these early mysteries, but this one has a very clever criminal, flashes of humour, and the reappearance of a supposed dead body.
December 25, 2017
Interesting.
*
First Line: "Things happen like that," said Superintendent Hanslet.
Series: Dr. Priestley# 27
First published: 1937
Source: Hathi Trust
*
First Line: "Things happen like that," said Superintendent Hanslet.
Series: Dr. Priestley# 27
First published: 1937
Source: Hathi Trust
Want to read
January 17, 2019Synopsis: the two cases seemed easy, but eventually Dr. Priestley is needed to propose new directions of inquiry and suggest solutions.
April 13, 2017
Full review at classicmystery.wordpress.com.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews