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Carolus Deene #4
Dead Man's Shoes
Everyone knew there'd been a murder, everyone knew who the murderer was, and when this murderer committed suicide by jumping overboard from the cargo boat Saragossa, they thought "Good riddance." Everyone, that is, except Carolus Deene.
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1958
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 22, 2019
"Carolus Deene, the inimitable schoolmaster-detective, is at his brilliant best in solving this case. Assisted, or hampered, by his 'Watson' -- the insufferably precocious schoolboy, Rupert Priggley -- he succeeds in unmasking the perpetrator of what had seemed to be the 'perfect' murder. Everyone knew there had been a murderer, everyone knew who the murderer was, and when this murderer committed suicide by jumping overboard --or was he thrown overboard? -- from the cargo boat Saragosa as she sailed to London from the North African and Spanish ports, they thought 'Good riddance to bad rubbish,' and everyone, the police included, dropped the case. Everyone, that is, except Carolus Deene.
"The fast moving scenes are set in Newminister, 36 miles from London, in Tangiers, in Spain and on board the Saragosa. Humor, as always with the cases of Carolus Deene, is there in plenty, and gems of character -- even for Leo Bruce -- are created in Socker, the lecherous gamekeeper, and the tall, thin but masterly Mrs Hoppy who never lets anyone finish a question.
"But in Dead Man's Shoes -- the tenth Carolus Deene to be published by Academy Chicago -- the humor is subsidiary to the mystery. This is an edge-of-the-chair whodunit."
~~back cover
This is actually the 4th book in this series, & I am truly sad that I can't get my hands on the first three -- they are for sale, but priced in the $300 ranges. Yikes!
But even so, Dead Man's Shoes is a wonderful introduction to the erudite, clever detective. It's well-written, on an at least 12th grade level, and is laugh-out-loud funny, and tantalizingly difficult for the reader to solve before the obligatory exposition wherein the detective rounds up all the suspects and reveals how the clues (which may not perhaps have been noticed as clues by the reader) eliminate all but the murderer. Truly one of the more literate and amusing mystery series!
"The fast moving scenes are set in Newminister, 36 miles from London, in Tangiers, in Spain and on board the Saragosa. Humor, as always with the cases of Carolus Deene, is there in plenty, and gems of character -- even for Leo Bruce -- are created in Socker, the lecherous gamekeeper, and the tall, thin but masterly Mrs Hoppy who never lets anyone finish a question.
"But in Dead Man's Shoes -- the tenth Carolus Deene to be published by Academy Chicago -- the humor is subsidiary to the mystery. This is an edge-of-the-chair whodunit."
~~back cover
This is actually the 4th book in this series, & I am truly sad that I can't get my hands on the first three -- they are for sale, but priced in the $300 ranges. Yikes!
But even so, Dead Man's Shoes is a wonderful introduction to the erudite, clever detective. It's well-written, on an at least 12th grade level, and is laugh-out-loud funny, and tantalizingly difficult for the reader to solve before the obligatory exposition wherein the detective rounds up all the suspects and reveals how the clues (which may not perhaps have been noticed as clues by the reader) eliminate all but the murderer. Truly one of the more literate and amusing mystery series!
February 8, 2025
Great mystery story. I however cannot not mention the “Poirotesque” gathering of all the usual suspects for the great REVEAL and all the explanations. I’m looking forward to reading more in the series.
February 9, 2018
When wealthy Gregory Willick is murdered suspicion falls on Wilbury Larkin, an Englishman residing in Tangier who was seen in the area at the time of the murder before returning to Morocco.
Larkin, stating that he wishes to clear his name, takes passage - along with a handful of fascinating British characters - on 'The Saragossa' back to England. It is, alas, an ill fated voyage since Larkin's loud voice and insulting behaviour upsets practically all of his fellow passengers as well as the crew.
Just before the ship reaches home there is a cry of 'man overboard' in the night and Larkin is gone, presumed dead, leaving a typed note confessing to the murder.
One of the passengers, the fascinating Mrs Roper, is not convinced by this suicide. Once home she rings Carolus Deene, certain that he will be intrigued by this case, which she is certain was not suicide, but murder.
It's an enjoyable read this.
Carolus Deene is a teacher at a prestigious school who likes to spend the school holidays on a bit of crime investigation, seemingly accompanied by one of his precocious pupils.
Carolus' investigations take him from quaint Nineteen Fifties English towns and villages to Morocco and then back to England to reveal all to a rapt audience of suspects.
Modern moralists will no doubt raise sets of eyebrows they had no idea they possessed at the thought of an unmarried male teacher taking one of his equally male sixteen year old pupils off to the fleshpots of Tangier. The boy (the pretentious Rupert) gets to drink whisky, smoke marijuana and meet Italian girls, which no doubt fed a lot of young male readers of the time with warming fantasies. To be honest it's a wonder that moralists of the time didn't raise enough eyebrows to buy that huge house on the moral high ground.
There's humour in some of the characters. Bruce is a keen observer of human behaviour and tends to caricature some of his cast. That's not a bad thing in my opinion. George Bellairs was a master of this and did it much better a decade or more before, as did authors such as J Austin Freeman in the early part of the 20th Century.
The resolution - for its time - was a novel and ingenious one but the reality and practicalities of it don't hold much weight when one thinks it through. However, it is an enjoyable read and I will be seeking out more of Mr Deene's investigations.
Larkin, stating that he wishes to clear his name, takes passage - along with a handful of fascinating British characters - on 'The Saragossa' back to England. It is, alas, an ill fated voyage since Larkin's loud voice and insulting behaviour upsets practically all of his fellow passengers as well as the crew.
Just before the ship reaches home there is a cry of 'man overboard' in the night and Larkin is gone, presumed dead, leaving a typed note confessing to the murder.
One of the passengers, the fascinating Mrs Roper, is not convinced by this suicide. Once home she rings Carolus Deene, certain that he will be intrigued by this case, which she is certain was not suicide, but murder.
It's an enjoyable read this.
Carolus Deene is a teacher at a prestigious school who likes to spend the school holidays on a bit of crime investigation, seemingly accompanied by one of his precocious pupils.
Carolus' investigations take him from quaint Nineteen Fifties English towns and villages to Morocco and then back to England to reveal all to a rapt audience of suspects.
Modern moralists will no doubt raise sets of eyebrows they had no idea they possessed at the thought of an unmarried male teacher taking one of his equally male sixteen year old pupils off to the fleshpots of Tangier. The boy (the pretentious Rupert) gets to drink whisky, smoke marijuana and meet Italian girls, which no doubt fed a lot of young male readers of the time with warming fantasies. To be honest it's a wonder that moralists of the time didn't raise enough eyebrows to buy that huge house on the moral high ground.
There's humour in some of the characters. Bruce is a keen observer of human behaviour and tends to caricature some of his cast. That's not a bad thing in my opinion. George Bellairs was a master of this and did it much better a decade or more before, as did authors such as J Austin Freeman in the early part of the 20th Century.
The resolution - for its time - was a novel and ingenious one but the reality and practicalities of it don't hold much weight when one thinks it through. However, it is an enjoyable read and I will be seeking out more of Mr Deene's investigations.
February 12, 2025
It’s summer break and Carolus Deene finds himself saddled with the precocious schoolboy, Rupert Priggley.
Carolus gets a phone call from an old student. She’s just arrived home from a trip on the ship Saragossa. Seems one of the passengers, a Wilbury Larkin, was “lost overboard”. The interesting thing is that he was a suspect in the murder of Gregory Willick. She feels it’s murder and not accidental or suicide.
Carolus takes on investigating, with Priggley as his Watson. The case takes the pair to Tangier and Spain, via the ship Saragossa, as they retrace the most recent travels of Larkin, looking for clues and background information. Larkin was a large and obnoxious personality, which made for a good number of possible murderers in his life and during his journey on the Saragossa.
There are also some strange clues found at the site of Willick, back in the UK. Strange clues on board the Saragossa and strange clues/behaviour in Tangier where Larkin lived. Carolus has a real challenge piecing them together.
It was a good read. I took my time and came up with the right answer! Seems some things click and some didn’t. Over all an enjoyable book.
Carolus gets a phone call from an old student. She’s just arrived home from a trip on the ship Saragossa. Seems one of the passengers, a Wilbury Larkin, was “lost overboard”. The interesting thing is that he was a suspect in the murder of Gregory Willick. She feels it’s murder and not accidental or suicide.
Carolus takes on investigating, with Priggley as his Watson. The case takes the pair to Tangier and Spain, via the ship Saragossa, as they retrace the most recent travels of Larkin, looking for clues and background information. Larkin was a large and obnoxious personality, which made for a good number of possible murderers in his life and during his journey on the Saragossa.
There are also some strange clues found at the site of Willick, back in the UK. Strange clues on board the Saragossa and strange clues/behaviour in Tangier where Larkin lived. Carolus has a real challenge piecing them together.
It was a good read. I took my time and came up with the right answer! Seems some things click and some didn’t. Over all an enjoyable book.
May 16, 2021
The SS Saragossa is traveling from Tunis to England with suspected murderer Wilbury Larkin who is wanted for the killing of Gregory Willick. Following a cry of "man over board" Larkin vanishes thus avoiding punishment by committing suicide. Following a police investigation which draws a blank, academic and amateur sleuth Carolus Deene decides to investigate. Along with pupil Rupert Priggley, Deene attempts retrace the steps Larkin and seek out the truth. My first thought is that Carolus Deene is a step up from Bruce's Sergeant Beef novels which I found as a one joke book which went to far. Set in 1958, "Dead Man's Shoes" captures the period perfectly with a thumps up mentioning early television classic "Criss Cross Quiz" and plot that could come straight from Edgar Lustgaten's short film "Scotland Yard". A nice twist at the end which nicely ties up the loose ends.
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August 18, 2020Good not great
Classic murder mystery with all the trappings: voyage on a boat, beautiful country manor, a bit of Tangier and the characters to go with the settings.
The writing didn’t disappoint; even the somewhat schematic characterizations is to be expected for the period (see Aghata Christie). However, some characters are reduced to one trait (the non-speaking wife, the charming mistress, the annoying young student) and that would be truly boring in longer book.
The major failure of this book was the mystery resolution. I doubt readers older than twelve would fall for the one-character-disguised-as-another explanation.
Classic murder mystery with all the trappings: voyage on a boat, beautiful country manor, a bit of Tangier and the characters to go with the settings.
The writing didn’t disappoint; even the somewhat schematic characterizations is to be expected for the period (see Aghata Christie). However, some characters are reduced to one trait (the non-speaking wife, the charming mistress, the annoying young student) and that would be truly boring in longer book.
The major failure of this book was the mystery resolution. I doubt readers older than twelve would fall for the one-character-disguised-as-another explanation.
July 1, 2021
Interesting characters but too easy to guess the solution
November 19, 2023
Good murder mystery.
June 3, 2023
Mildly amusing and very readable murder and suicide investigation set in England, Tangier and on board ship, first published in 1958.
Carolus Deene and sidekick Rupert Priggley are an interesting pairing, a Senior History teacher and a precocious senior pupil, in a not-difficult-to-fathom mystery. As often-found in real life and in fiction, it is a matter of "cui bono?".
There are interesting asides, given the experiences of Rupert Croft-Cooke aka Leo Bruce, on police priorities given to pursuing homosexuals rather than murderers.
3.5 stars
Carolus Deene and sidekick Rupert Priggley are an interesting pairing, a Senior History teacher and a precocious senior pupil, in a not-difficult-to-fathom mystery. As often-found in real life and in fiction, it is a matter of "cui bono?".
There are interesting asides, given the experiences of Rupert Croft-Cooke aka Leo Bruce, on police priorities given to pursuing homosexuals rather than murderers.
3.5 stars
July 7, 2011
Leo Bruce is vastly under-rated as a British mystery writer.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews