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Case-Book of Ronald Camberwell #1
Morderstwo w Wrides Park
Morderstwo w Wrides Park
210 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1931
About the author
J.S. Fletcher
479 books59 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 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 21, 2020
Ronald Camberwell was looking for some gainful employment when he spotted an advertisement in the Times for a companion to an older gentleman. The post was advertised at £500 per annum and the advertisement specified that the applicant must be young, well educated, have a taste for books and be prepared to travel. Ronald considered he fitted the bill perfectly so he applied.
After an interview with the said gentleman, a Christopher Nicholas, he was given the post and began his time at Wrides Park, Nicholas' country home. There was a household of staff, the main ones being a footman named Jeeves (!), a housekeeper named Mrs Hands and a butler named Hoiler; there were also other indoor servants plus chauffeurs, coachmen, grooms, stable boys and gardeners.
Everything went smoothly to begin with until a nasty piece of work called to see Mr Nicholas, who happened to be up in town. The visitor was told this but still he barged his way into the house, settled down in the study and helped himself to drink awaiting the return of the master. The housekeeper served him some sandwiches and, surprisingly to Camberwell, engaged him, who was using the name Dengo, in a rather lengthy conversation.
When Nicholas returned he went out with the intruder and was seen going into the bank in nearby Havering-St Michael and was known to have withdrawn a large sum of money. When he returned to his home, he was quite clearly unsettled. Then, almost out of the blue, the visitor Dengo was discovered murdered in the nearby Middle Spinney; he had been killed by a sword-stick, one which Mr Nicholas nearly always took with him on his walks.
Suspicion therefore fell on Nicholas but Camberwell was not convinced and he set about trying to discover the truth of what had happened. Meanwhile the police investigation came to just one conclusion, that Nicholas was the murderer and he was arrested.
Camberwell then stepped up his investigations for he was convinced that Mr Nicholas was innocent. This led him to trips around London to various addresses which he had elicited from his enquiries but initially nothing came to light that would help prove Nicholas's innocence. That is until he discovered some new evidence that threw a completely different light on the affair.
Camberwell confided in Hoiler, who he thought he could trust, and continued his investigations. But then the case took a surprising turn of events, which, fortunately, Camberwell, was able to interpret. And this led to an exciting chase that ended in the true perpetrator of the crime being identified but the climax to the tale was a little disappointing and not too convincing, which in a way spoiled what had gone before.
Nevertheless it is a very readable mystery, typical of the 1930s, and although the ending does relegate it from four to three stars for me, it is not an absolute disaster.
After an interview with the said gentleman, a Christopher Nicholas, he was given the post and began his time at Wrides Park, Nicholas' country home. There was a household of staff, the main ones being a footman named Jeeves (!), a housekeeper named Mrs Hands and a butler named Hoiler; there were also other indoor servants plus chauffeurs, coachmen, grooms, stable boys and gardeners.
Everything went smoothly to begin with until a nasty piece of work called to see Mr Nicholas, who happened to be up in town. The visitor was told this but still he barged his way into the house, settled down in the study and helped himself to drink awaiting the return of the master. The housekeeper served him some sandwiches and, surprisingly to Camberwell, engaged him, who was using the name Dengo, in a rather lengthy conversation.
When Nicholas returned he went out with the intruder and was seen going into the bank in nearby Havering-St Michael and was known to have withdrawn a large sum of money. When he returned to his home, he was quite clearly unsettled. Then, almost out of the blue, the visitor Dengo was discovered murdered in the nearby Middle Spinney; he had been killed by a sword-stick, one which Mr Nicholas nearly always took with him on his walks.
Suspicion therefore fell on Nicholas but Camberwell was not convinced and he set about trying to discover the truth of what had happened. Meanwhile the police investigation came to just one conclusion, that Nicholas was the murderer and he was arrested.
Camberwell then stepped up his investigations for he was convinced that Mr Nicholas was innocent. This led him to trips around London to various addresses which he had elicited from his enquiries but initially nothing came to light that would help prove Nicholas's innocence. That is until he discovered some new evidence that threw a completely different light on the affair.
Camberwell confided in Hoiler, who he thought he could trust, and continued his investigations. But then the case took a surprising turn of events, which, fortunately, Camberwell, was able to interpret. And this led to an exciting chase that ended in the true perpetrator of the crime being identified but the climax to the tale was a little disappointing and not too convincing, which in a way spoiled what had gone before.
Nevertheless it is a very readable mystery, typical of the 1930s, and although the ending does relegate it from four to three stars for me, it is not an absolute disaster.
January 26, 2024
I appear to have read this series out of order, but it does not really matter too much. This is much better than the second instalment but marginally poorer than the third. It is still very readable and in parts quite enjoyable. What makes it remarkable is that it uses a supposed cliche of GAD fiction which is in fact surprisingly rare. I shall forbear from giving more detail so as not to spoil the denouement.
Fletcher gets up to his usual trick of convoluting an essentially simple murder mystery by fogging the reader with loads of unnecessary detail and by sending his detective duo the long way round at almost every opportunity. The ending is,as ever, rather rushed and comes with a confession and a convenient death.
Camberwell and Chaney, the educated “toff” in reduced circumstances and the ex-Scotland Yarder, make a fine pairing but Fletcher is not a good enough writer/plotter to make the most effective use of them.
Fletcher gets up to his usual trick of convoluting an essentially simple murder mystery by fogging the reader with loads of unnecessary detail and by sending his detective duo the long way round at almost every opportunity. The ending is,as ever, rather rushed and comes with a confession and a convenient death.
Camberwell and Chaney, the educated “toff” in reduced circumstances and the ex-Scotland Yarder, make a fine pairing but Fletcher is not a good enough writer/plotter to make the most effective use of them.
August 27, 2025
Three and a half stars.
Quite entertaining with some good detective work but the ending was rather sudden and unsatisfactory.
Quite entertaining with some good detective work but the ending was rather sudden and unsatisfactory.
March 25, 2025
Bardzo fajnie napisana (przetłumaczona), trzyma w napięciu, a zarazem ma swój „staromodny” klimat. Czytało się błyskawicznie, wciąga i zaskakuje!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews