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Gervase Fen #7
Frequent Hearses
As inventive as Agatha Christie, as hilarious as P.G. Wodehouse – discover the delightful detective stories of Edmund Crispin. Crime fiction at its quirkiest and best.
When young actress Gloria Scott throws herself from Waterloo Bridge, the news sends shockwaves through her film studio. Luckily Gervase Fen is in London to investigate.
But when someone acts fast to cover up any evidence – removing all signs of Ms Scott’s identity from her apartment and poisoning a suspicious cameraman – the truth is hard to find…
When young actress Gloria Scott throws herself from Waterloo Bridge, the news sends shockwaves through her film studio. Luckily Gervase Fen is in London to investigate.
But when someone acts fast to cover up any evidence – removing all signs of Ms Scott’s identity from her apartment and poisoning a suspicious cameraman – the truth is hard to find…
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1950
46 people are currently reading
499 people want to read
About the author
Edmund Crispin
107 books211 followersEdmund Crispin was the pseudonym of (Robert) Bruce Montgomery (1921-1978). His first crime novel and musical composition were both accepted for publication while he was still an undergraduate at Oxford. After a brief spell of teaching, he became a full-time writer and composer (particularly of film music. He wrote the music for six of the Carry On films. But he was also well known for his concert and church music). He also edited science fiction anthologies, and became a regular crime fiction reviewer for The Sunday Times. His friends included Philip Larkin, Kingsley Amis and Agatha Christie.
He had always been a heavy drinker and, unfortunately, there was a long gap in his writing during a time when he was suffering from alcohol problems. Otherwise he enjoyed a quiet life (enlivened by music, reading, church-going and bridge) in Totnes, a quiet corner of Devon, where he resisted all attempts to develop or exploit the district, visiting London as little as possible. He moved to a new house he had built at Week, a hamlet near Dartington, in 1964, then, late in life, married his secretary Ann in 1976, just two years before he died from alcohol related problems. His music was composed using his real name, Bruce Montgomery.
source: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/philipg/...
He had always been a heavy drinker and, unfortunately, there was a long gap in his writing during a time when he was suffering from alcohol problems. Otherwise he enjoyed a quiet life (enlivened by music, reading, church-going and bridge) in Totnes, a quiet corner of Devon, where he resisted all attempts to develop or exploit the district, visiting London as little as possible. He moved to a new house he had built at Week, a hamlet near Dartington, in 1964, then, late in life, married his secretary Ann in 1976, just two years before he died from alcohol related problems. His music was composed using his real name, Bruce Montgomery.
source: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/philipg/...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
March 2, 2025
Crispin never disappoints. The strange death of Gloria Scott an upcoming starlet commits suicide where there appears no motive. Fen is advising a film studio on Alexander Pope and becomes involved with the case when someone else dies by poison in front of him.
Humberley a Scotland Yard detective investigates and the Crane family of two brothers and a sister become targets when the motive of her death involves all of them. Vengeance but who and why. This is a satisfying read but I would have preferred the murderers letter to finish the story rather than the other ending.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Evan George is the father of Gloria Scott. The back story he was married and his wife was a despot. The only thing he loved was his daughter who he was separated from when divorced. He went to England from South Africa and was successful as a script writer and author. He meets Gloria on the night she kill’s herself and takes revenge on the three people responsible for her death. He also goes mad thinking he escaped to Mexico and writes a letter to Fen explaining what he did.
Humberley a Scotland Yard detective investigates and the Crane family of two brothers and a sister become targets when the motive of her death involves all of them. Vengeance but who and why. This is a satisfying read but I would have preferred the murderers letter to finish the story rather than the other ending.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Evan George is the father of Gloria Scott. The back story he was married and his wife was a despot. The only thing he loved was his daughter who he was separated from when divorced. He went to England from South Africa and was successful as a script writer and author. He meets Gloria on the night she kill’s herself and takes revenge on the three people responsible for her death. He also goes mad thinking he escaped to Mexico and writes a letter to Fen explaining what he did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2023
Death of a starlet…
When a young actress going by the stage name of Gloria Scott throws herself off Waterloo Bridge one night, it is clearly suicide. But why then has someone stripped her apartment of anything that might reveal her true identity? And what drove her to kill herself so suddenly, on her way home from a party where she had apparently been enjoying herself? She had been working on a film being made by the Leiper studios in London, and so it’s to there that Detective Inspector Humbleby heads to begin his investigation. On the way he meets an old friend, Gervase Fen, academic and amateur detective, who coincidentally is also heading to the studios where he’s working as a consultant on a film about Alexander Pope. Humbleby promptly decides to rope Fen into the investigation, and Fen is quite willing to be roped.
It tuns out that Gloria had been pregnant when she died, and more than one man in the studios is rumoured to be the father. There’s Stuart North, heartthrob actor, who had recently been paying Gloria attention much to the annoyance of glamorous star, Madge Crane, who has set her own sights on North. Or could the father be one of Madge Crane’s brothers – perhaps Maurice, a camera-man, or Nicholas, a director, or even David, who does something not very important in the Script Department? Or could it be someone else entirely that the rumour-mongers don’t know about? But again, even assuming the father, whoever he might be, had somehow driven Gloria to kill herself, that doesn’t explain why anyone has gone to considerable lengths to hide her identity. It’s going to be up to Gervase Fenn to fathom out the reason, but before he does a murderer is going to strike…
There’s a real mix in this one of the darkness of the plot blended with a lot of humour, especially in the backchat between Humbleby and Fen, that keeps the overall tone light. There’s also a wonderful tense thrillery bit at the end complete with woman in peril that is very effectively done. While there’s a fair amount of sexism in the style of judging women by the shape of their legs and so on, the story also gives room for showing how aspiring young actresses can fall prey to the men with power in the industry. There’s also a strong female character who has both brains and courage, and who redeemed Crispin in my eyes for some of the less flattering portraits of the “dumb blonde” type of actress.
Crispin is one of the “erudite” style of Golden Age authors, who like to show off their Oxbridge educations by dropping in literary and classical allusions and occasional Latin tags. Normally this annoys me enormously since it’s usually done to show off the author's superiority to his or her readers, but my limited acquaintance with Crispin has so far made me feel he does it rather tongue-in-cheek, if anything rather mocking the ones who do it for real. I may be giving him undue credit, but for whatever reason, I find it amusing rather than annoying when he does it. In the same way, he frequently uses ridiculously obscure words, necessitating regular reference to a dictionary, but it feels to me that he does this with a knowing wink, as a kind of game he’s playing with the reader. However, I can easily see that for some people this could generate the same kind of allergic reaction I have to, say, Dorothy L. Sayers or Michael Innes, who also play the I-am-so-superior game but without the humour that dilutes the insufferability.
Gloria is a complex victim – she had been ambitious, with the hard-edged self-centredness that is almost a requirement for success in such a competitive environment. And yet her youth and inexperience perhaps meant that she hadn’t yet learned just how unscrupulously the people around her in the film industry might behave. She is hard to like, and yet impossible not to feel some sympathy for. The plot is good and definitely fair play, although I came nowhere near the solution and had to go back through to check if the clues had really been there – they had!
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this one, finding it highly entertaining. It’s only my second Edmund Crispin – I loved the other one, The Moving Toyshop, just as much, and am looking forward to reading more of his books soon.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Collins Crime Club.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
When a young actress going by the stage name of Gloria Scott throws herself off Waterloo Bridge one night, it is clearly suicide. But why then has someone stripped her apartment of anything that might reveal her true identity? And what drove her to kill herself so suddenly, on her way home from a party where she had apparently been enjoying herself? She had been working on a film being made by the Leiper studios in London, and so it’s to there that Detective Inspector Humbleby heads to begin his investigation. On the way he meets an old friend, Gervase Fen, academic and amateur detective, who coincidentally is also heading to the studios where he’s working as a consultant on a film about Alexander Pope. Humbleby promptly decides to rope Fen into the investigation, and Fen is quite willing to be roped.
It tuns out that Gloria had been pregnant when she died, and more than one man in the studios is rumoured to be the father. There’s Stuart North, heartthrob actor, who had recently been paying Gloria attention much to the annoyance of glamorous star, Madge Crane, who has set her own sights on North. Or could the father be one of Madge Crane’s brothers – perhaps Maurice, a camera-man, or Nicholas, a director, or even David, who does something not very important in the Script Department? Or could it be someone else entirely that the rumour-mongers don’t know about? But again, even assuming the father, whoever he might be, had somehow driven Gloria to kill herself, that doesn’t explain why anyone has gone to considerable lengths to hide her identity. It’s going to be up to Gervase Fenn to fathom out the reason, but before he does a murderer is going to strike…
There’s a real mix in this one of the darkness of the plot blended with a lot of humour, especially in the backchat between Humbleby and Fen, that keeps the overall tone light. There’s also a wonderful tense thrillery bit at the end complete with woman in peril that is very effectively done. While there’s a fair amount of sexism in the style of judging women by the shape of their legs and so on, the story also gives room for showing how aspiring young actresses can fall prey to the men with power in the industry. There’s also a strong female character who has both brains and courage, and who redeemed Crispin in my eyes for some of the less flattering portraits of the “dumb blonde” type of actress.
Crispin is one of the “erudite” style of Golden Age authors, who like to show off their Oxbridge educations by dropping in literary and classical allusions and occasional Latin tags. Normally this annoys me enormously since it’s usually done to show off the author's superiority to his or her readers, but my limited acquaintance with Crispin has so far made me feel he does it rather tongue-in-cheek, if anything rather mocking the ones who do it for real. I may be giving him undue credit, but for whatever reason, I find it amusing rather than annoying when he does it. In the same way, he frequently uses ridiculously obscure words, necessitating regular reference to a dictionary, but it feels to me that he does this with a knowing wink, as a kind of game he’s playing with the reader. However, I can easily see that for some people this could generate the same kind of allergic reaction I have to, say, Dorothy L. Sayers or Michael Innes, who also play the I-am-so-superior game but without the humour that dilutes the insufferability.
Gloria is a complex victim – she had been ambitious, with the hard-edged self-centredness that is almost a requirement for success in such a competitive environment. And yet her youth and inexperience perhaps meant that she hadn’t yet learned just how unscrupulously the people around her in the film industry might behave. She is hard to like, and yet impossible not to feel some sympathy for. The plot is good and definitely fair play, although I came nowhere near the solution and had to go back through to check if the clues had really been there – they had!
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this one, finding it highly entertaining. It’s only my second Edmund Crispin – I loved the other one, The Moving Toyshop, just as much, and am looking forward to reading more of his books soon.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Collins Crime Club.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
June 12, 2023
Gervase Fen ermittelt in der Filmindustrie und hinter dem schönen Schein verbergen sich Neid und Missgunst. Warum beging die junge und aufstrebende Schauspielerin Gloria Scott Selbstmord und warum rächt sich ein Unbekannter nun an der Film-Crew?
Das Setting, der Humor und die Geschichte haben mir gut gefallen. Schade, dass insgesamt die Handlung etwas zu kurz kommt, dafür manche Szenen, die nicht wirklich wichtig sind, unendlich ausgewälzt werden. Trotzdem hat mich das Buch gut unterhalten und ehrlich gesagt, bin ich nicht auf den Täter gekommen. Aber es war kurzweilig und der wenig schmeichelhafte Einblick in die Filmbranche war unterhaltsam.
Das Setting, der Humor und die Geschichte haben mir gut gefallen. Schade, dass insgesamt die Handlung etwas zu kurz kommt, dafür manche Szenen, die nicht wirklich wichtig sind, unendlich ausgewälzt werden. Trotzdem hat mich das Buch gut unterhalten und ehrlich gesagt, bin ich nicht auf den Täter gekommen. Aber es war kurzweilig und der wenig schmeichelhafte Einblick in die Filmbranche war unterhaltsam.
July 14, 2012
A terrific opening, in which a young woman jumps out of a cab in the middle of Waterloo Bridge in London and leaps to her death in front of many witnesses. But might it be murder? and how are three subsequent murders related to it? But I had the feeling that Crispin visualized the puzzle, got all the relationships straight in his head, and then failed to come up with a decent, suspenseful plot in which all was mysterious until revealed. He apparently sensed the lack of plot by inserting a long woman-in-jeopardy sequence in the middle, one which was unnecessary and led nowhere. Some very witty repartee, et cetera, but not one of his best.
September 12, 2020
Any writer who uses as many big words as Crispin does isn't just pompous, he's also undisciplined. Was it Orwell who said to write better, use words of Anglo-Saxon origin? Crispin's are Latin. The worst offenders: resipiscently (when I search googlebooks on this, 6 of the 8 results are books by Crispin), sequacious (most of the results are dictionaries, thesauruses, and encyclopedias), auscultation.
This Fen installment had a nice chase in a country-house maze. Although now that I'm reflecting on it, the grave at the center of the maze was never explained.
While I have no real interest in the film industry that the plot centers on, it was interesting to me that the Philharmonia Orchestra was recording the soundtrack for a movie that was being made. Given that Crispin (Bruce Montgomery) was a film composer, it would have been nice to have him dwell on that for more than a paragraph.
This Fen installment had a nice chase in a country-house maze. Although now that I'm reflecting on it, the grave at the center of the maze was never explained.
While I have no real interest in the film industry that the plot centers on, it was interesting to me that the Philharmonia Orchestra was recording the soundtrack for a movie that was being made. Given that Crispin (Bruce Montgomery) was a film composer, it would have been nice to have him dwell on that for more than a paragraph.
September 8, 2017
Some reviewers take exception to the "purple prose" in Edmund Crispin's books, likening it to the overblown essays of unpromising undergraduates majoring in English literature. I actually found the elaborate writing of run-on sentences filled with words that made the possession of a dictionary a necessary attribute of the earnest peruser to be one of the more captivating aspects of this book. Sadly the ending felt tacked on and not very well thought out. I also dislike a mystery in which the conclusion of the mystery requires (as read in an audio book) about a hour of explanation on the part of the detective or, in this case, the criminal.
October 5, 2023
Gervase Fen is working as historical consultant on a film when a young actress commits suicide and Fen’s friend Inspector Humbleby is sent to the studios to investigate. As Humbleby makes his enquiries, Fen feels uneasy and realises that others are in danger.
This wasn’t my favourite Edmund Crispin, although I did enjoy the studio setting where Crispin’s own experiences as a composer of film scores adds an authentic flavour to the activity. Fen’s involvement for most of the book doesn’t extend beyond some half-hearted musings and it’s left to Humbleby to do most of the legwork and to interview a rather dull collection of characters.
There is a rather atmospheric section involving a pursuit in a maze in a storm, but even that seems to peter out and adds little to a rather lacklustre plot. I enjoyed Fen’s appearances and the literary references that are scattered about, but overall this was a pleasant but forgettable mystery.
This wasn’t my favourite Edmund Crispin, although I did enjoy the studio setting where Crispin’s own experiences as a composer of film scores adds an authentic flavour to the activity. Fen’s involvement for most of the book doesn’t extend beyond some half-hearted musings and it’s left to Humbleby to do most of the legwork and to interview a rather dull collection of characters.
There is a rather atmospheric section involving a pursuit in a maze in a storm, but even that seems to peter out and adds little to a rather lacklustre plot. I enjoyed Fen’s appearances and the literary references that are scattered about, but overall this was a pleasant but forgettable mystery.
September 5, 2023
Apart from increasing my vocabulary, I found this to be another book where the author rambles a lot. Fen was mostly in the background and so we followed Humbleby, an inspector from Scotland Yard, and a friend of Fen. I knew a maze would be included in the story, as it was on the cover of my book, but thought they had got the maze wrong when the beginning of the book goes on for ages about the maze of the film studios. I liked the plot and thought that it did highlight what people of the time thought about the film industry.
May 26, 2025
A sadly neglected writer.
If you want to become a best-selling mystery writer, be prolific. Quantity, not quality is the key to success in the literary world. Publishers want an Agatha Christie or an Erle Stanley Gardner, both of whom reliably cranked 'em out year after year for decades.
I cherish the works of writers like Crispin who wrote nine mysteries and left his fans pining for more. Crispin's books are well written and full of eccentric characters and they give fascinating glimpses into whatever professional world he choose as a setting. Here it's the English film industry immediately after WWII. The author was a long-time composer of film music who enjoyed poking fun at himself. One character speaks of a film composer "like one who refers to some necessary but unromantic bodily function."
In the film industry, those behind the camera can be replaced, while those in front of the camera can't. It's actors and actresses who count and this plot revolves around two actresses who've slept with the same actor. Madge Crane is a BIG STAR. Gloria Scott is an unknown. Madge Crane has a mother and three brothers. Gloria Scott has no family and few friends. And Madge Crane is alive and Gloria Scott isn't.
Scotland Yard sends out modest, competent Detective-Inspector Humbleby who meets up with his old friend Gervase Fen - Oxford Professor and amateur detective. They've hunted together before and make excellent foils. Both are intelligent and worthy of this erudite writer. In the first chapter, you'll encounter "congeries" "equinoctial" "deleterious" "sempiternal" "exiguous" and "inchoate." Crispen insisted that his readers have brains, even if we DO like mysteries.
It's a mystery with twists and red herrings and surprises galore. The bit involving the maze is over-done, but the head-to-head collision of Humbleby and the Bolshevik butler is one of the finest things I've ever read. Speaking of Humbleby, you'll notice that he takes orders from the Commissioner and investigates cases himself even though he's a mere Detective-Inspector and drives a modest car.
Fast forward a few years and P.D. James' Scotland Yard hero is a "Commander" who drives a Jaguar. Detective-Inspectors are for taking notes and fetching the Great Detective's tea. Rank inflation has taken a firm grip on the English crime-fighting community.
This author never takes himself too seriously and neither do his characters. That's what makes them so timeless and entertaining. I only wish there were more Crispin books to savor.
If you want to become a best-selling mystery writer, be prolific. Quantity, not quality is the key to success in the literary world. Publishers want an Agatha Christie or an Erle Stanley Gardner, both of whom reliably cranked 'em out year after year for decades.
I cherish the works of writers like Crispin who wrote nine mysteries and left his fans pining for more. Crispin's books are well written and full of eccentric characters and they give fascinating glimpses into whatever professional world he choose as a setting. Here it's the English film industry immediately after WWII. The author was a long-time composer of film music who enjoyed poking fun at himself. One character speaks of a film composer "like one who refers to some necessary but unromantic bodily function."
In the film industry, those behind the camera can be replaced, while those in front of the camera can't. It's actors and actresses who count and this plot revolves around two actresses who've slept with the same actor. Madge Crane is a BIG STAR. Gloria Scott is an unknown. Madge Crane has a mother and three brothers. Gloria Scott has no family and few friends. And Madge Crane is alive and Gloria Scott isn't.
Scotland Yard sends out modest, competent Detective-Inspector Humbleby who meets up with his old friend Gervase Fen - Oxford Professor and amateur detective. They've hunted together before and make excellent foils. Both are intelligent and worthy of this erudite writer. In the first chapter, you'll encounter "congeries" "equinoctial" "deleterious" "sempiternal" "exiguous" and "inchoate." Crispen insisted that his readers have brains, even if we DO like mysteries.
It's a mystery with twists and red herrings and surprises galore. The bit involving the maze is over-done, but the head-to-head collision of Humbleby and the Bolshevik butler is one of the finest things I've ever read. Speaking of Humbleby, you'll notice that he takes orders from the Commissioner and investigates cases himself even though he's a mere Detective-Inspector and drives a modest car.
Fast forward a few years and P.D. James' Scotland Yard hero is a "Commander" who drives a Jaguar. Detective-Inspectors are for taking notes and fetching the Great Detective's tea. Rank inflation has taken a firm grip on the English crime-fighting community.
This author never takes himself too seriously and neither do his characters. That's what makes them so timeless and entertaining. I only wish there were more Crispin books to savor.
December 30, 2025
Es entretenidísimo, pero el puzzle no es gran cosa, y además es un murder mistery tramposo: al lector le falta información para resolver (con base clara, más allá del pápito).
Con todo, lo he disfrutado mucho, aunque no se encuentre entre mis favoritos de esta serie, de la que soy muy fan
Con todo, lo he disfrutado mucho, aunque no se encuentre entre mis favoritos de esta serie, de la que soy muy fan
March 6, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2018
A tale of revenge and murder in the film industry...
Only rarely did the glamour of "a job with films" go to anyone's head - and though the girl who called herself Gloria Scott may have suffered from such delusions of grandeur, she had the excuse of being young, and was, in any case, a person of very little consequence. Her death, and the appalling consequences which followed it was perhaps shocking precisely because she was so unimportant; it was as if a bomb had gone off in an area confidently scheduled by the authorities as completely safe...
I like this description of inside the studios because it gives such a vivid impression of the feel of the place - ...certainly the studios were not among the best of buildings. They represented, with all the detailed appositeness of a text-book illustration, that point at which the pursuit of the purely functional overreaches itself and becomes absurd. Even in its primary intention of promoting efficiency, architecture like this was bound to fail, since the psychological effect of these blank, indistinguishable corridors,...these monotonously unadorned stone staircases and metal balusters, must to the community moving among them be enervating [causing one to feel drained of energy or vitality] and discouraging in the extreme. The persons to be encountered did not, it is true, seem visibly afflicted by their ghastly surroundings; but acquiescence in ugliness is even more devasting spiritually than the impotent enduring of it, and in an industry which was concerned with making pretty visual patterns...it was a pity that to the uncertain cultural level of its moving spirits should be superadded the additional disadvantage of a grotesquely depressing mise-en-scène [visual theme]...
Only rarely did the glamour of "a job with films" go to anyone's head - and though the girl who called herself Gloria Scott may have suffered from such delusions of grandeur, she had the excuse of being young, and was, in any case, a person of very little consequence. Her death, and the appalling consequences which followed it was perhaps shocking precisely because she was so unimportant; it was as if a bomb had gone off in an area confidently scheduled by the authorities as completely safe...
I like this description of inside the studios because it gives such a vivid impression of the feel of the place - ...certainly the studios were not among the best of buildings. They represented, with all the detailed appositeness of a text-book illustration, that point at which the pursuit of the purely functional overreaches itself and becomes absurd. Even in its primary intention of promoting efficiency, architecture like this was bound to fail, since the psychological effect of these blank, indistinguishable corridors,...these monotonously unadorned stone staircases and metal balusters, must to the community moving among them be enervating [causing one to feel drained of energy or vitality] and discouraging in the extreme. The persons to be encountered did not, it is true, seem visibly afflicted by their ghastly surroundings; but acquiescence in ugliness is even more devasting spiritually than the impotent enduring of it, and in an industry which was concerned with making pretty visual patterns...it was a pity that to the uncertain cultural level of its moving spirits should be superadded the additional disadvantage of a grotesquely depressing mise-en-scène [visual theme]...
June 18, 2022
My least favorite of the Crispins I've read thus far. This novel takes place in the film world, the author's other major haunt (as he was a composer for films "in real life"). The story is fairly straightforward: a starlet impulsively jumps off a bridge, ending her life, and someone seeks vengeance among the Crane family, with whom the starlet was inextricably linked. Its up to Fen and Inspector Humbleby to discover who the killer is, and the motive for the murders.
The language was very thick in this novel, the satire especially pointed and grim, and it seemed to be quite a bit more malicious than lighthearted. A sign of Crispin's growing frustration with the film industry, perhaps? It wasn't as fun to read, and there were whole sections that I skimmed or skipped because it was a bunch of stream of consciousness nonsense that dragged through the action of the plot.
I hope this is not indicative of all of the later novels in this series, if only because those are the ones I have access to. We'll see - the next one on my list is twice as long as the previous ones were, and if its because its filled with all of these boring inner character monologues, I'm going to be quite disappointed.
The language was very thick in this novel, the satire especially pointed and grim, and it seemed to be quite a bit more malicious than lighthearted. A sign of Crispin's growing frustration with the film industry, perhaps? It wasn't as fun to read, and there were whole sections that I skimmed or skipped because it was a bunch of stream of consciousness nonsense that dragged through the action of the plot.
I hope this is not indicative of all of the later novels in this series, if only because those are the ones I have access to. We'll see - the next one on my list is twice as long as the previous ones were, and if its because its filled with all of these boring inner character monologues, I'm going to be quite disappointed.
November 8, 2024
Set in the British film industry just after WWII, when Diana Dors was at her peak.
It's not unlike all the mystery novels set in Hollywood at that time, except there are no murderous cults, and actresses aren't dating gangsters.
Pretty good, but a bit staid compared to some of the earlier novels.
It's not unlike all the mystery novels set in Hollywood at that time, except there are no murderous cults, and actresses aren't dating gangsters.
Pretty good, but a bit staid compared to some of the earlier novels.
July 26, 2023
Rewards credits | Too many characters mentioned but barely explored, and too much focus on exactly when things happened on comparison to other events. | My back is in too much pain for a proper review, but I wouldn't really bother with this one.
September 5, 2025
Me ha gustado, aunque no tanto como los otros casos de Gervase Fen que ha publicado Impedimenta antes que éste. He echado en falta el ambiente universitario y sobretodo más protagonismo de Fen.
January 29, 2026
Clever plot supported by a host of characters. Good twist at the end. Not set in Oxford, but partly in a highly unlikely version of Aylesbury.
April 14, 2022
Another snappy mystery featuring Gervase Fen, who's consulting at a film studio on a biography of Alexander Pope. When a young starlet kills herself, that seems sad but not mysterious. But then a camera man drops dead...
Lots of quotations and other fun references to look up. I don't know much about Pope.
Lots of quotations and other fun references to look up. I don't know much about Pope.
August 2, 2023
Originally published on my blog here in July 1999.
Out of his habitual Oxford world, Crispin's famous academic Gervase Fen is acting as a literary consultant to a film about Alexander Pope when a young actress who was to take a part in the film suddenly commits suicide. When a man dies at a script conference for the same film, Fen suspects something more sinister than a sudden illness. Tests for poison confirm that his death was indeed a murder, but who committed it? And what connection does it have to Gloria Scott's suicide? The case hinges on the true identity of Gloria, who took that name when she began acting; but no one knows anything of her earlier than two years ago, and someone has taken pains to hide her identity, removing named articles from her flat after her death.
Frequent Hearses is an atmospheric crime novel, leading to a bizarre conclusion chasing a murderer through an ornamental hedge maze. The mystery is presented in a very opaque way, the plot being carefully structured so that the strange goings on mystify the reader until Fen explains them later on.
Out of his habitual Oxford world, Crispin's famous academic Gervase Fen is acting as a literary consultant to a film about Alexander Pope when a young actress who was to take a part in the film suddenly commits suicide. When a man dies at a script conference for the same film, Fen suspects something more sinister than a sudden illness. Tests for poison confirm that his death was indeed a murder, but who committed it? And what connection does it have to Gloria Scott's suicide? The case hinges on the true identity of Gloria, who took that name when she began acting; but no one knows anything of her earlier than two years ago, and someone has taken pains to hide her identity, removing named articles from her flat after her death.
Frequent Hearses is an atmospheric crime novel, leading to a bizarre conclusion chasing a murderer through an ornamental hedge maze. The mystery is presented in a very opaque way, the plot being carefully structured so that the strange goings on mystify the reader until Fen explains them later on.
February 4, 2015
Film has become so commonplace today, and at times so depersonalised (here I’m thinking of ‘Avatar’) that, whilst tripping over our stacks of DVDs, we have, sadly, quite lost that sense of exotic, exciting, glamour which that industry possessed in spades during its younger years (I only have to think of Gregory Peck!) This book does capture the energy, enthusiasm, and other-worldliness of that earlier time.
Employing both humour and seriousness Crispin astutely portrays, exploits, and debunks the difference between the screen image and the ordinariness of the real-life actor/actress behind the role. Also memorable is his wonderfully dry-funny description of the “trouble free jack” (the required device to change the wheel of a car) in the rain, deep in a country lane, as evening approaches.
This not is a book to read on a quiet, sleepy desert island. That would be too much of a contrast to the pace of this fast-moving very witty story of class, passion for film, and unnatural death.
Employing both humour and seriousness Crispin astutely portrays, exploits, and debunks the difference between the screen image and the ordinariness of the real-life actor/actress behind the role. Also memorable is his wonderfully dry-funny description of the “trouble free jack” (the required device to change the wheel of a car) in the rain, deep in a country lane, as evening approaches.
This not is a book to read on a quiet, sleepy desert island. That would be too much of a contrast to the pace of this fast-moving very witty story of class, passion for film, and unnatural death.
August 8, 2021
Not as annoying as the last Fen I read, but if Crispin has a weakness it is in the endings of his novels. All the real action gets crammed into the last 10% of the book, there's a lot of "I know who the killer is but I won't tell you just now" and by the time all was revealed I had forgotten who the killer was! And then the dreadful tell-not-show ending. I always wonder if they can tell what happened second-hand, why can't they just write it as it happened? No, it's preferable to have a lot of talkety talk.
In this book I find that Fen has a wife and kids, but they are dismissed in a single sentence. Actually his wife is not even mentioned, we are simply told that Fen spent a day "vilifying his children." I'm sure they returned the compliment, as in this episode Fen is not the most likeable (or even the most engaging) of characters.
In this book I find that Fen has a wife and kids, but they are dismissed in a single sentence. Actually his wife is not even mentioned, we are simply told that Fen spent a day "vilifying his children." I'm sure they returned the compliment, as in this episode Fen is not the most likeable (or even the most engaging) of characters.
February 23, 2023
A classic detective novel from the Golden Age of Crime. This was an enjoyable story set in a British film studios in the 1940s which provided an interesting commentary on life and attitudes in post war Britain.
I thought the descriptions of places and characters were vivid, and humourous with the two main characters Fen and Humbleby endowed with perception and a dry wit.
I did have to keep a dictionary handy to look up some of the words used however I felt the language and the references to literature and poetry enhanced rather than detracted from the novel.
Overall an enjoyable well plotted mystery of its time.
I thought the descriptions of places and characters were vivid, and humourous with the two main characters Fen and Humbleby endowed with perception and a dry wit.
I did have to keep a dictionary handy to look up some of the words used however I felt the language and the references to literature and poetry enhanced rather than detracted from the novel.
Overall an enjoyable well plotted mystery of its time.
April 6, 2012
Comedian Michael O'Donoghue once wrote an essay in several steps of How to Write Good. His last piece of advice was that, if you get tired of writing the novel and don't know how to wrap it up, just write, "And suddenly, everyone was run over by a bus."
That ending would have been preferable to the one that Crispin pulled out of his bum.
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The killer was a minor character who made an appearance early in the novel and then was never heard from again.
That ending would have been preferable to the one that Crispin pulled out of his bum.
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The killer was a minor character who made an appearance early in the novel and then was never heard from again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2023
I like the Fen mysteries but this one just isn’t very good. Fen is barely in it (it’s a feature that authors seem to tire of their characters as they go along) and the plot is very ramshackle, involving withheld evidence and including a very long and tedious car journey followed by a chase through a maze. That Fen “just happens” to have a large ball of twine in his raincoat pocket to help him navigate the maze is a sign that Crispin wasn’t trying very hard.
December 22, 2013
The inner workings of a famous acting family is exposed. I don't care for the deadly chase scene, but the pictures of studio life were thoroughly enjoyable. It was nice to have a Crispin that I hadn't read before.
September 8, 2023
Some people find Edmund Crispin pretentious but there’s usually purpose (and often wit) in his flights of vocabulary. I love trying and failing to chase him down the corridors of his erudition, in a world where characters are often judged by how rapidly they pick up on an allusion to an obscure poet.
This entry in the chronicles of Gervase Fen finds him older and more detached than in the earliest books, and I miss the sheer effervescent eccentricity of his youthful days. He still runs rings around the professional detectives in his stories, but without the verve and energy he once possessed so abundantly.
Frequent Hearses is set in the world of the late 1940s-early 1950s film studios around London. It’s a world Crispin knew well—he worked as a composer for the movies—and his depiction feels well grounded in reality. The concreteness of the setting, however, masks the total irrationality of the plot. Mostly I go along for the preposterousness of the ride when I’m having fun, but this one occasionally taxed my credulity too far. The suspense scene is set up by a heroine’s making a series of ridiculous choices that could only be written the way they are by a profoundly sexist author.
It is a corking suspense scene but increasingly I see a formulaic approach developing in Crispin’s stories that signal to me when it is time for terror, an action scene that will inevitably be followed by a tediously long explanation of the crime. In this case, both the perpetrator and Fen share the honors of explaining it all to us dullards who didn’t figure it out. Crispin would be a more satisfying writer of whodunits if he took the time to incorporate the perpetrator more thoroughly into the story so the reader could recognize him and gain insight into his motives. It’s bordering on non-U play to pluck a barely mentioned character out of the crowd to be the baddie, and doing so in turn requires the long explanation that makes the ending of his books so tedious.
Still, until I got to the great reveal, I was enjoying every turn and twist and liking the characters, so it was overall a pleasant experience.
This entry in the chronicles of Gervase Fen finds him older and more detached than in the earliest books, and I miss the sheer effervescent eccentricity of his youthful days. He still runs rings around the professional detectives in his stories, but without the verve and energy he once possessed so abundantly.
Frequent Hearses is set in the world of the late 1940s-early 1950s film studios around London. It’s a world Crispin knew well—he worked as a composer for the movies—and his depiction feels well grounded in reality. The concreteness of the setting, however, masks the total irrationality of the plot. Mostly I go along for the preposterousness of the ride when I’m having fun, but this one occasionally taxed my credulity too far. The suspense scene is set up by a heroine’s making a series of ridiculous choices that could only be written the way they are by a profoundly sexist author.
It is a corking suspense scene but increasingly I see a formulaic approach developing in Crispin’s stories that signal to me when it is time for terror, an action scene that will inevitably be followed by a tediously long explanation of the crime. In this case, both the perpetrator and Fen share the honors of explaining it all to us dullards who didn’t figure it out. Crispin would be a more satisfying writer of whodunits if he took the time to incorporate the perpetrator more thoroughly into the story so the reader could recognize him and gain insight into his motives. It’s bordering on non-U play to pluck a barely mentioned character out of the crowd to be the baddie, and doing so in turn requires the long explanation that makes the ending of his books so tedious.
Still, until I got to the great reveal, I was enjoying every turn and twist and liking the characters, so it was overall a pleasant experience.
July 8, 2019
I previously read this Edmund Crispin novel featuring Oxford don/amateur detective Gervase Fen under a different title and gave it two stars.
I wrote then, accurately enough, that I read the Gervase Fen crime stories merely to be entertained. On this occasion, I wrote, I wasn't entertained.
This time around I was, and I can't explain why my reaction was different.
The story is centered on a movie production company. Given that Crispin's real name was Bruce Montgomery and that he was a composer under that name, I can only imagine that some of his composing was for movies. He was around in the middle to latter 20th century, and certainly many composers relied on movies for some of their income. The descriptions of the way music is added to a film certainly sound like they're coming from someone with inside knowledge.
Movie music plays a part in "Frequent Hearses," and I can't help but wonder if Crispin/Montgomery knew in real life a movie music person similar to Judy Flecker, who becomes a key character in this book. If so, he must have had happy memories. Judy Flecker is one of the few likable characters in the book.
In a couple of sentences, Crispin also made the lounge at the Club at Long Felton Studios seem like a place that I'd like to hang out at.
As for the plot, a young actress dies by suicide for reasons that are not immediately apparent; soon after, a cameraman is also dead, and it turns out he was poisoned. There's reason, in Fen's mind, to believe that others also may be in danger. Who is behind all of this is, of course, a mystery. Crispin may be having fun with the genre, but crimes still have to be solved.
Most of the Gervase Fen novels include a manic chase scene. The chase scene in this book involves only two character (until Fen finally enters the scene) and occurs in a maze, and it's scary, not manic. In a movie or TV dramatization, it could be quite a gripping sequence. Especially with the right sort of music.
I wrote then, accurately enough, that I read the Gervase Fen crime stories merely to be entertained. On this occasion, I wrote, I wasn't entertained.
This time around I was, and I can't explain why my reaction was different.
The story is centered on a movie production company. Given that Crispin's real name was Bruce Montgomery and that he was a composer under that name, I can only imagine that some of his composing was for movies. He was around in the middle to latter 20th century, and certainly many composers relied on movies for some of their income. The descriptions of the way music is added to a film certainly sound like they're coming from someone with inside knowledge.
Movie music plays a part in "Frequent Hearses," and I can't help but wonder if Crispin/Montgomery knew in real life a movie music person similar to Judy Flecker, who becomes a key character in this book. If so, he must have had happy memories. Judy Flecker is one of the few likable characters in the book.
In a couple of sentences, Crispin also made the lounge at the Club at Long Felton Studios seem like a place that I'd like to hang out at.
As for the plot, a young actress dies by suicide for reasons that are not immediately apparent; soon after, a cameraman is also dead, and it turns out he was poisoned. There's reason, in Fen's mind, to believe that others also may be in danger. Who is behind all of this is, of course, a mystery. Crispin may be having fun with the genre, but crimes still have to be solved.
Most of the Gervase Fen novels include a manic chase scene. The chase scene in this book involves only two character (until Fen finally enters the scene) and occurs in a maze, and it's scary, not manic. In a movie or TV dramatization, it could be quite a gripping sequence. Especially with the right sort of music.
August 8, 2020
Another Gervase Fen book. This time he is acting as a consultant on a film, so there is a lot of snarky description of the movie-making business, which was rather humorous. A bit-part player, Gloria Scott, commits suicide and her room is broken into to erase all evidence of her real name. This is quickly followed by the poisoning death of one of the movie company bigwigs. Fen gets involved when Scotland Yard shows up. He is convinced that other members of the movie family may also be in danger because of something that they did to Gloria that caused her to kill herself. Fen is eventually proved right after a couple more murders, but it takes a long time - at least it feels like it!
I didn't enjoy this one as much as all his others I've read. It was somewhat rambling and dragged out. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, mostly from the movie company, who pop up randomly here and there; several times I had to look back in the book to find where someone was introduced to figure out who they were. It was interesting, and got more exciting towards the end; but that is then followed by a long explication via the murderer's written "confession". Not a very satisfying ending, either. But Crispin's writing style and his wonderful vocabulary are as good as ever. I wouldn't recommend this one as a starting point for the Fen books, however.
This reprint was originally published in New York (Dodd, Meade) in 1950 as Sudden Vengeance. My copy is published by Penguin, 1982. (I think.)
I didn't enjoy this one as much as all his others I've read. It was somewhat rambling and dragged out. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, mostly from the movie company, who pop up randomly here and there; several times I had to look back in the book to find where someone was introduced to figure out who they were. It was interesting, and got more exciting towards the end; but that is then followed by a long explication via the murderer's written "confession". Not a very satisfying ending, either. But Crispin's writing style and his wonderful vocabulary are as good as ever. I wouldn't recommend this one as a starting point for the Fen books, however.
This reprint was originally published in New York (Dodd, Meade) in 1950 as Sudden Vengeance. My copy is published by Penguin, 1982. (I think.)
August 31, 2023
I was a bit surprised on reading the mixed reviews for this one as I really enjoyed it. Just shows you that, as useful as reviews are, sometimes you have to ignore them!
This is the seventh in the Gervase Fen series, published in 1950. Fen is working at a film studio, bizarrely giving his advice on a film based - loosely - on the life of Alexander Pope, even as the studio itself is loosely based on Ealing Studios.
Fen arrives one morning and runs into Inspector Humbleby. A young actress, Gloria Scott, has committed suicide, after throwing herself off Waterloo Bridge. Her flat has been searched, so her real name and background are unknown and Humbleby is attending the stuido to see Judy Flecker, who responded to a photo in the newspaper to say she had known her.
Of course, the crime is linked to the film Fen is involved with and Gloria Scott romantically linked to two men who also worked with her. Before long, there are further murders and I enjoyed the character of Judy, as she shows her bravery. Yes, Fen is less involved in this one, but it is a good story, enjoyable setting and some excellent characters. Only two books left to read in this series and I will be sad when I have finished it.
This is the seventh in the Gervase Fen series, published in 1950. Fen is working at a film studio, bizarrely giving his advice on a film based - loosely - on the life of Alexander Pope, even as the studio itself is loosely based on Ealing Studios.
Fen arrives one morning and runs into Inspector Humbleby. A young actress, Gloria Scott, has committed suicide, after throwing herself off Waterloo Bridge. Her flat has been searched, so her real name and background are unknown and Humbleby is attending the stuido to see Judy Flecker, who responded to a photo in the newspaper to say she had known her.
Of course, the crime is linked to the film Fen is involved with and Gloria Scott romantically linked to two men who also worked with her. Before long, there are further murders and I enjoyed the character of Judy, as she shows her bravery. Yes, Fen is less involved in this one, but it is a good story, enjoyable setting and some excellent characters. Only two books left to read in this series and I will be sad when I have finished it.
November 10, 2025
What I enjoyed the most about this book was the setting. It gave me an interesting picture of life on the sets, or rather premises, of a British film production company in the 1950s. I found myself comparing this book with my relatively recent read of The Killings on Jubilee Terrace.
I enjoyed this book a lot more—it has the right level of detail and isn't as convoluted a plot as Jubilee Terrace. Barring an unnecessary maze-chase at the end, this has a pretty good puzzle. When the murderer was revealed, I initially felt cheated because it seemed to come out of left field. But a few minutes of thinking showed me that he had laid out clues that I'd missed. It is not the most fair of solutions but it's also not unbelievable.
Most importantly, this book (mainly the first half) has some good humour. I don't remember Fen's exchanges with Humbleby being this funny in the short stories. Time for a re-read!
I enjoyed this book a lot more—it has the right level of detail and isn't as convoluted a plot as Jubilee Terrace. Barring an unnecessary maze-chase at the end, this has a pretty good puzzle. When the murderer was revealed, I initially felt cheated because it seemed to come out of left field. But a few minutes of thinking showed me that he had laid out clues that I'd missed. It is not the most fair of solutions but it's also not unbelievable.
Most importantly, this book (mainly the first half) has some good humour. I don't remember Fen's exchanges with Humbleby being this funny in the short stories. Time for a re-read!
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