Abbot, Anthony - About the Murder of the Clergyman's Mistress (1931) aka The Crime of the Century, The Murder of the Clergyman's Mistress, The Mysterious Murder of the Blonde Play-Girl

About the Murder of the Clergyman's Mistress (1931) is perhaps a bit over praised among Abbot's work. The book is readable throughout. It is at its vivid best in its opening chapters, in which Colt identifies the unknown corpses, and reconstructs the murder events at the crime scenes. These sections show good detective work. They also display Abbot's gift for architectural writing, and his command of atmosphere and mise-en-scène. The later stages of the novel do show Abbot's ability to handle a complex plot, and the final revelations about the crime do surprise.

Abbot will return to the setting of this novel, the Church of St. Michael and All Angels in New York, for his fine short story, "About the Disappearance of Agatha King" (1932).

Mike Grost