Walling, RAJ - The Coroner Doubts aka The Corpse with the Blue Cravat (1938)

The Corpse With the Blue Cravat (1938) is different in feel from Walling's other books. It is a pure puzzle plot mystery throughout. The detective and the other characters continually explore the opening murder, always trying to come up with new perspectives on the crime. Walling finds a surprising amount of interesting detail, in what at first looks like a relatively simple crime. Although the book is fairly slow moving, it manages to be absorbing reading throughout.

This book is set in Dartmoor, a unique place that is vividly described. Walling is most interested in human dwellings in Dartmoor, unlike Thomas Kindon's Murder in the Moor (1929), which is mainly interested in natural formations. He shows what the operation of a typical house and small farm might be like. There is a brief look at industrial mining and mineral processing operations in Dartmoor, an industry that takes up an entire small town. Walling's fascination with high technology enterprises in remote areas of rural Britain will return with the waterworks in The Corpse Without a Clue (1944). The hotel in the mining town also reflects Walling's on going interest in rural hotels. It is built as a series of cabins, like an American motel. All in all, Walling gives us a look at rural Britain rarely seen in other writers.

Mike Grost