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The Case of the Crumpled Knave

Page history last edited by Jon 11 years, 9 months ago

Boucher, Anthony - The Case of the Crumpled Knave (1939)

 

Boucher's second detective story features a private detective in the shape of Fergus O'Breen, an over-the-top Irishman who naturally falls in love with one of the suspects. Military researcher Humphrey Garnett is murdered in his study soon after his friend Colonel Rand receives a mysterious telegram. Garnett's daughter, her fiancee, his lab assistant, his ineffective brother-in-law, and his mysterious protegee are all suspects. O'Breen and Rand together pursue the dying message clue - a crumpled knave of diamonds from a pack in the study -- but there are two more deaths befor the mystery is solved.

 

This is mystery in the Ellery Queen style, but there are signs here that Boucher was already feeling the pinch of restrictive conventions. The espionage motif makes an appearance when the book is well under way, but the most irritating feature is an amazing blunder on the part of a murderer who - we are told repeatedly -- is inhumanly cool and calculating. This looks like Boucher's attempt to have his cake and eat it too. And would that second murder method really work?

 

Boucher's writing is entertaining and Rand -- unlike the annoying O'Breen -- is a warm and sympathetic character. Overall the book gets high marks for a good attempt.

 

Jon.

 


Boucher's series detective Fergus O'Breen first appears in The Case of the Crumpled Knave (1939). This is a Golden Age novel that has everything but a really clever solution. It makes pleasant reading, till one reaches the end and discovers that there is nothing clever lurking behind all this development. Along the way there are numerous subplots focusing on the suspects. Boucher reveals that most of them are Not What They Seem To Be. This is a persistent plot gambit in his novels: Boucher will ring many changes on this theme throughout his books. Boucher includes some clever science fiction ideas in Chapter 7 of this book. This chapter also contains some of the running background information on playing cards and their collectors; more is found in Chapters 10 and 12. Boucher's novels have some Van Dine school characteristics. The settings are among the sort of intellectuals one often finds in Van Dine school writers: the playing card collectors in Knave, the mystery fans of Baker Street, the theater people in Solid Key. While Fergus O'Breen is technically a private eye, he is very intellectual, and falls into the tradition of genius amateur detective who works closely with the police. Boucher's investigations take place immediately after the crime and explore every aspect of the crime and people's lives, in the Van Dine tradition.

 

Mike Grost

 

See also: http://moonlight-detective.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/cards-on-table.html

 

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