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The Case of the Three Strange Faces

Page history last edited by PBworks 18 years, 3 months ago

Bush, Christopher - The Case of the Three Strange Faces / The Crank in the Corner (1933)

 

 

Review by Nick Fuller

4/5

One of the better Bushes. The opening section is excellent, describing Travers's train journey from Toulon to Marignac in the company of several suspicious characters, two of whom die en route. Although we seem to have two seemingly unrelated murders (drug and domestic), Travers is able to prove the connection between the two. The delving into the past and the subsequent murders are well done, and there is a neat twist in the final few paragraphs. What is not so good is the high degree of convolution: we are asked to believe that two men should decide to commit murder on the same night without providing a catalyst (Dead Man Twice was careful to establish that Hayles and Claire were provoked into murder by an action of Michael France’s); the drug subplot is irrelevant; Mme. Olivet’s murder is never satisfyingly explained; and “Corley” is mentioned and subsequently forgotten. Despite these flaws, we are given a fairly pleasing problem.

 

One flaw in Wharton’s reasoning, though: it doesn’t hold that a layman wouldn’t know of stomach content.

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