| 
  • If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.

  • You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!

View
 

The Detling Murders

Page history last edited by PBworks 17 years, 6 months ago

Symons, Julian - The Detling Murders (1982)

 

Is this "the Crime Novel of the Future"?

 

No, because Symons had Wagner's ego, self-adoration and hatred of his rivals and more conservative forms without his supreme genius.

 

This is surprisingly orthodox: a big English family murder at Christmas (and an earlier one in London), with connections to Irish politics / terrorism, Bohemian artists, and big business. The characterisation is good, but really no better than Carr or Christie (and not as good as Marsh, Allingham or Blake). The minor murder happens halfway through, and the major one in the last 30 pages (half of which are solution), so there isn't much problem or detection - or much satisfaction in the murderer's identity, since we don't really know him. (A problem with modern writers, who often skimp on the ending - inevitable neither in terms of story nor psychology!)

 

Surprisingly, there aren't many off-colour bits: one girl loses her virginity (off page) and a maid worries that because an old man felt her up, she'll have a baby, so her mistress has to teach her the facts of life - "Well, I never. You mean you've got to go through all that before you get a baby? I seen those things on my brothers, but I never knew what they was for."

 

A few loose ends, too: what was the business with Fred Harrison and Duncan J Hatherley? 3/5

 

Nick Fuller

Comments (0)

You don't have permission to comment on this page.