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The Dusky Hour

Page history last edited by Jon 14 years, 7 months ago

Punshon, ER - The Dusky Hour (1937) aka Murder in the Chalk Pits

 

Review by Jason Hall - 3/5

 

Detective-Sergeant Bobby Owen — working under his less resourceful superior, Colonel Warden — investigates the death of a village newcomer who was shot twice and pushed, in his car, over the side of the local chalk pits. The dead man has American criminal connections, and it does not take Bobby long to realize that a number of local suspects know more than they’re telling. While sorting out the accusations of share-pushing, card-sharping, and false identities, the trail leads the Scotland Yard detective to the theft of bearer bonds worth a small fortune. This treasure makes its seekers unusually cunning -— and criminous -— in their hunt.

 

The Dusky Hour is an improvement over ER Punshon’s previous series entry, The Mystery of Mr. Jessop: the author largely disposes of his earlier penchant for run-on sentences and melodramatic narrative, at the same time delivering a less obvious mystery plotline. Punshon consciously keeps the story’s energy and revelations constant, and most of the tale is propulsive enough for a steady read. Even with these improvements, The Dusky Hour remains a rather unmemorable tale, perhaps more notable for its run of unbelievable alibis: a bull is photographed in a particular field at a particular time; a cat seen by one witness was actually visiting a veterinarian; and a hat spotted on a suspect was only delivered from the store that morning. These are details which will either amuse the reader or shatter suspension of disbelief in toto. That neither Punshon nor his detective makes any comment on such only-in-mystery-fiction conveniences is perhaps as intriguing as the story at hand.

 

Jason Hall


A

 

One of the best 1930s Punshons.  In some ways, it anticipates the Wychshire books: Bobby acts as an assistant to the Chief Constable, Colonel Warden, and takes over when the Colonel falls ill.  The plot is complex, but not cluttered, because everything fits together, either as part of the schemes of two pairs of swindlers or their schemes against each other (slight case of bees-in-a-jar).  Chapters 18–24 have an almost Christiean playfulness, as the suspects accuse each other in turn, then the accused person produces both an alibi and an accusation.  The end of Ch. 24, however, shows that Bobby suspects ***Larson,*** whom I suspected from the start.  (Punshon tends to be better at atmosphere and melodramatically intense characterisation than at misdirection, but his books have a splendid vitality.)

 

·        “Analysis” halfway through—useful summing up of points for and against suspects.

·        Punshon’s technique of maze construction and red herrings to distract attention from the real murderer: similar to R.A.J. Walling.

 

Nick Fuller.

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