Symons, Julian -- The Immaterial Murder Case (1945)

B

Immaterial Murder Case was enjoyable—firmly in the line of Carr and Innes, complete with map and time-table, and a nice twist in the solution (wrong acroidal solution followed by the Carrian logical solution), but the plot's very cluttered and hard to follow.  Plotting wasn't Symons's strength at all—he lacked the clarity in exposition of the humdrums!  Artistic / night-club setting reminded me of the unreadable Face on the Cutting-room Floor. 

Interesting that he should later disavow this book and refuse to have it published—not enough of a “crime novel”?

Note also a spoof on the Great Detective (one of Symons’s many bug-bears): the outrageous Teak Woode.  Inspector Bland solves the mystery.

Nick Fuller.