Bentley, EC - Trent's Last Case

This book is often cited as the first work of The Golden Age of mystery fiction. It has an impressively clever plot, one that contains not one but two solutions to the crime. It was written in 1910-1911, and published in 1913. Such multiple solutioned construction will be a major influence on both Anthony Berkeley and Ellery Queen.

Mike Grost

I've recently re-re-read Trent's Last Case (a book The Rasp is heavily indebted to, IMO) and in strictly artistic terms I was almost amazed that it had such an impact. Some characters are well developed, but the behaviour of the victim is unbelievable. The prose is generally good, but occasionally lapses into the most appalling pretentiousness. The plot is sound, but it really isn't a thoroughly fair-play story, since the ultimate denouement is impossible to reach with the available data. Extreme social snobbery and primitive anti-Americanism are all over. I'm not saying I rate it as a bad book, very far from it, and its historical importance as the starting point in shaking off some of the Victorian conventions you mention is obvious to me, but maybe to fully appreciate its qualities one would have to ignore all that came after, which is of course impossible.

Henrique

Trent's Last Case is available through Project Gutenberg.