Rhode, John as Miles Burton - Death in the Tunnel (1936) aka Dark is the Tunnel

Although occasionally erratic in the quality of his output, at his best Major CJC Street was capable of producing mysteries that rank with the best from the golden age. This he proves emphatically in this novel, first published in 1936, during a period when he was producing books at a remarkable rate – the British Library dating stamp shows that his next Miles Burton mystery ‘Murder of a Chemist’ was received just two months and three weeks after this.

Usually to be relied upon for the fiendishness of his plots, though criticized by some reviewers for the lack of depth in his characters, Street did sometimes manage to go beyond the humdrum formulae that he is unjustly accused of adopting in all his work. The atmosphere of the opening chapters of Dead Men At The Folly, the psychological menace of The Claverton Mystery, the characterization of The Three Corpse Trick all show him rising above the level of mere competency. This mystery, which features series sleuths Desmond Merrion and Detective Inspector Arnold, achieves a similar quality as the reader is drawn into the intriguing investigation into the death of Sir Wilfred Saxonby, discovered murdered in a first class carriage on the London to Stourford train.

The plot is complex, as one would expect from Burton, and as Merrion and Arnold dig deeper they discover that motives abound, in both the victims private and public life. For some time the culprit seems obvious, however appearances are misleading and Merrion finally develops a theory that enables them to uncover the unexpected truth of the matter.

This is top-notch stuff from the height of the golden age. As always for Burton mysteries of this period a difficult book to track down but well worth the effort.

R E Faust

Memorably mocked by HRF Keating in Murder Must Appetize but also highly praised in the Catalogue of Crime, Death in the Tunnel is a classic of "humdrum" detection, with a carefully worked out (if extravagant) puzzle, intelligently investigated (mostly by Burton's resident gentleman amateur detective, Desmond Merrion, though Inspector Arnold shows some intelligence until his senses are overcome by a whiff of red herring). The railway backgroung lends the tale some nostalgic interest today, though the characters are uncommonly bland, even by humdrum standards. In many ways reminiscent of one of Crofts' stories of corporate malfeasance and criminal hithering and thithering by rail, road and wing. For those who appreciate a pure puzzle, excellent stuff.

Curt