Rhode, John as Miles Burton - The Chinese Puzzle (1957)

This late Burton, from 1957, is in some respects standard fare, although it does deviate from the majority of his books in that the setting is the fictional sea town of Cranport and London, rather that the English country village which was his more usual domain. An attack at a boarding house in London frequented by Chinese immigrants leads Inspector Arnold to Cranport, where murder, a stolen post-office savings book, opium-smoking and the possibile involvement of secret societies combine to send him along numerous false trails before the conclusion. Fortunately, Desmond Merrion is on hand from very early on to help out and one of the definite highlights of the book are the wonderfully acerbic altercations between the two as they wrangle about what happened and who was responsible. Some aspects of the solution will be discernible to the seasoned mystery reader, others less so - the why and how is less obvious than the who - but overall this is an enjoyable read, especially for the Arnold/Merrion interactions. It is also pleasing to see that the book does not descend into just displaying racial stereotypes, though the picture of the uneducated oriental portrayed may seem outdated to some modern readers.

3/5

R E Faust

The Chinese Puzzle is available as a free download from Black Mask.