Machinations of a Murderer: A 1940s Philip Bryce story

by Peter Zander-Howell

There are at least two reasons why Robin Whitaker wants to eliminate his wife, Dulcie. He is not allowed to drink any alcohol, nor to gamble.
Dulcie controls his life to an extent that he finds intolerable. But she is also wealthy, so merely leaving her is not an acceptable option.
In most circumstances Dr Whitaker thinks and acts like the very intelligent and highly-educated man he is. However, he has somehow convinced himself that the action of killing his wife is justified. He is also certain that his innate brainpower will give him a significant edge over any police detectives, and allow him to outwit them with ease.
What are his thoughts? How does he make his decisions? What does he do?
Will he get away with murder?

278 pages, ebook

Published February 15, 2023

Reviews

[karen fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was well written and I enjoyed the use of the English language which was cleverly written and tailored to the era of the novel. Unfortunately that was as much as I enjoyed. The story itself was too methodical and exactly as it happened. It went from conception of murder, to carrying it out, to the police investigation and then the court appearances. There were no twists or turns or wondering what was going to happen next, you even knew what the verdict was going to be. This could have been such a good book if it had kept the reader guessing a bit.

[Kim Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad but...

Not being a lover of books that show the crime being committed and then follow the police whilst they solve it, this book isn't really for me. That being said I stuck with it and as this type of story telling goes it wasn't bad. I hope however that the next one is written as all previous books in this series have been written.

[P.Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good read indeed, enjoyed it, very well written.

[Linda Woodley · Rating 5 out of 5]

It wasn't the best one as knowing who the murderer was from the start took away the suspension

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

1949. Dr Robin Whitaker, who once had a successful career which was derailed by his personal faults has decided that his wealthy but controlling wife Dulcie has to die. So he makes plans. He needs suspects and the perfect alibi which he starts to set up. Once the murder has taken place circumstances lead Scotland Yard Detectives Bryce and Haig to lead the investigation.
An entertaining historical mystery