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The Tunnel Mystery
A busy train, a howling gale, A pitch-black tunnel. And a single, blood-bent bullet... There came a piercing shriek from the whistle, and the next moment they plunged into Highpen Tunnel and absolute darkness. No light came on. Even the usual flickering pencil-point of flame in the bowl at the ceiling was absent...
Travelling third-class on a crowded train from Yorkshire to London, after purchasing a necklace from a shady knight of the realm, Hatton Garden diamond merchant, David Hyde, can’t believe his good fortune.
More passengers filter into his compartment before the train departs, a heavy thunderstorm raging all around them. The train rushes on with a rattle and a roar, clattering into the Highpen Tunnel and, when it emerges, David Hyde is slumped in his seat, shot through the head, the necklace missing.
Local police, Inspector Parker and Police Constable Brent, undertake initial enquiries but the complexities of the case later require Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Kilby to take the lead.
There are many questions to be answered in this puzzling case. Why did no one hear the shot? Where is the necklace? And, of course, Who is the murderer?
John Christopher Lenehan (1890-1943) was the author of several detective stories including The Mansfield Mystery (1932) and One Murder Too Many (1943). His second, The Tunnel Mystery, was published in 1929.
Travelling third-class on a crowded train from Yorkshire to London, after purchasing a necklace from a shady knight of the realm, Hatton Garden diamond merchant, David Hyde, can’t believe his good fortune.
More passengers filter into his compartment before the train departs, a heavy thunderstorm raging all around them. The train rushes on with a rattle and a roar, clattering into the Highpen Tunnel and, when it emerges, David Hyde is slumped in his seat, shot through the head, the necklace missing.
Local police, Inspector Parker and Police Constable Brent, undertake initial enquiries but the complexities of the case later require Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Kilby to take the lead.
There are many questions to be answered in this puzzling case. Why did no one hear the shot? Where is the necklace? And, of course, Who is the murderer?
John Christopher Lenehan (1890-1943) was the author of several detective stories including The Mansfield Mystery (1932) and One Murder Too Many (1943). His second, The Tunnel Mystery, was published in 1929.
- GenresMystery
258 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1929
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 22, 2023
Starts with a murder, that becomes a puzzle, that needs to call in Scotland Yard and turns into an action packed end.
I like that the local police really do a great job at the start and ask intelligent questions. When it becomes obvious that the criminal is someone they can't find Scotland Yard is called in. And the nice thing is that the the Yard man and the local police all work together and it was their combined knowledge that solved the crime.
A fun mystery that really moves. I had a good idea who was the murderer at a point but that didn't make the story less interesting... cause you need to prove it. I have read short stories by Lenehan and they usually involve trains to some degree. A fun read and a fun puzzle.
I like that the local police really do a great job at the start and ask intelligent questions. When it becomes obvious that the criminal is someone they can't find Scotland Yard is called in. And the nice thing is that the the Yard man and the local police all work together and it was their combined knowledge that solved the crime.
A fun mystery that really moves. I had a good idea who was the murderer at a point but that didn't make the story less interesting... cause you need to prove it. I have read short stories by Lenehan and they usually involve trains to some degree. A fun read and a fun puzzle.
January 25, 2018
The Tunnel Mystery involves a shooting inside a passenger train compartment as the train passes through a tunnel. The other occupants of the compartment are investigated at length. Much time is spent on trying to figure out just what happened. There are two love stories going on at the same time (Jack Davis/Freda Lowe, George Brent/Connie Hyde) and it is a bit difficult keeping them straight. The action progresses until the very end, and when the murderer is revealed it seems a bit like "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie (although that wouldn't be published for three more years). All the various threads get unravelled on the last few pages. All in all, there are way too many people investigating the crime - official and unofficial. One especially good character is William Ernest Pardoe, a schoolboy who was a witness to the crime. He has a knack of hanging around the rail yard and observing things that the pros overlook. RM
March 31, 2017
Lenehan's second published novel, again featuring D.I. Kilby is a pacy adventure with a nicely open ending which, apparently gives a lead into his next,"The Silecroft Case".
This is thoroughly enjoyable, with murder, jewel theft, railway timetables, two romances, drugs, car chases and withheld evidence in the mixture.
The villains are not too difficult to spot although there are plenty of distractions keep the reader occupied.
Better-written than"The Marked Pistol' but easier to solve.
Really 3.5 stars
This is thoroughly enjoyable, with murder, jewel theft, railway timetables, two romances, drugs, car chases and withheld evidence in the mixture.
The villains are not too difficult to spot although there are plenty of distractions keep the reader occupied.
Better-written than"The Marked Pistol' but easier to solve.
Really 3.5 stars
November 5, 2015
My first time reading this author but I will try some more of his books if I can find any.
Quite an ingenious tale with plenty of clues. Probably too many as I found it fairly easy to work out what was going on, hence only three stars.
Quite an ingenious tale with plenty of clues. Probably too many as I found it fairly easy to work out what was going on, hence only three stars.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews