What do you think?
Sir Clinton Driffield #5
Grim Vengeance
'Mr J. J. Connington is a name revered by all specialists on detective fiction' Spectator When Sir Clinton Driffield travels to the village of Raynham Parva to visit his sister, he little imagines that his latest case will involve his own family. His niece has married an Argentinian, and the village is soon filled with exotic incomers, one of whom appears to have been a foreign agent. This unusual case presents Sir Clinton with three interlocking mysteries, which lead to a startling conclusion.
- GenresMystery
270 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1929
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 8, 2019
Number 5 is rather an oddity in the Clinton Driffield canon. Given that in it Driffield has given up his position as Chief Constable, and has been away on hush-hush government business involving coded telegrams, trips to Europe, and the League of Nations, and that there was a two book gap before the series resumed, it may be fair to assume that Connington was about to retire his hero, but had second thoughts.
The story centres on that favourite 1920’s topic, White Slavery, and, consequently, features a number of dodgy South Americans. There are three related deaths, and Sir Clinton himself fails under suspicion, although he runs rings round the hapless Sergeant Ledbury while “helping” him with the crimes which closely concern Driffield’s family and friends.
There is a deal of moral ambiguity in this far-from-cosy crime tale, and, for the times, an unusual conclusion. However, this does not feel right, psychologically, and I wonder if Connington himself was satisfied overall with the book, which, despite its major innovation, is really one of his weaker efforts. There is little detection until late on, and the third murder method, while ingenious and fully explicated, seems to me to be riddled with too many possibilities for total or partial failure.
3.5 stars, as it was very slow to get going.
The story centres on that favourite 1920’s topic, White Slavery, and, consequently, features a number of dodgy South Americans. There are three related deaths, and Sir Clinton himself fails under suspicion, although he runs rings round the hapless Sergeant Ledbury while “helping” him with the crimes which closely concern Driffield’s family and friends.
There is a deal of moral ambiguity in this far-from-cosy crime tale, and, for the times, an unusual conclusion. However, this does not feel right, psychologically, and I wonder if Connington himself was satisfied overall with the book, which, despite its major innovation, is really one of his weaker efforts. There is little detection until late on, and the third murder method, while ingenious and fully explicated, seems to me to be riddled with too many possibilities for total or partial failure.
3.5 stars, as it was very slow to get going.
June 7, 2017
Sir Clinton Driffield has been invited to stay with his sister in Raynham Parva. What seems like a pleasant break in the country seeing some old friends and his beloved niece and nephew soon becomes something much less pleasant.
His niece, Elsie, has just got married to someone Driffield instinctively distrusts but of course he can't tell Elsie of his fears. When murder rears its ugly head Driffield finds himself involved in the investigation when the local police ask for his help.
This is a dark mystery which presents Sir Clinton with several moral dilemmas involving guilt and innocence and his responsibility to justice and to his family. It seems as though whatever he does he is going to betray someone or something.
The book is well written and will be an eye opener to anyone who thinks that Golden Age crime fiction never goes much below the surface and doesn't touch anything in the nature of psychology. Well worth reading.
His niece, Elsie, has just got married to someone Driffield instinctively distrusts but of course he can't tell Elsie of his fears. When murder rears its ugly head Driffield finds himself involved in the investigation when the local police ask for his help.
This is a dark mystery which presents Sir Clinton with several moral dilemmas involving guilt and innocence and his responsibility to justice and to his family. It seems as though whatever he does he is going to betray someone or something.
The book is well written and will be an eye opener to anyone who thinks that Golden Age crime fiction never goes much below the surface and doesn't touch anything in the nature of psychology. Well worth reading.
September 1, 2025
When Human Trafficking was called "White Slavery" and stopping it was less important than protecting a young lady's reputation.
I've been loving this series, but this one (originally published as "Nemesis at Raynham Parva") is decidedly substandard. Chief Constable Sir Clinton Driffield has inherited an estate and is leaving police work to devote himself to the good of his tenent farmers.
Now maybe the author was packing it in and giving his detective a fond farewell, like Agatha Christie did in "Curtain." And about time, too. Poirot was an elderly retired policeman in Christie's first book "The Mysterious Affair at Styles", published in 1920. "Curtain" appeared after Christie's death in 1975. At the age of 120 (?) it was certainly time to put Hercule out to pasture.
If this author was getting out of the writing game, he must have changed his mind because there are a dozen more books in the series. We're told Sir Clinton has been traveling around Europe, taking in the sights, but later learn he's been on hush-hush government business. And they're getting ready to send him back.
Meanwhile, he visits his older sister in Raynham Parva. A widow, she has a grown daughter and a young son. Sir Clinton is a fond and much-loved uncle. His sister is upset because her inexperienced daughter has married a foreigner (from "the Argentine") and will be going there to live. They barely know each other and Mom is naturally concerned. Both she and Uncle Clinton would prefer that Elsie marry the nice English boy who loves her, but she's of age and has her own money.
Vincent Francia is a charming man and seems worried that his new wife won't be happy in South America, so he encourages her to invite three young women friends to go over with her at his expense. Very generous, right?
Driving to his sister's house late at night, Sir Clinton runs into a strange situation where a young village girl (employed by his sister) is eloping with a foreigner, who's promised her an exotic life in the big city. Seems like there's quite a market for innocent English girls.
Her local BF intervenes and the girl changes her mind. The next day, the persuasive Mr Quevedo is found dead in his car and BF is suspect #1. Local Sargeant Ledbury puts on a country bumpkin act, but he's shrewd and lets BF go. It looks like a simple auto smash, but Sir Clinton shows him it was a clever murder.
Then Sir Clinton meets a third foreigner whose GF was lured to the Argentine and sold to a brothel owner. She lived a nightmare for months, then died of TB. Dr Roca claims that Quevedo was involved in the White Slavery Trade and has an accomplice in the town. Whoever could it be?
Now Sir Clinton is up against it. He doesn't want his niece or her young friends to end up in a South American brothel, but he also doesn't want her to be known forevermore as the "wife" (since the marriage may not have been legal) of a White Slaver. Reputation was important then and his niece's life will be RUINED if the truth about her husband is known.
He can't accompany his niece's party to Buenos Aires because his own government needs him in Europe. And he doesn't trust them to be able to take care of themselves. He's hoping Dr Roca can protect them, but then Roca himself meets an untimely end.
All he can do is hope Dr Roca's colleague will eliminate Francia before Elsie and her friends leave England, but that plan is full of holes. So he comes up with another one. I think it's justified, but not realistic. You can see what you think. And it saves his niece's reputation, but does nothing to fight the evil of Human Trafficking. Very selfish and unsatisfactory from my viewpoint.
Like I say, I don't think this is Connington's best, by a long shot. In the next in the series, Sir Clinton is back in the saddle and Chief Constable, so the scare was all for nothing. I thought it would be. If you want to skip one, this would be the one to skip.
I've been loving this series, but this one (originally published as "Nemesis at Raynham Parva") is decidedly substandard. Chief Constable Sir Clinton Driffield has inherited an estate and is leaving police work to devote himself to the good of his tenent farmers.
Now maybe the author was packing it in and giving his detective a fond farewell, like Agatha Christie did in "Curtain." And about time, too. Poirot was an elderly retired policeman in Christie's first book "The Mysterious Affair at Styles", published in 1920. "Curtain" appeared after Christie's death in 1975. At the age of 120 (?) it was certainly time to put Hercule out to pasture.
If this author was getting out of the writing game, he must have changed his mind because there are a dozen more books in the series. We're told Sir Clinton has been traveling around Europe, taking in the sights, but later learn he's been on hush-hush government business. And they're getting ready to send him back.
Meanwhile, he visits his older sister in Raynham Parva. A widow, she has a grown daughter and a young son. Sir Clinton is a fond and much-loved uncle. His sister is upset because her inexperienced daughter has married a foreigner (from "the Argentine") and will be going there to live. They barely know each other and Mom is naturally concerned. Both she and Uncle Clinton would prefer that Elsie marry the nice English boy who loves her, but she's of age and has her own money.
Vincent Francia is a charming man and seems worried that his new wife won't be happy in South America, so he encourages her to invite three young women friends to go over with her at his expense. Very generous, right?
Driving to his sister's house late at night, Sir Clinton runs into a strange situation where a young village girl (employed by his sister) is eloping with a foreigner, who's promised her an exotic life in the big city. Seems like there's quite a market for innocent English girls.
Her local BF intervenes and the girl changes her mind. The next day, the persuasive Mr Quevedo is found dead in his car and BF is suspect #1. Local Sargeant Ledbury puts on a country bumpkin act, but he's shrewd and lets BF go. It looks like a simple auto smash, but Sir Clinton shows him it was a clever murder.
Then Sir Clinton meets a third foreigner whose GF was lured to the Argentine and sold to a brothel owner. She lived a nightmare for months, then died of TB. Dr Roca claims that Quevedo was involved in the White Slavery Trade and has an accomplice in the town. Whoever could it be?
Now Sir Clinton is up against it. He doesn't want his niece or her young friends to end up in a South American brothel, but he also doesn't want her to be known forevermore as the "wife" (since the marriage may not have been legal) of a White Slaver. Reputation was important then and his niece's life will be RUINED if the truth about her husband is known.
He can't accompany his niece's party to Buenos Aires because his own government needs him in Europe. And he doesn't trust them to be able to take care of themselves. He's hoping Dr Roca can protect them, but then Roca himself meets an untimely end.
All he can do is hope Dr Roca's colleague will eliminate Francia before Elsie and her friends leave England, but that plan is full of holes. So he comes up with another one. I think it's justified, but not realistic. You can see what you think. And it saves his niece's reputation, but does nothing to fight the evil of Human Trafficking. Very selfish and unsatisfactory from my viewpoint.
Like I say, I don't think this is Connington's best, by a long shot. In the next in the series, Sir Clinton is back in the saddle and Chief Constable, so the scare was all for nothing. I thought it would be. If you want to skip one, this would be the one to skip.
March 13, 2024
A departure from Connington's usual Driffield books. Here, he has resigned from the police. Apparently he came into an inheritance that was going to require some personal attention. He is going to spend some time with his sister and her daughter and young son at their lodge in Raynham Parva. It seems that the daughter recently met and married an Argentinian. Driffield wants to find out just what kind of a chap he is.
On his way to Fern Lodge he comes upon a couple of fellows about to fight something out and he puts in his two cents. It appears they are about to fight over a young lady. They tell him to buzz off and gives the young lady a lift, reluctantly on her part. It soon follows that one of the guys finds himself in a fatal accident.
Only the start of Driffield somehow being involved in multiple murders.
I was surprised by the ending. This was my sixth or seventh Driffield book and Connington frequently finds a way for the killer not to be sent to jail for the rest of his life. This is not to say that his killers get off scot free. And his murders are always very intricate.
On his way to Fern Lodge he comes upon a couple of fellows about to fight something out and he puts in his two cents. It appears they are about to fight over a young lady. They tell him to buzz off and gives the young lady a lift, reluctantly on her part. It soon follows that one of the guys finds himself in a fatal accident.
Only the start of Driffield somehow being involved in multiple murders.
I was surprised by the ending. This was my sixth or seventh Driffield book and Connington frequently finds a way for the killer not to be sent to jail for the rest of his life. This is not to say that his killers get off scot free. And his murders are always very intricate.
August 27, 2026
A good Thriller. Retired but he'll be back.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews