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Ben the Tramp #3
Murderer’s Trail
Ben the tramp is back at sea, a stowaway bound for Spain in the company of a wanted man – the Hammersmith murderer.
Ben, wandering hungry through the foggy back alleys of Limehouse, is spooked by news of an old man murdered in Hammersmith – and runs! He crosses a plank, slips through an iron door, and goes to sea with the coal. But so does the man who did the murder, and a very pretty lady who did not. On the way, the Atlanta loses a stowaway, a pickpocket, a murderer, a super-crook, a wealthy passenger, the third officer and a lifeboat. And that is how Ben gets to Spain . . .
Combining laughs and thrills on every page, J. Jefferson Farjeon’s books about the adventures of Ben the tramp entertained 1930s detective readers like no other Crime Club series, and Murderer’s Trail was more popular than ever.
Ben, wandering hungry through the foggy back alleys of Limehouse, is spooked by news of an old man murdered in Hammersmith – and runs! He crosses a plank, slips through an iron door, and goes to sea with the coal. But so does the man who did the murder, and a very pretty lady who did not. On the way, the Atlanta loses a stowaway, a pickpocket, a murderer, a super-crook, a wealthy passenger, the third officer and a lifeboat. And that is how Ben gets to Spain . . .
Combining laughs and thrills on every page, J. Jefferson Farjeon’s books about the adventures of Ben the tramp entertained 1930s detective readers like no other Crime Club series, and Murderer’s Trail was more popular than ever.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1931
5 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
J. Jefferson Farjeon
94 books92 followersJoseph Jefferson Farjeon was always going to be a writer as, born in London, he was the son of Benjamin Leopold Farjeon who at the time was a well-known novelist whose other children were Eleanor Farjeon, who became a children's writer, and Herbert Farjeon, who became a playwright and who wrote the well-respected 'A Cricket Bag'.
The family were descended from Thomas Jefferson but it was his maternal grandfather, the American actor Joseph Jefferson, after whom Joseph was named. He was educated privately and at Peterborough Lodge and one of his early jobs, from 1910 to 1920, was doing some editorial work for the Amalgamated Press.
His first published work was in 1924 when Brentano's produced 'The Master Criminal', which is a tale of identity reversal involving two brothers, one a master detective, the other a master criminal. A New York Times reviewer commented favourably, "Mr. Farjeon displays a great deal of knowledge about story-telling and multiplies the interest of his plot through a terse, telling style and a rigid compression." This was the beginning of a career that would encompass over 80 published novels, ending with 'The Caravan Adventure' in 1955.
He also wrote a number of plays, some of which were filmed, most notably Number Seventeen which was produced by Alfred Hitchcock in 1932, and many short stories.
Many of his novels were in the mystery and detective genre although he was recognised as being one of the first novelists to entwine romance with crime. In addition he was known for his keen humour and flashing wit but he also used sinister and terrifying storylines quite freely. One critic for the Saturday Review of Literature reviewed one of his later books writing that it was "amusing, satirical, and [a] frequently hair-raising yarn of an author who got dangerously mixed up with his imaginary characters. Tricky."
When he died at Hove in Sussex in 1955 his obituary in The Times wrote of his "deserved popularity for ingenious and entertaining plots and characterization".
Gerry Wolstenholme
June 2010
The family were descended from Thomas Jefferson but it was his maternal grandfather, the American actor Joseph Jefferson, after whom Joseph was named. He was educated privately and at Peterborough Lodge and one of his early jobs, from 1910 to 1920, was doing some editorial work for the Amalgamated Press.
His first published work was in 1924 when Brentano's produced 'The Master Criminal', which is a tale of identity reversal involving two brothers, one a master detective, the other a master criminal. A New York Times reviewer commented favourably, "Mr. Farjeon displays a great deal of knowledge about story-telling and multiplies the interest of his plot through a terse, telling style and a rigid compression." This was the beginning of a career that would encompass over 80 published novels, ending with 'The Caravan Adventure' in 1955.
He also wrote a number of plays, some of which were filmed, most notably Number Seventeen which was produced by Alfred Hitchcock in 1932, and many short stories.
Many of his novels were in the mystery and detective genre although he was recognised as being one of the first novelists to entwine romance with crime. In addition he was known for his keen humour and flashing wit but he also used sinister and terrifying storylines quite freely. One critic for the Saturday Review of Literature reviewed one of his later books writing that it was "amusing, satirical, and [a] frequently hair-raising yarn of an author who got dangerously mixed up with his imaginary characters. Tricky."
When he died at Hove in Sussex in 1955 his obituary in The Times wrote of his "deserved popularity for ingenious and entertaining plots and characterization".
Gerry Wolstenholme
June 2010
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 15, 2021
The return of Ben the Tramp and once again sees him on the wrong side of the law through no fault of his own. Coming a cross a dead body in Hammersmith, Ben take refuse on a ship where he is taken for a stowaway but even worse on board is the murderer who with gang who have kidnapped an American heiress. Ben's ally is pickpocket Molly who is totally out of her depth. When the boat lands in Spain the trouble really begins. More of an adventure thriller than a murder mystery, Ben is a likeable character who can't seem to right without going wrong. His loyalty to his friend is at the heart of the book along he uses his wits to survive. An enjoyable listen on Audible which benefits greatly by the narration of David John who brings out the best in Ben.
March 16, 2018
A bit of a pot-boiler, but written well enough. This could easily be a 1930s quota quickie movie.
January 30, 2021
Just could not get into the book. The dialogue was annoying.
May 29, 2022
At least this installment (Book #3) does not play out fully in an abandoned house again like the first and second books in the series. Took me reading half way through it to get into "Murder's Trail." I think part of the issue with this series, for me, is related to connecting with the "Ben the Tramp" protagonist. He seems largely the same in each book with a different adventure with criminals he encounters as he tries to live his life as a 'tramp.' Each time, he is just going along and stumbles in the next 'adventure' and basically saving the day (and/or the damsel). There is, so far, next to nothing revealed about him personally and there is little to no personal growth or change. Still, the series is unique from others in the genre I've read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews