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Inspector Poole #2
The Duke of York's Steps
A wealthy banker, Sir Garth Fratten, dies suddenly from an aneurysm on the Duke of York's Steps. His doctor is satisfied that a mild shock such as being jostled would be enough to cause Sir Garth's death. It all seems so straightforward, and there is no inquest.
But Fratten's daughter Inez is not satisfied. She places an advertisement in the London newspapers that comes to the attention of Scotland Yard, and Inspector John Poole is assigned to make enquiries.
Poole's investigation leads him into a world of high finance where things are not as they seem; a sordid world in which rich young men make fools of themselves over chorus girls.
But Fratten's daughter Inez is not satisfied. She places an advertisement in the London newspapers that comes to the attention of Scotland Yard, and Inspector John Poole is assigned to make enquiries.
Poole's investigation leads him into a world of high finance where things are not as they seem; a sordid world in which rich young men make fools of themselves over chorus girls.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1929
28 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
Henry Wade
76 books11 followersHenry Wade was a pen-name of Sir Henry Lancelot Aubrey-Fletcher, 6th Baronet. Other authors on Goodreads are also named Henry Wade.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 23, 2023
Unnatural causes…
Sir Garth Fratten, a greatly respected banker and financier, has an aneurism that his doctor has warned him could rupture at any time. So when he collapses and dies in the street after being jostled on the Duke of York’s Steps by a man in a hurry, it is initially put down to natural causes. But Assistant Commissioner Sir Leward Marradine isn’t satisfied, so tasks newly promoted Detective-Inspector John Poole to look into the question of whether there has been any kind of foul play. Sir Garth had left a considerable fortune, split between his son and daughter who are half-siblings. The girl, Inez, is beautiful, therefore all the policemen instantly realise she is innocent! But the son, Ryland, has been a disappointment to his father – constantly consorting with dancers and actresses, and having to pay lots of money to avoid scandals. However, Sir Garth also had extensive business dealings both as chairman of the bank that bears his name and as a director on several boards, so Poole will have to see if there’s a motive there before making assumptions about Ryland’s guilt. First, though, he will have to prove that the death was murder, and to do that he will have to work out how it was done…
Apparently this is the first in a series about Inspector Poole though it wasn’t Wade’s first novel. It is very well written and the characterisation is strong, not just of Poole but of the various suspects. Published in 1929, Wade shows a world where many of the prominent men in society are veterans of WW1, not all of them finding it easy to readjust to peacetime. Sir Garth’s friend, Leopold Hessel, for example, is a German Jew who was subjected to suspicion for his nationality throughout the conflict, and still faces discrimination for his race. Major-General Sir Hunter Lorne was much decorated for his courage in war, but now, having used his savings to set himself up as the chairman of a small finance company, is feeling rather out of his depth and reliant on his fellow directors, of whom he wants Sir Garth to be one. Sir Leward himself is also ex-army, but he got out as soon as he could after the war and is rather looked down on by career soldiers as a result. The memory of the war looms large, not in the plot so much, but in the characters and the setting – Wade frequently mentions the various memorials to the fallen that were springing up in London, and his ex-army characters never pass one without doffing their hat and bowing their head in respect. Henry Wade was a pseudonym used by Major Sir Henry Lancelot Aubrey-Fletcher, 6th Baronet KstJ, CVO, DSO, veteran of WW1 at the time of this book and later to be a veteran of WW2, so the preponderance of ex-officers clearly reflects his own milieu.
Poole himself is an interesting study in social class. The son of a doctor and educated at Oxford, his family planned for him to be a doctor or a lawyer. But Poole had developed an interest in the detection of crime while at university so decided on a career in the police force despite it being seen as being beneath him. But Poole has no intention of being a low-ranked policeman for long – already his intelligence and perseverance have gained him a meteoric rise, first into the CID and now to the rank of Inspector while still a young man. He plans to make it to the very top of the force, and so puts considerable pressure on himself to achieve results, and is his own harshest critic when he gets something wrong. His speedy rise and education lead to a certain amount of resentment from some of his more plodding colleagues, but Poole is aware of this and doesn’t let it get in his way. Sounds as if he should be unlikeable, but actually he’s quite an appealing character in this first outing – I’ll be interested to see if he develops more of a personal life to soften the edges in future books. Though it’s written in the third person, we see events unfold mostly from Poole’s perspective, although occasionally Wade allows us a glimpse inside the thoughts of some of the other characters.
The plot is interesting and well paced – slowish but steady so that it always feels as if it’s advancing. It’s very much a procedural and gives what feels like a realistic picture of how a detective would have set about an investigation of this nature – the business of interviewing everyone, calling in experts to help with the financial or medical aspects, preparing for the inquest, and so on. Since we learn everything Poole learns at the same time as him, it’s not really the kind of mystery where the reader is competing with the detective to solve it first, although it’s possible to make a reasonable guess at who and how from about halfway through. Like Poole, though, we are then left with the question of why, and that becomes the real mystery.
An interesting one – I enjoyed it and am glad to see there are many more of his books in print to explore.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Sir Garth Fratten, a greatly respected banker and financier, has an aneurism that his doctor has warned him could rupture at any time. So when he collapses and dies in the street after being jostled on the Duke of York’s Steps by a man in a hurry, it is initially put down to natural causes. But Assistant Commissioner Sir Leward Marradine isn’t satisfied, so tasks newly promoted Detective-Inspector John Poole to look into the question of whether there has been any kind of foul play. Sir Garth had left a considerable fortune, split between his son and daughter who are half-siblings. The girl, Inez, is beautiful, therefore all the policemen instantly realise she is innocent! But the son, Ryland, has been a disappointment to his father – constantly consorting with dancers and actresses, and having to pay lots of money to avoid scandals. However, Sir Garth also had extensive business dealings both as chairman of the bank that bears his name and as a director on several boards, so Poole will have to see if there’s a motive there before making assumptions about Ryland’s guilt. First, though, he will have to prove that the death was murder, and to do that he will have to work out how it was done…
Apparently this is the first in a series about Inspector Poole though it wasn’t Wade’s first novel. It is very well written and the characterisation is strong, not just of Poole but of the various suspects. Published in 1929, Wade shows a world where many of the prominent men in society are veterans of WW1, not all of them finding it easy to readjust to peacetime. Sir Garth’s friend, Leopold Hessel, for example, is a German Jew who was subjected to suspicion for his nationality throughout the conflict, and still faces discrimination for his race. Major-General Sir Hunter Lorne was much decorated for his courage in war, but now, having used his savings to set himself up as the chairman of a small finance company, is feeling rather out of his depth and reliant on his fellow directors, of whom he wants Sir Garth to be one. Sir Leward himself is also ex-army, but he got out as soon as he could after the war and is rather looked down on by career soldiers as a result. The memory of the war looms large, not in the plot so much, but in the characters and the setting – Wade frequently mentions the various memorials to the fallen that were springing up in London, and his ex-army characters never pass one without doffing their hat and bowing their head in respect. Henry Wade was a pseudonym used by Major Sir Henry Lancelot Aubrey-Fletcher, 6th Baronet KstJ, CVO, DSO, veteran of WW1 at the time of this book and later to be a veteran of WW2, so the preponderance of ex-officers clearly reflects his own milieu.
Poole himself is an interesting study in social class. The son of a doctor and educated at Oxford, his family planned for him to be a doctor or a lawyer. But Poole had developed an interest in the detection of crime while at university so decided on a career in the police force despite it being seen as being beneath him. But Poole has no intention of being a low-ranked policeman for long – already his intelligence and perseverance have gained him a meteoric rise, first into the CID and now to the rank of Inspector while still a young man. He plans to make it to the very top of the force, and so puts considerable pressure on himself to achieve results, and is his own harshest critic when he gets something wrong. His speedy rise and education lead to a certain amount of resentment from some of his more plodding colleagues, but Poole is aware of this and doesn’t let it get in his way. Sounds as if he should be unlikeable, but actually he’s quite an appealing character in this first outing – I’ll be interested to see if he develops more of a personal life to soften the edges in future books. Though it’s written in the third person, we see events unfold mostly from Poole’s perspective, although occasionally Wade allows us a glimpse inside the thoughts of some of the other characters.
The plot is interesting and well paced – slowish but steady so that it always feels as if it’s advancing. It’s very much a procedural and gives what feels like a realistic picture of how a detective would have set about an investigation of this nature – the business of interviewing everyone, calling in experts to help with the financial or medical aspects, preparing for the inquest, and so on. Since we learn everything Poole learns at the same time as him, it’s not really the kind of mystery where the reader is competing with the detective to solve it first, although it’s possible to make a reasonable guess at who and how from about halfway through. Like Poole, though, we are then left with the question of why, and that becomes the real mystery.
An interesting one – I enjoyed it and am glad to see there are many more of his books in print to explore.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
July 8, 2018
This is only my second Henry Wade book I have read. I read it because it is 1 of 100 books used by Martin Edwards forth coming book - The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books which shows some of the developments of crime fiction during the period 1901-1950. The police procedural aspects of the book are quite early for the genre as a whole. Inspector Poole the main protagonist is a rookie (newbie) Inspector at Scotland Yard and has been chosen for this case in order to show this Oxford Graduate that he isn't the wonder boy he thinks he is (from his immediate superiors point of view). Wade writes his novel's with style and fluidity although at a somewhat plodding pace as well as making them over long (this novel has 317 pages). However he is very good at characterisation and you don't feel that the characters are wooden. Inspector Poole is very much like Inspector French (Freeman Wills Crofts) except that Poole plays by the rules of law and doesn't partake in illegal undertakings and is therefore not as exciting as French but much more realistic. Wade does somewhat rely on coincidences or good luck e.g. the finding of the murder weapon - but this seems to be a crime fiction norm for many of the writers from this time (1920s & 30s & later). I would have prefer that the book was shorter by at least 50 pages as Wade gets a bit boring in his routine aspects of reviewing alibi's and red herrings. The book is an interesting read in regards to the social times it was written in and discusses the problem of being a German Jew in WWI, regret that top hats are no longer being worn & sex equality (page 136 & 137). I would give this book just about a 7 out of 10.
February 18, 2020
B : A really great murder mystery scenario, although I wasn't altogether thrilled with the denouement. Wade's treatment of Poole is a really good example of evolution of character. In only his second outing here, his rationale mostly feels spot on, but he makes plenty of mistakes.
May 8, 2024
Overworked | I struggled to enjoy this originally because the victim seemed such a likeable person. As it continued I became rapidly sick of the arrogant Scotland Yard boss, got bored with the terrifically unrealistic murder method, alibi plotting, and identity secrets, and could not stand one more reference to how every man who even sees Inez Fratten is immediately head over heels for her, including the man who believed from the time she was born that he was her brother. Common to the time period anti-Semitism didn't help, and Poole being one of many "gentleman detectives of Scotland Yard" in books of the time but the only one who can't separate his background from his job for a moment was frustrating (he specifically decides not to look at a photo of a group of alumni of his own alma mater, so as not to let slip that he came up through it, then immediately looks at it such that the person he's interviewing guesses, and then answers questions on the subject). Overall the book was alright, but so much better was written by others at the time. I'll still try others, see if the series improved with time.
July 29, 2021
An excellent police procedural with plenty of detailed detection. I liked Inspector Poole; as well as dogged determination he showed his humane side. Thoroughly enjoyable.
June 17, 2015
Found this at a garage sale for 25 cents and figured, what the hell, I'll read it. Men in top hats, London in the 1920s, actually written in 1929....worth a shot. The best part of the story is the atmosphere and the details of London in the late twenties. There is a scene towards the beginning of the book when Inez, the main female character, is on the phone talking and it's just so spot on of the era. Another part when the author lovingly describes Inez's sitting room is also quite interesting and entertaining to read. Such a snapshot of the interior design of the times.
The mystery itself is ok. Nothing amazing. I liked the lead detective. The ending of the book, when the murderer actually writes a letter to the detective detailing how the crime was committed, made me laugh out loud. Ok then, I guess the author wasn't sure how to go about solving the case? What an odd solution, have the bad guy explain the crime a la the end of a Poiret novel or a Scooby Doo episode. Seems a bit of a cop out to me.
I wouldn't recommend this mystery to anyone but I'm not angry I read it. A somewhat entertaining trifle that took a few days to read.
The mystery itself is ok. Nothing amazing. I liked the lead detective. The ending of the book, when the murderer actually writes a letter to the detective detailing how the crime was committed, made me laugh out loud. Ok then, I guess the author wasn't sure how to go about solving the case? What an odd solution, have the bad guy explain the crime a la the end of a Poiret novel or a Scooby Doo episode. Seems a bit of a cop out to me.
I wouldn't recommend this mystery to anyone but I'm not angry I read it. A somewhat entertaining trifle that took a few days to read.
February 13, 2018
Inspector John Poole is near the start of his Scotland Yard career in this fascinating murder mystery. Poole is a much more interesting character than many from Golden Age novels. He is solidly middle class rather than aristocratic, he has personality but is not eccentric or whimsical, he is efficient without being dull, he is a personable young man not an elderly spinster. He is Oxbridge but does not wear his learning heavily or eschew it completely. So he is emphatically not Wimsey, Alleyn, Campion, Poirot French, Marple, Silver, Appleby or Owen- and all the better for that.
This novel first appeared in 1929 and has a fairly typical background in the world of finance. Sir Garth Fratten, a banker, is murdered and Poole leads the investigation. The method is very original.
The writing and characterisation are strong points but the book is marred by that casual anti-Semitism, common in novels of this period, but so unnecessary and so unacceptable.
The plot is complex but not impenetrable and there is, as usual with Wade, a surprise twist towards the end.
Mostly enjoyable and very readable.
This novel first appeared in 1929 and has a fairly typical background in the world of finance. Sir Garth Fratten, a banker, is murdered and Poole leads the investigation. The method is very original.
The writing and characterisation are strong points but the book is marred by that casual anti-Semitism, common in novels of this period, but so unnecessary and so unacceptable.
The plot is complex but not impenetrable and there is, as usual with Wade, a surprise twist towards the end.
Mostly enjoyable and very readable.
October 20, 2021
This is a 1929 mystery novel by English author Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, writing using the pen name Henry Wade and is the first book in his Scotland Yard Detective-Inspector John Poole series. It is a police procedural crime mystery with a setting in 1920s London. This is a very well written book and the murder plot is unique and creative. I shall definitely try to read more books by Wade in the future.
The title of the book, “The Duke of York’s Steps” refers to the long steps that connect the Duke of York Column to The Mall in London. For readers not familiar with those steps, it would be useful to google a picture of the Steps which would really help readers get a good handle on the lay of the land. For people who are interested London street scenes, reading this book is like doing a walking tour through London. It features in detail many of its famous streets, landmarks and neighborhoods, from the Duke of York’s Column to The Cenotaph; from The Lyceum Theatre to the old Savoy’s Grill; and famous streets like Queen Anne’s Gate and Birdcage Walk. Wade really did a good job describing 1920s London and incorporate the streets well into the mechanics of the story.
Spoiler Alert. The story is about the death of a rich and famous old London banker Sir Garth Fratten, the Chairman of the privately held Fratten Bank. When he was walking down the Duke of York’s Steps one evening with his close friend Leopold Hessel, a man running down the stairs lightly bumped into Fratten, which caused a scare but apparently no harm was done. After the man went away after an apology, Fratten continued to walk down the stairs with Hessel. At the bottom of the stairs, when crossing The Mall, the two waited on the island in the middle of The Mall. Soon after they crossed the street, Fratten died, subsequently determined to be from thoracic aneurism, a condition which was known to Fratten and a few friends and family members. Initially, everybody concluded Fratten’s death was a natural death which may or may not be triggered by being bumped into on the Duke of York’s Steps, and no autopsy nor inquest was ordered. Fratten’s daughter Inez Fratten, however, was dissatisfied with the conclusion and was upset the man who bumped into Fratten (which everyone believed was an accident which triggered the broken artery) has not come forward and apologized to the family. Scotland Yard got involved and Inspector Poole was sent to look into it.
The first difficulty faced by Poole was the cause of death (what really caused the burst artery). As Poole started digging into Fratten’s affairs, suspicious was roused. Poole finally got an order to exhume the body for an autopsy. When the doctor found a bruising in the back of Fratten that looked like he was hit by some projectile, Poole knew he had a murder investigation. It turned out what happened was Fratten’s good friend Hessel was running a securities fraud scheme with a man called Captain James Wraile and James’ wife Miriam. They formed a few shell companies and tricked Major General Sir Hunter Lorne, Chairman of a reputable financing firm called Victory Finances Company, to be the front of the penny stock pumping fraud without Lorne knowing what he got into. Lorne, who was an old school friend of Fratten, decided to invite Fratten to sit on the Board of Directors of Victory Finances Company without telling his partners James Wraile and Travers Lessingham (Lessingham was really Hessel in disguise). When Fratten, in the course of his due diligence before deciding whether to join the Board, discovered irregularity with Victory Finances Company and suspected Lorne was being cheated by Lessingham and Wraile (not knowing Lessingham was in fact his own best friend Hessel in disguise), Hessel and Wraile decided to kill Fratten.
Hessel, being one of the few people who knew of Fratten’s ailment, decided to take advantage of it and set a trap for Fratten to murder him. He first led Fratten down the Duke of York’s Steps at a prearranged time. Wraile (in disguise) then bumped into Fratten very lightly to create an illusion that this “accident” was the cause of his subsequent burst aneurism. After Fratten and Hessel walked down the Steps and waited for traffic to clear by standing on the island on The Mall, Wraile (in a car driven by his wife and accomplice Miriam) drove by the island and Wraile, using a cross-bow filled with a rubber ball projectile with a metal filling inside, shot the projectile at the back of Fratten to bust an artery to cause death from aneurism. The criminals were also very clever in setting up alibis for themselves and it took Poole quite a lot of work to break those alibis. In addition, they also set up an elaborate frame-up to try to point suspicion on Fratten’s black-sheep son Ryland Fratten. Poole suspected Ryland at first but was able to finally clear him and discovered the real culprits.
From a historic perspective, this book is also a good contemporaneous record of how English high society and high finance discriminated against and excluded Jews at that time and how that discrimination caused resentment. While Fratten had tried very hard over the years to use his influence to promote Hessel to the highest level of English finance and club circles, resistance existed and his attempts were not successful. In the end, Hassel turned villain, and through a weird twist of fate, was put into a situation where he made the decision to kill his mentor and friend.
The title of the book, “The Duke of York’s Steps” refers to the long steps that connect the Duke of York Column to The Mall in London. For readers not familiar with those steps, it would be useful to google a picture of the Steps which would really help readers get a good handle on the lay of the land. For people who are interested London street scenes, reading this book is like doing a walking tour through London. It features in detail many of its famous streets, landmarks and neighborhoods, from the Duke of York’s Column to The Cenotaph; from The Lyceum Theatre to the old Savoy’s Grill; and famous streets like Queen Anne’s Gate and Birdcage Walk. Wade really did a good job describing 1920s London and incorporate the streets well into the mechanics of the story.
Spoiler Alert. The story is about the death of a rich and famous old London banker Sir Garth Fratten, the Chairman of the privately held Fratten Bank. When he was walking down the Duke of York’s Steps one evening with his close friend Leopold Hessel, a man running down the stairs lightly bumped into Fratten, which caused a scare but apparently no harm was done. After the man went away after an apology, Fratten continued to walk down the stairs with Hessel. At the bottom of the stairs, when crossing The Mall, the two waited on the island in the middle of The Mall. Soon after they crossed the street, Fratten died, subsequently determined to be from thoracic aneurism, a condition which was known to Fratten and a few friends and family members. Initially, everybody concluded Fratten’s death was a natural death which may or may not be triggered by being bumped into on the Duke of York’s Steps, and no autopsy nor inquest was ordered. Fratten’s daughter Inez Fratten, however, was dissatisfied with the conclusion and was upset the man who bumped into Fratten (which everyone believed was an accident which triggered the broken artery) has not come forward and apologized to the family. Scotland Yard got involved and Inspector Poole was sent to look into it.
The first difficulty faced by Poole was the cause of death (what really caused the burst artery). As Poole started digging into Fratten’s affairs, suspicious was roused. Poole finally got an order to exhume the body for an autopsy. When the doctor found a bruising in the back of Fratten that looked like he was hit by some projectile, Poole knew he had a murder investigation. It turned out what happened was Fratten’s good friend Hessel was running a securities fraud scheme with a man called Captain James Wraile and James’ wife Miriam. They formed a few shell companies and tricked Major General Sir Hunter Lorne, Chairman of a reputable financing firm called Victory Finances Company, to be the front of the penny stock pumping fraud without Lorne knowing what he got into. Lorne, who was an old school friend of Fratten, decided to invite Fratten to sit on the Board of Directors of Victory Finances Company without telling his partners James Wraile and Travers Lessingham (Lessingham was really Hessel in disguise). When Fratten, in the course of his due diligence before deciding whether to join the Board, discovered irregularity with Victory Finances Company and suspected Lorne was being cheated by Lessingham and Wraile (not knowing Lessingham was in fact his own best friend Hessel in disguise), Hessel and Wraile decided to kill Fratten.
Hessel, being one of the few people who knew of Fratten’s ailment, decided to take advantage of it and set a trap for Fratten to murder him. He first led Fratten down the Duke of York’s Steps at a prearranged time. Wraile (in disguise) then bumped into Fratten very lightly to create an illusion that this “accident” was the cause of his subsequent burst aneurism. After Fratten and Hessel walked down the Steps and waited for traffic to clear by standing on the island on The Mall, Wraile (in a car driven by his wife and accomplice Miriam) drove by the island and Wraile, using a cross-bow filled with a rubber ball projectile with a metal filling inside, shot the projectile at the back of Fratten to bust an artery to cause death from aneurism. The criminals were also very clever in setting up alibis for themselves and it took Poole quite a lot of work to break those alibis. In addition, they also set up an elaborate frame-up to try to point suspicion on Fratten’s black-sheep son Ryland Fratten. Poole suspected Ryland at first but was able to finally clear him and discovered the real culprits.
From a historic perspective, this book is also a good contemporaneous record of how English high society and high finance discriminated against and excluded Jews at that time and how that discrimination caused resentment. While Fratten had tried very hard over the years to use his influence to promote Hessel to the highest level of English finance and club circles, resistance existed and his attempts were not successful. In the end, Hassel turned villain, and through a weird twist of fate, was put into a situation where he made the decision to kill his mentor and friend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2010
A well-told detective story from the golden age, steeped in rich characterization and exciting incident. The denouement was a little disappointing because the reader is not privy to the unmasking of the interesting character who turns out to be the culprit.
June 9, 2025
A twisty piece of classic detective fiction.
An elderly banker with a known health condition (an aneurism that could easily burst under stress) dies of exactly this cause after being jostled by someone hurrying down the steps of the title. It's treated as something between an accident and natural causes, until his daughter raises suspicions. Why has the person who jostled him not come forward, even in response to her advertisements, to apologize for any part he might have had in the death?
With this slim suspicion to go on, Inspector Poole begins to investigate. The dead man's son looks a likely suspect: he has motive (he badly needed money, and his father was about to cut him out of his will for his latest escapade with an unsuitable young woman), and his alibi is thin and implausible. But before the mystery is wrapped up, Poole will spread his net wide and encounter more than one shocking twist.
I did guess about halfway through both the motive for the murder and who was behind it, though there were a couple more twists I didn't see coming at all. One of them I wasn't a big fan of; serious spoiler in the tags.
It's cleverly done, though, and I would definitely read another by the same author, though at the moment this is the only one on Project Gutenberg.
An elderly banker with a known health condition (an aneurism that could easily burst under stress) dies of exactly this cause after being jostled by someone hurrying down the steps of the title. It's treated as something between an accident and natural causes, until his daughter raises suspicions. Why has the person who jostled him not come forward, even in response to her advertisements, to apologize for any part he might have had in the death?
With this slim suspicion to go on, Inspector Poole begins to investigate. The dead man's son looks a likely suspect: he has motive (he badly needed money, and his father was about to cut him out of his will for his latest escapade with an unsuitable young woman), and his alibi is thin and implausible. But before the mystery is wrapped up, Poole will spread his net wide and encounter more than one shocking twist.
I did guess about halfway through both the motive for the murder and who was behind it, though there were a couple more twists I didn't see coming at all. One of them I wasn't a big fan of; serious spoiler in the tags.
It's cleverly done, though, and I would definitely read another by the same author, though at the moment this is the only one on Project Gutenberg.
June 8, 2021
Wealthy banker, Sir Garth Fratten is offered the chance to join the board of the Victory Finance Company unaware that some of the other board members have something to hide. When he dies, the following day, of what appears to be aneurysm his daughter Inez insists that it is murder and Inspector Poole is brought into investigate. Not what you would call light reading as author Henry Wade comes up with a complex and over blown plot. It's telling that the author conveniently provides a letter from the murderer explaining all the plot lines. The third Henry Wade book and like the other two this not for the cozy murder reader.
May 7, 2022
There were several good points about this Golden Age mystery. There were several possible suspects with plausible motives, the detective was a fairly convincing character, and there was a surprise at the end. However: the murder method seemed very unlikely--certainly too unlikely for determined criminals to devote effort to it. Someone has already mentioned the anti-Semitism, but I was more astonished that the woman in the case (spoiler alert) is in love with her adopted brother--she has learned that he is not biologically related, but she was raised with him from infancy. This is just a casual episode, and no one in the story seems to think it's at all revolting!!
August 13, 2024
Probably 3 1/2. It was pretty interesting.
Man walks with a friend down the Duke of York steps, stumbles, gets taken home and shortly dies. Turns out he did have an aneurism so it was a question of time really.
Son is left out of will as he seems to be a bit of a spendthrift or wastrel. Daughter inherits. Is this an accident? Is one of them involved in the death?
Young erudite Inspector Poole is on the job, slightly attracted to the daughter. Wouldn't surprise me if she appears in later volumes. He is educated and tried to keep that on the down low, except that sometimes he is found having to interview people from his other life.
On the whole, I enjoyed it.
Man walks with a friend down the Duke of York steps, stumbles, gets taken home and shortly dies. Turns out he did have an aneurism so it was a question of time really.
Son is left out of will as he seems to be a bit of a spendthrift or wastrel. Daughter inherits. Is this an accident? Is one of them involved in the death?
Young erudite Inspector Poole is on the job, slightly attracted to the daughter. Wouldn't surprise me if she appears in later volumes. He is educated and tried to keep that on the down low, except that sometimes he is found having to interview people from his other life.
On the whole, I enjoyed it.
March 12, 2024
Inspector Poole is asked to look into the apparently natural death of a banker, and soon discovers he was murdered. The characterization in this 1929 novel was deeper than is often the case in that period, and I thought the first half was excellent. After that it got a bit complex and unbelievable - lots of people carrying make up around to disguise themselves for example.
July 26, 2022
I have been looking forward to reading a Henry Wade novel for some time and this one comes recommended so I was a bit disappointed to find that the plot breaks one of the cardinal rules of 'Golden Age' detective fiction. Aside from that flaw though, it is an interesting enough story with quite compelling characters and some evocation of atmosphere.
October 18, 2019
Enjoyed, the “cozy” storyline and the setting of which I’m familiar with. I will try to find some more of Henry Wade’s books.
Want to read
December 21, 2019Synopsis: when prominent financier, Sir Garth Fratten, is murdered, Inspector Poole uncovers a complicated financial transaction.
August 26, 2020
A good solid Golden Age Detective story - Not superb but I will read more Henry Wade
September 22, 2023
Excellent. Wade doesn't disappoint
Great twists, great clues.
Great twists, great clues.
May 2, 2024
The Duke of York’s “Steps are a location in London between Waterloo Place and the Mall and St. James Park. It is a common route for financier Sir Garth Fratten on his way home. It becomes his last walk, one evening, in the company of an old and close friend.
Was it a heart attack? He had a recent diagnosis of heart trouble and had been advised to take it easy. There seems to be something a bit off about the incident, suggesting possible murder.
If it was murder, there were plenty of possible suspects. His daughter or step-son, his friend, Leopold Hessel, a friend from his military years or maybe a member of the board of directors of a company he was looking into investing in. Each could have a reason and each have a past they don’t wish known.
Taking place in 1929, after the “Great Way,” the war is still casting its shadow on life. Could espionage be a factor, and if so who and why?
An enjoyable read and a step back in time.
Was it a heart attack? He had a recent diagnosis of heart trouble and had been advised to take it easy. There seems to be something a bit off about the incident, suggesting possible murder.
If it was murder, there were plenty of possible suspects. His daughter or step-son, his friend, Leopold Hessel, a friend from his military years or maybe a member of the board of directors of a company he was looking into investing in. Each could have a reason and each have a past they don’t wish known.
Taking place in 1929, after the “Great Way,” the war is still casting its shadow on life. Could espionage be a factor, and if so who and why?
An enjoyable read and a step back in time.
April 5, 2016
She's not Zuleika Dobson, but Inez Fratten has certainly bewitched a number of men, including the detective who's investigating the death of her father, the eminent banker. Of course, his death seemed like the natural result of an aneurysm, but why can't anyone trace the mysterious man who bumped into him just before he collapsed? And, as the police look into the matter, they find many motives and many suspects, but the method of the murder, along with the guilty party, continues to elude them.
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