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Except For One Thing
Just how possible is the perfect crime? And if committed, who would know?
Richard Harvey, or “Ricky” to those close to him, is engaged to Valerie Hadfield, a wealthy actress with whom he fell in love with.
However, as time has gone on during their engagement, he’s realised she’s not the women he thought she was.
Despite his wishes for the engagement to be brought to an end, the vicious and vindictive Valerie threatens to cause a scandal, ruining his standing as a reputable chemist.
More recently, Richard finds the affections of Joyce Prescott, a smart and friendly woman, and the two wish to marry.
Frustrated with his situation, Richard muses over ways in which he can be rid of Valerie, freeing the way for his marriage to Joyce.
It is at this point that he bumps into Chief Inspector Garth of Scotland Yard, a friend with whom he’s worked with in the past on cases that require his expert scientific abilities.
With other members of the police force, the group soon get to discussing the nature of murder cases and modern forensic techniques. Garth believes that the advances in science make it virtually impossible for someone to commit the “perfect crime.”
This gets Richard thinking about his options…
With all of his experience working alongside the police force, particularly in forensics, he has all the knowledge he needs.
All seems to be going to plan, he has thought of everything; covered his tracks in every way he could conceive.
However, his own ego soon begins to betray him…
He hasn’t in fact been quite as thorough as he had first thought and his plans soon begins unstuck as the tenacious Inspector Garth quickly begins to see the cracks in Richard’s story…
Except for One Thing is a thrilling work of crime fiction from one of the genre’s greats.
“I have yet to read a book employing the same murder method. It is unusual and imaginative ideas like this that make [Fearn’s] books worth tracking down and reading.” – Pretty Sinister
“… A pioneer of science fiction […] he was one of the Greats of the earlier ages, and his name should be there with Hugo Gernsback, John W. Campbell, Stanley G. Weinbaum, Murray Leinster, and all the others whose thoughts and works formulated today’s modern science fiction.” —John Carnell, New Worlds
John Russell Fearn was an extremely prolific and popular British writer, who began in the American pulps, then almost single-handedly drove the post-World War II boom in British publishing with a flood of science fiction, detective stories, westerns, and adventure fiction. He was so popular that one of his pseudonyms became the editor of Vargo Statten’s Science Fiction Magazine in the 1950’s. His work is noted for its vigor and wild imagination. He has always had a substantial cult following and has been popular in translation around the world. He passed away in 1960 at the age of 52.
Richard Harvey, or “Ricky” to those close to him, is engaged to Valerie Hadfield, a wealthy actress with whom he fell in love with.
However, as time has gone on during their engagement, he’s realised she’s not the women he thought she was.
Despite his wishes for the engagement to be brought to an end, the vicious and vindictive Valerie threatens to cause a scandal, ruining his standing as a reputable chemist.
More recently, Richard finds the affections of Joyce Prescott, a smart and friendly woman, and the two wish to marry.
Frustrated with his situation, Richard muses over ways in which he can be rid of Valerie, freeing the way for his marriage to Joyce.
It is at this point that he bumps into Chief Inspector Garth of Scotland Yard, a friend with whom he’s worked with in the past on cases that require his expert scientific abilities.
With other members of the police force, the group soon get to discussing the nature of murder cases and modern forensic techniques. Garth believes that the advances in science make it virtually impossible for someone to commit the “perfect crime.”
This gets Richard thinking about his options…
With all of his experience working alongside the police force, particularly in forensics, he has all the knowledge he needs.
All seems to be going to plan, he has thought of everything; covered his tracks in every way he could conceive.
However, his own ego soon begins to betray him…
He hasn’t in fact been quite as thorough as he had first thought and his plans soon begins unstuck as the tenacious Inspector Garth quickly begins to see the cracks in Richard’s story…
Except for One Thing is a thrilling work of crime fiction from one of the genre’s greats.
“I have yet to read a book employing the same murder method. It is unusual and imaginative ideas like this that make [Fearn’s] books worth tracking down and reading.” – Pretty Sinister
“… A pioneer of science fiction […] he was one of the Greats of the earlier ages, and his name should be there with Hugo Gernsback, John W. Campbell, Stanley G. Weinbaum, Murray Leinster, and all the others whose thoughts and works formulated today’s modern science fiction.” —John Carnell, New Worlds
John Russell Fearn was an extremely prolific and popular British writer, who began in the American pulps, then almost single-handedly drove the post-World War II boom in British publishing with a flood of science fiction, detective stories, westerns, and adventure fiction. He was so popular that one of his pseudonyms became the editor of Vargo Statten’s Science Fiction Magazine in the 1950’s. His work is noted for its vigor and wild imagination. He has always had a substantial cult following and has been popular in translation around the world. He passed away in 1960 at the age of 52.
408 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1947
18 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
John Russell Fearn
374 books8 followersA prolific author in various genres under his own name, John Francis Russell Fearn also used these pseudonyms: Astron del Martia, Brian Shaw, Conrad G. Holt, Dennis Clive, Frank Jones, Geoffrey Armstrong, Griff, Hugo Blayn, John Russell, K. Thomas Mark Denholm, Paul Lorraine, Polton Cross, Spike Gordon, Thornton Ayre, Vargo Statten, Volsted Gridban, Dom Passante, John Cotton, Ephriam Winiki, Lawrence F. Rose, Earl Titan, Ephraim Winiki.
John Russell Fearn was an extremely prolific and popular British writer, who began in the American pulps, then almost single-handedly drove the post-World War II boom in British publishing with a flood of science fiction, detective stories, westerns, and adventure fiction. He was so popular that one of his pseudonyms became the editor of Vargo Staten’s Science Fiction Magazine in the 1950’s! His work is noted for its vigor and wild imagination. He has always had a substantial cult following and has been popular in translation around the world.
John Russell Fearn was an extremely prolific and popular British writer, who began in the American pulps, then almost single-handedly drove the post-World War II boom in British publishing with a flood of science fiction, detective stories, westerns, and adventure fiction. He was so popular that one of his pseudonyms became the editor of Vargo Staten’s Science Fiction Magazine in the 1950’s! His work is noted for its vigor and wild imagination. He has always had a substantial cult following and has been popular in translation around the world.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 26, 2020
What an absolute brilliant book! Originally published in 1947, I'm convinced it was books like these that inspired the hit series Columbo starring Peter Falk. My grandma used to love this "we-know-who-did-it-let-Columbo-proof-it" series. And then my mom watched it and now I do! They (murder mysteries in which ever form) don't come like this anymore, do they?
May 1, 2023
Many criminals have often believed that they’d committed the ‘Perfect Crime’, and blundered. Chief Inspector Garth of Scotland Yard is convinced that modern science gives the perfect crime even less chance of success. However, Garth’s friend, scientist Richard Harvey, believes he can rid himself of an unwanted fiancee without anyone discovering what became of the corpse. Yet though he lays a master-plan and uses modern scientific methods to bring it to fruition, he makes not one but several mistakes . . .
Writing under the pseudonym: Blayn, Hugo
4* The Silvered Cage: A Scientific Murder Mystery
4* Except for one thing...
Writing under the pseudonym: Blayn, Hugo
4* The Silvered Cage: A Scientific Murder Mystery
4* Except for one thing...
October 18, 2022
Well, this is practically an antique, even for Lume/Endeavor who liked them old. A 1949 mystery about a man whose conceit, arrogance, and egotism lead him to believe he can commit a perfect crime.
Two birds with one stone as it were: get rid of a fiancé he no longer wishes to marry in favor of a woman he now does and show up his detective buddy.
It goes about how you imagine it might. The man carries out his best laid plans, thinking himself oh so clever. And he’d almost, almost get away with it…except for one thing.
Fearn is one of those uber prolific writers of a bygone era and this work is very much on par with his contemporaries (Lume’s favorites) quality wise. It isn’t terribly dated or wooly the way some old timey mysteries get. Then again, it isn’t that mysterious either. You know the what, the who, the why; you just kind of end up playing along with the detective character as he is working things out for himself. Alternatively, it’s one of those things where you can watch a plan come undone in slow motion. Either way, it’s just about entertaining enough for its size. Any longer and it would have dragged. Decent for a freebie either way.
Two birds with one stone as it were: get rid of a fiancé he no longer wishes to marry in favor of a woman he now does and show up his detective buddy.
It goes about how you imagine it might. The man carries out his best laid plans, thinking himself oh so clever. And he’d almost, almost get away with it…except for one thing.
Fearn is one of those uber prolific writers of a bygone era and this work is very much on par with his contemporaries (Lume’s favorites) quality wise. It isn’t terribly dated or wooly the way some old timey mysteries get. Then again, it isn’t that mysterious either. You know the what, the who, the why; you just kind of end up playing along with the detective character as he is working things out for himself. Alternatively, it’s one of those things where you can watch a plan come undone in slow motion. Either way, it’s just about entertaining enough for its size. Any longer and it would have dragged. Decent for a freebie either way.
March 8, 2017
I love old mysteries, so it is a pleasure to explore Endeavour Press’s publications. Except For One Things was first released in the late 40s but is just as enthralling today. It pits the genius and ego of chemist Richard Harvey, the murderer, against the determination and persistence of Chief Inspector Garth. Even better, the killer takes part in the investigation. This unusual book allows the reader to peer into the mind of a brilliant killer as he plots, rationalizes and slowly decays as the consequences of his actions become apparent.
Richard Harvey has a problem. He loves Joyce Prescott, but he is engaged to Valerie Hadfield, a cold hearted actress who refuses to break their engagement. Ending the relationship would cause a public scandal, threatening his reputation and that of his beloved’s family. A chance discussion with a group of friends brings up a question - is the perfect murder possible. Harvey’s desperation and ego lead him to believe that not only is it possible, but it is the only means of ridding him of Valerie.
Except For One Thing is an engrossing portrait of a killer. Some terms are a bit dated, but on the whole, the novel has stood the test of time. If you like mysteries and are looking for something different, Except For One Thing is a good choice.
4 / 5
I received a copy of Except For One Thing from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
Richard Harvey has a problem. He loves Joyce Prescott, but he is engaged to Valerie Hadfield, a cold hearted actress who refuses to break their engagement. Ending the relationship would cause a public scandal, threatening his reputation and that of his beloved’s family. A chance discussion with a group of friends brings up a question - is the perfect murder possible. Harvey’s desperation and ego lead him to believe that not only is it possible, but it is the only means of ridding him of Valerie.
Except For One Thing is an engrossing portrait of a killer. Some terms are a bit dated, but on the whole, the novel has stood the test of time. If you like mysteries and are looking for something different, Except For One Thing is a good choice.
4 / 5
I received a copy of Except For One Thing from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
November 12, 2017
John Russell Fearn was a highly prolific and popular writer of pulp science fiction, mysteries, and Westerns who cranked out close to a dozen books a year during his heyday of the 1940's and 50's. However, after finishing his mystery novel, Except for One Thing, some readers might think that Fearn might have actually invented a time machine instead of merely written about them in his sci fi works, so much so that they may be tempted to double check the copyright page to make sure the novel was written in 1947 instead of some 20 years later. The reason is simple: Fearn's book seems to perfectly channel Peter Falk's famous detective from the late 1960's, Columbo, right down to the title, which bears a striking similarity to Columbo's own catch phrase, "just one more thing."
Like almost all Columbo episodes, Except for One Thing is an open mystery, in which the reader knows from the start who the killer is. In this case, his name is Richard Harvey, a man with two fiancées. The first fiancée, an actress, is far too demanding of him, so Harvey plans to eliminate her in order to marry his real love. To do so, he actually creates a second identity for himself and tries to make it look as if the actress ran off with this phantom. As part of his scheme, Harvey figures out a nearly perfect way of disposing of the actress’ body so that no one can prove she’s really dead.
The fun in reading a book like Except for One Thing is in seeing how the villain gets caught. Most of the book is written from Harvey’s point of view, with the audience privy to his planning and to his rather grandiose ideas about how to commit the perfect crime. In a clever touch, Harvey is a member of the same club as Inspector Garth, the police detective who eventually winds up investigating the murder. Garth actually asks Harvey to accompany him on the investigation to get the benefit of Harvey’s theories on the crime.
Author Fearn does a good job of getting inside Harvey’s head as his crime slowly falls apart, in part because of mistakes he made and in part because of some clever deductions on Garth’s part. As Harvey desperately attempts to keep things together while trying to convince himself that he’s outwitted the police, these interior monologues of his become rather fascinating. The author gradually lets readers see what Garth is up to in his investigation as well, and the cat-and-mouse game between cop and killer becomes more suspenseful as the book builds to a climax. The method by which Garth eventually brings the killer down is very satisfying, although the author diminishes the impact a bit by turning the confrontation into a physical struggle.
Another interesting aspect of Except for One Thing is the discussion of state-of-the-art (for 1947) forensic science that plays a big role in the book. Author Fearn is an obvious fan of police science, and he spends a good bit of time describing both the methodology by which Harvey commits his crimes (he is a research chemist and so can take some effective countermeasures to avoid detection) and the manner in which the police track him down. An unexpected source of amusement in the book for 21st century readers is the difference between the state of the scientific art then compared to now. As one example, the police find a sample of Harvey’s blood near the crime scene, but lacking any knowledge of DNA, all they can do is determine that it’s a match for Harvey’s blood type.
Except for One Thing is the second Fearn mystery featuring Inspector Garth that I’ve read, and it’s a distinct improvement over his other work. Garth himself isn’t all that interesting a detective, but the open mystery format and the slimy, haughty killer make the book a real page turner. The characterizations in the book are a bit sketchy and the characters, other than Harvey, somewhat stereotypical, but readers should get caught up enough in following and dissecting the crime so that they can overlook the stodgy writing and a motive that, by today’s standards, seems downright silly.
Mystery fans who enjoy the old-fashioned style whodunits will wind Except for One Thing an enjoyable change of pace. It has enough mystery elements to keep readers interested in how the killer is going to get caught, and the villain is a disagreeable enough sort to make his downfall enjoyable, especially when it occurs the way that Fearn portrays. There’s a lot more than one thing to like about Except for One Thing.
Like almost all Columbo episodes, Except for One Thing is an open mystery, in which the reader knows from the start who the killer is. In this case, his name is Richard Harvey, a man with two fiancées. The first fiancée, an actress, is far too demanding of him, so Harvey plans to eliminate her in order to marry his real love. To do so, he actually creates a second identity for himself and tries to make it look as if the actress ran off with this phantom. As part of his scheme, Harvey figures out a nearly perfect way of disposing of the actress’ body so that no one can prove she’s really dead.
The fun in reading a book like Except for One Thing is in seeing how the villain gets caught. Most of the book is written from Harvey’s point of view, with the audience privy to his planning and to his rather grandiose ideas about how to commit the perfect crime. In a clever touch, Harvey is a member of the same club as Inspector Garth, the police detective who eventually winds up investigating the murder. Garth actually asks Harvey to accompany him on the investigation to get the benefit of Harvey’s theories on the crime.
Author Fearn does a good job of getting inside Harvey’s head as his crime slowly falls apart, in part because of mistakes he made and in part because of some clever deductions on Garth’s part. As Harvey desperately attempts to keep things together while trying to convince himself that he’s outwitted the police, these interior monologues of his become rather fascinating. The author gradually lets readers see what Garth is up to in his investigation as well, and the cat-and-mouse game between cop and killer becomes more suspenseful as the book builds to a climax. The method by which Garth eventually brings the killer down is very satisfying, although the author diminishes the impact a bit by turning the confrontation into a physical struggle.
Another interesting aspect of Except for One Thing is the discussion of state-of-the-art (for 1947) forensic science that plays a big role in the book. Author Fearn is an obvious fan of police science, and he spends a good bit of time describing both the methodology by which Harvey commits his crimes (he is a research chemist and so can take some effective countermeasures to avoid detection) and the manner in which the police track him down. An unexpected source of amusement in the book for 21st century readers is the difference between the state of the scientific art then compared to now. As one example, the police find a sample of Harvey’s blood near the crime scene, but lacking any knowledge of DNA, all they can do is determine that it’s a match for Harvey’s blood type.
Except for One Thing is the second Fearn mystery featuring Inspector Garth that I’ve read, and it’s a distinct improvement over his other work. Garth himself isn’t all that interesting a detective, but the open mystery format and the slimy, haughty killer make the book a real page turner. The characterizations in the book are a bit sketchy and the characters, other than Harvey, somewhat stereotypical, but readers should get caught up enough in following and dissecting the crime so that they can overlook the stodgy writing and a motive that, by today’s standards, seems downright silly.
Mystery fans who enjoy the old-fashioned style whodunits will wind Except for One Thing an enjoyable change of pace. It has enough mystery elements to keep readers interested in how the killer is going to get caught, and the villain is a disagreeable enough sort to make his downfall enjoyable, especially when it occurs the way that Fearn portrays. There’s a lot more than one thing to like about Except for One Thing.
October 31, 2022
Originally published in 1947, although the words "Today in 1949..."appear in the text, this is one of four featuring Garth and Whittaker which were written under the author's Hugo Blayn pseudonym.
It is an inverted mystery in which a scientist perpetrates a " perfect crime ", in this instance the murder of an unwanted fiancée.
The detailing of police procedure is again a strong point, although the ending is overly- melodramatic and disappointing, The perpetrator is excessively evil and villainous, while most of the other characters, especially the two fiancées, are stereotyped and flatly-portrayed.
Fearns' writing makes for easy-reading, despite the sometimes dubious scientific detail, but there are too many coincidences and instances where"luck" plays a major role. The underlying premise that, even in the 1940s, murder was a preferable option to the scandal of an action for breach of promise, involves a bit of suspension of belief.
3.25 stars.
It is an inverted mystery in which a scientist perpetrates a " perfect crime ", in this instance the murder of an unwanted fiancée.
The detailing of police procedure is again a strong point, although the ending is overly- melodramatic and disappointing, The perpetrator is excessively evil and villainous, while most of the other characters, especially the two fiancées, are stereotyped and flatly-portrayed.
Fearns' writing makes for easy-reading, despite the sometimes dubious scientific detail, but there are too many coincidences and instances where"luck" plays a major role. The underlying premise that, even in the 1940s, murder was a preferable option to the scandal of an action for breach of promise, involves a bit of suspension of belief.
3.25 stars.
February 22, 2019
This was a methodical written book. I don't really like reading genres in British dialect, but this has a great theme. The characters are believable, and the storyline is readable. I usually don't like reading earlier timed scenarios in certain genre's but this was really good. I really didn't expect the outcome to be so mysterious though the buildup was suspenseful as well.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews