An Afternoon to Kill

by Shelley Smith

Book by Smith, Shelley

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Crime

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Nancy Hermione Courlander Bodington

Reviews

[Bookgasms Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I found the blurb intriguing, I was completely unprepared for just how addictive this book would become. The rather uppity Lancelot Jones finds himself stranded, and desperate to be out of the heat he wanders into the estate of a most endearingly eccentric woman. I struggled just a bit these first few pages, because Mr Jones isn't very likeable, and spending those first few chapters so heavily with him was a bit of a chore. Yet as Alva speaks more and more, I couldn't help but be lost in her words, her tale.

Her words pulled me in, kept me enthralled in what turned from a sad tale of misfortune to a who-dunnit that had me desperately turning the pages, waiting for more. I will admit that although the narrator seemed occasionally naive, I wasn't as fooled as she in coming to conclusions.

Yet, there wasn't just one twist waiting on me as I neared the end, but another, then yet another! I never saw that ending coming, and when it hit me I felt delighted, tricked, and thoroughly satisfied. It is, to put it best, the perfect book if you find yourself with an afternoon to kill.
~George 4 stars

[Martina Sartor · Rating 5 out of 5]

L'epilogo vale tutto il libro!
Lettura agevole e veloce, adatta al clima estivo, alla fine dà interessanti spunti di riflessione al di là del giallo vero e proprio.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book received from NetGalley.

The book is more of a 3.5-star read. This book started a bit slow for me but it really picked up at about the quarter of the way through. I really started hating the narrator of the story, who was not the main character. The main character was the prop that got the story told. It was interesting and I can't say much because it will give away the twist in the story, and believe me that twist was great. I sat there for a few minutes not believing that the author took it to that ending. It's a very quick reading mystery that some may consider a cozy.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...

[Kelvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a historical mystery in the sense that even though it is a 1950s book, the story is about a murder that happened in late Victorian time (late 1800s). Only the prologue and the epilogue are set in 1950s. It is an easy read and the plot is quite interesting.

The story started with a Mr. Lancelot Jones who was flying in a small private plane from London to India in the 1950s when the plane developed engine trouble. He was forced down in the desert. While his pilot was making repairs to the plane, he saw a house nearby and went there to escape the desert heat. There he met an old lady called Alva Hine. Hine than proceed to spend the afternoon with him and told him what purportedly was her life story. I like the wordplay on the title here on "An Afternoon to Kill".

The main story involves Hine (whose real name according to her is Blanche Rose Sheridan). She told Jones her mother died when she was 14 and her father remarried after a few years, when she was 18. The stepmother (Sophia) actually was in love with another young man (Oliver). Both of them, however, were very poor and have little prospects. Sophia (who is the brain of the couple) plotted a complex scheme whereby Sophia would first marry the widowed wealthy merchant Edward Sheridan (Blanche Rose"s father). Then, Sophia will introduce Oliver to the family as her cousin. They will then have Oliver marry the ugly duckling of the family Blanche Rose. That would give an excuse for them to be close together.

Subsequently Edward Sheridan has to leave England for about seven months to handle some business overseas. At the last minute Sophia pretended to be pregnant so she cannot go with her husband. By that time, Oliver and Blanche Rose has moved back in to the family home to help Edward take care of the younger siblings. After Edward left, Sophia then pretended to have been ordered by her doctor to a nursing home in London and stay there. Oliver (who was a lazy and unsuccessful lawyer) pretended he has to work on a big case in London and cannot stay in Essex either. In fact, the two were living together in London with Sophia's mother as a couple. Sophia then informed the family she has a miscarriage. Unfortunately for her, after that lie were told, and shortly before Edward's return, Sophia got pregnant (real this time) by Oliver. Afterwards, Edward returned, and shortly after that, Sophia died of cyanide poisoning. Then the story took some interesting twists and turns. Ultimately, through some evidence discovered by Blanche Rose, Oliver was found to be guilty of murdering Sophia and he was tried and hanged.

After Alva Hine finished her story, Lancelot Jones (who has a logical mind) pointed out a few inconsistencies in the story and told Alva Hine he believes Blanche Rose is real murderer of Sophia and then she framed Oliver for the crime. Jones was then going to report her to the English police.

The Epilogue is really interesting. It turns out Alva Hine is a very famous mystery story writer. The Blanche Rose story is just a story in her new book. The story ends with Lancelot Jones receiving a copy of that book.

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lume or Endeavor Press has been specializing in killing afternoons, evenings, etc. with absolutely random mysteries of bygone years. In that way they are the archeologists of all the publishers out there, albeit their selections aren’t always, quite seldom, in fact, are treasures.
This one is kind of neat, kind of clever, conceptually, albeit as ponderous and plodding and prone to overwriting in execution as yesteryear writing tends to be. And yes, it’s absolutely dated. Dated twice, in fact, first in the main narrative, then in the narrative that encompasses it. Ok, maybe I should explain that one…
So, a man on his way to a tutoring position in India And yes, there will be the inevitable colonial era tones in the book) encounters a plane snafu and has to land in the middle of nowhere. While he is waiting for his ride to be regeared, he takes a walk and comes up on a remotest of abodes, occupied by an old woman and her crew of local servants. In he goes and, glad for company, the woman Scheherazades his afternoon away with a tale of love gone wrong, revenge and all sorts of familiar murderous intentions. So, that’s a story within a story, the inside portion is all Victorian drama of a young girl whose beloved widowed Papa remarries a woman decades younger who (surprise, surprise) might be a conniving strumpet, while the girl herself ends up marrying the strumpet’s cousin of a distinctly kissing variety. It’s all very sordid and ends up in a death. But who’s responsible? Well, eventually you’ll find out.
That main tragedy of that portion of the story was its predictability, though the modern (for the time) interjections of the listener were pretty amusing rom today’s perspective. It all ended up quite nicely in a sort of ambiguous way that might have been deadly.
And then, there’s a very nice and not so predictable twist at the very end when the man, now back in England, decides to investigate the veracity of the old woman’s tale.
So, overall, mildly amusing and quick enough of a read. Fans of Victoriana and old timey mysteries might enjoy this one.

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't heard of Shelley Smith until I read a history of 'classic crime', before, during and after the 'Golden Age'. This book was first published in 1953. It is a story within a story, and although the outer set-up is absurd and not really credible - a young man crash lands somewhere in a desert, walks to a village where he finds an elderly Englishwoman who proceeds to tell him a story - the story she tells is fascinating, and very well done. She tells of her Victorian childhood, the death of her mother, and the arrival of her stepmother, whom, true to cliche, is wicked and whom she hates. How the story then plays out is interesting, and there are a number of twists at the end, some of which you see coming, and some you don't. But the writing is good - with some striking images, and in particular the description of the stepmother's own monstrous mother is terrifying - going right up to the edge of melodrama I thought, but not quite toppling over. A short but unusual read.

[Laurie Hanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this because I was intrigued by the unusual premise. I was completely unprepared for the way I way pulled into the story as told by Alva, a very odd woman living alone in the desert. Her quaint language reflects the era, the tale she tells is riveting, the ending a shocker!

[Ann Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grand story.

This one. Is a fairly spicy story of Victorian love and loss as told to a stranded traveler while he awaits repairs. It appears to be fairly transparent.....until the end! Fun reading.

[Earlece · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many mysteries now are “story within a story”
or go back and forth between time periods. I expected this to be much the same. The author creates an atmospheric, almost claustrophobic, setting, for a great story (or two). I can’t explain what made it so compelling, but if you are looking for something different give it a try.

[David E. Hachey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Borish

This was a free book available to me. I read it but the plot perpetuating which made it very biring. I read it to try something from a different genre. Biring. Not worthwhile to invest time reading.

[Elizabeth Harless · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful!

A thoroughly engrossing, somewhat cozy mystery with a masterful O. Henry ending twist. I will definitely be looking for more of this author's work!

[Lana Kamennof-sine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant with just the perfect twist at the end. (Somehow I could envision Laurie R. King as narrator, mwa-ha-ha)

[B K McIntire · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old-fashioned delightful tale

What a fun book with an appropriate title. If you have an afternoon to kill, reading this book is a perfect way to do it.

[Neer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite engrossing. More here: https://ahotcupofpleasureagain.wordpr...

[Eden Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Visit JetBlackDragonfly (The Man Who Read Too Much) at www.edenthompson.ca/blog

Continuing my reviews of books I'd never heard of, can't find on the internet, and no one else is going to read, I present An Afternoon To Kill by Shelley Smith. It's from the Crime Club series, printed in Britain in the 1950's with praise from the likes of the Daily Express ("She compels the reader by hypnotic skill".) The Crime Club logo of a gun-pointing villain always catches my eye.

Lancelot Jones was on his way to his first job as tutor to an Indian Rajah's son, when the ancient plane and incompetent pilot decant him in the middle of a desert, the Iranian Plateau perhaps. In the distance he sees a house and walled garden and goes to wait out the repairs. The owner is Alva Hine, a curious old Englishwoman who entertains him with the story of how she arrived there, the story of a young girl in Essex, a story of love and hate and murder from fifty years ago.

Blanche Rose lived with her widowed father and other siblings quite happily until young and attractive Sophia catches her father's eye. They are soon married and she brings her handsome cousin Oliver to live nearby. Blanche dislikes Sophia and openly admits to an Oedipus complex (although being in love with her father she would have had an Electra complex). Soon Oliver has engaged and married himself to Blanche, and no one is aware that it is Oliver and Sophia who are the real couple.

There is a plot to kill off the father by the adulterous couple, a faked pregnancy, a miscarriage, the return of a long lost brother, and the police investigation when it is not the father, but young Sophia who is found murdered. The culmination of the story reveals that the possible culprit to the whole tale is Alva Hine herself - followed by an epilogue that offers a wild twist to the whole tale. It was a bit of a surprise - to which I exclaimed (cue the eye roll) "Oh, Brother."

One of the reasons I like reviewing these books is to offer some information about them to interested readers like myself, along with a clean scan of the hardcover (something I could not find). Should you search the internet for a copy of this or begin collecting the novels of Shelley Smith?
Crime Club offers several more including Man With A Calico Face, Woman In The Sea, He Died Of Murder, and in case you need directions This Is The House). I would say No, you can have my copy. Seems hard to find online.

It's been called a tour de force and a brilliant masterpiece. For me it was just a pleasant diversion, not a gripping thriller. I read the whole novel in a day, and it did indeed kill the afternoon.
Not a bad way to spend the day.

[Donna LaValley · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review in 2012:

A small plane lands for emergency repair in the desert of an unnamed Arab country. The lone passenger, a young man on the way to a new position, heads for the large residence nearby. He is surprised to find the older woman there to be English also, living independently without family. To pass the time, she orders her employees to prepare meals and they talk. He is a pragmatic man who prefers facts to fancy and therefore reads only non-fiction. She says she enjoys it and that there are many life lessons to be learned from fiction which are not available in another form. They agree to disagree. Begging her pardon for asking a personal question, he asks how she came to live there. With hours to kill, she relates the story of her life, which begins in Edwardian England. The tale involves a beloved father, brothers and sisters, and evil, Dickensian characters. A murder is involved. He makes keen observations. At the finish, there is a surprising twist. Plus, there is a second surprise at book’s end. A nice feature is that the narrator does not make herself a sweet, blameless innocent, nor is the young man, who at first seems callow, a static stereotype. This book may be hard to find (I put it on a list back in the 80’s) but I recommend it!

Reread in 2023: I kept this little book so I could read it again, and indeed I did. It is great escapism, easily read in one day and perfect for winter or any occasion you might have for a book like this. The story told to the young man, who is inordinately fond of his own opinions and secure in his superior intellect - he feels that he is overly qualified to tutor the son of a Khan in India, which is his destination, and to judge the elder woman speaking to him, is supposedly that of her own past.
Eventually he is appalled, even frightened, and plans to report her to the police in England. However, his plane and pilot are readied and he leaves, soon to be enjoying the employment, the new culture, and new possibilities for himself. He postpones and almost, but not quite, forgets about the afternoon "to kill" that he spent in the desert. He receives a reminder that teaches him another lesson.

[Susan Oleksiw]

A young English teacher named Lancelot Jones is on his way to a remote Indian kingdom when his plane is forced to make an emergency landing. Leaving his pilot to repair the machine, Jones crosses the desert to a small village and a palace. In the palace he finds an elderly Englishwoman living a life of luxurious isolation. He asks her how she came to live in this remote place, and she tells him the story of her miserable and tragic early adulthood in England. He listens rapt, then appalled, over splendid meals. She introduces him to the hookah and won't let him leave till he's heard the story to the end. She sends him on his way, his plane fixed. The story moves beautifully and ends with a final twist that will delight all readers.

The book was an unexpected discovery. I hadn't heard of Shelley Smith before, but as a lover of traditional mysteries I should have and I hope others will read her now too.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book with a story within a story. A young man's airplane has to make an emergency landing somewhere in the desert. India? Iran? He doesn't know - but he stumbles on to the nearest building, which is inhabited by an old Englishwoman. During a long day, and while the plane is being repaired, she entertains him, Sheherazade-like, with a tale of Victorian passions, deceit and murder. The well-educated Englishman gives her the benefit of the latest Freudian theories and his own amateur explanation before he gets back to the plane. There is, as other reviewers have noted, a twist at the end.

This is a short book, easily read in a few hours. The parts I enjoyed best were the story of the suffocating Victorian life of the heroine, complete with a joyless house, a dead Mama, a stern and distant Papa, a heinous stepmother, and frissons of bad behavior. My second favorite part was the description of the desert hideaway and its fountains, courtyards, and culinary delights.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lancelot Jones is on his way to Bandrapore to work as a tutor when his light plane is forced to land in a desert. Looking for help he comes across a building, and meets Alva Hine, who is response to his question of why she is living there, she tells him her life story. A story of life fifty years ago in the Victorian era, of love of family, of hate and murder.
An interesting, and quick and easy read with a good ending.
A NetGalley Book

[Yuelung · Rating 3 out of 5]

" Appena pubblicato da Polillo con il titolo "Un pomeriggio da ammazzare", è un grazioso thriller psicologico travestito da giallo, come quasi i tutti i romanzi di Shelley Smith (autrice da riscoprire, se amate la detection legata più allo studio dei caratteri dei personaggi che a quello dei vari indizi).

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh,what an unexpected gem! This is "Death comes to Pemberly "(P.D.James) meets "Arabian Nights ".As in ,an exotic location frames a Victorian murder mystery. An absolutely brilliant book with a delightful ending. 

[Malcolm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel way of telling a mystery tale, with a clever ending. Published in 1953, main story line happens 50 years before. Reading now 50 years later it has dated quite well. An excellent writer and well up to her usual standard.