The Murder at Crome House

by G.D.H. Cole, Margaret Cole

Genres: Mystery, Crime

333 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1927

About the author

George Douglas Howard Cole was an English political theorist, economist, writer and historian. As a libertarian socialist he was a long-time member of the Fabian Society and an advocate for the cooperative movement. He and his wife Margaret Cole (1893-1980) together wrote many popular detective stories, featuring the investigators Superintendent Wilson, Everard Blatchington and Dr Tancred.

Cole was educated at St Paul's School and Balliol College, Oxford.

As a conscientious objector during World War One, Cole's involvement in the campaign against conscription introduced him to a co-worker, Margaret Postgate, whom he married in 1918. The couple both worked for the Fabian Society for the next six years before moving to Oxford, where Cole started writing for the Manchester Guardian. During these years, he also authored several economic and historical works including biographies of William Cobbett and Robert Owen. In 1925, he became reader in economics at University College, Oxford. In 1944, Cole became the first Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory at Oxford. He was succeeded in the chair by Isaiah Berlin in 1957.

Reviews

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I read was a reprint but the book first appeared in the 1920's and clearly after WW1 when various people had been in the war. The mystery begins with a college professor settling in to read a library book when he finds a strange photo tucked into it. The photo shows a man pointing a gun at another sitting in a chair. The events that follow this find tweaks his interest and soon he is pulled into the puzzle of what is this photo about?

This photo begins the Mr. Flint's foray into solving a murder and clearing suspicion on a man acquitted of the crime-- though everyone believes he did it. Methodical but very entertaining. The dialogue is fun and the characters are lively. Each corner of information is inspected and finally Mr. Flint is able to break the alibi of his favored suspect. While the beginning is someone lacking in vigorous activity the end contains danger of Mr. Flint's life!

If you are a fan of older crimes this one is fun, and the dialogue far from stuffy makes me smile. It also shows just how each detail that one finds can hold the key to a solution or can lead you danger, or a bluff.

This is the first book I've read of the Cole Team and it's one of the earlier ones, it's success led to a series of books.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: James Flint has a book from the library and finds a photograph stuffed inside which seems to show a recent murder. He's intrigued.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable but wordy!

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by British scholars G.D.H. and Margaret Cole. This novel was selected as one of the Fifty Classics of Crime Fiction 1900-1950, ed. by Jacques Barzun and Wendell Hertig Taylor. The book was written in 1927 and like so much of the crime fiction of the time drags. It was a slow read and I found that two chapters had the effect of a sleeping pill. Eventually the pieces start to come together and form a satisfactory conclusion.

Detective novel - James Flint is induced by his lawyer friend Sydney Underwood to investigate the case of Oliver de Bellew. Oliver has been acquitted of murdering Sir Harry Wye, but the police are not investigating because they believe Oliver was guilty and got off through lawyer's machinations.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Flint finds a photograph of a murder that has been left in a library book he borrowed. The photo shows a famous recent murder victim, seated at a desk, and a man across from the desk pointing a gun at the victim. What does it mean?

[Jeff Hobbs · Rating 2 out of 5]

According to Barzun and Taylor in "Catalogue of Crime," this is the Coles' masterpiece. Really? I found it terribly plodding. Doesn't encourage me to read more of their work.