Death over Deep Water

Adam Ludlow #3

by Simon Nash, Raymond Chapman

The mildly eccentric English scholar Adam Ludlow is on a Mediterranean cruise when its charms are most unfortunately spoiled by multiple murder. Poison, an incompetent ship's doctor, passenger intrigue, fateful excursions ashore, and the sudden visit of Inspector Montero involve Ludlow in a series of adventures he never would have expected at the start of his supposedly innocent holiday abroad.

Genres: Mystery

177 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

A pseudonym used by Raymond Chapman, Emeritus Professor of English at London University and an Anglican priest, for five mystery novels published in the 1960s. Professor Chapman worked as a non-stipendiary priest in Southwark, and is currently on the staff at St Mary's Barnes in Southwest London. His police detectives are Inspector Montero and Sergeant Jack Springer, unofficially aided by the gifted amateur Adam Ludlow. Chapman has also written many books on religious themes and English literature.

(info courtesy ofgadetection)

Born in 1924, passed away in 2013.

Reviews

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: an enjoyable Mediterranean cruise is spoiled by a multiple murder. Can Inspector Montero and Adam Ludlow get to the bottom of it?

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adam Ludlow, English don and sometime amateur detective, is all set to enjoy a Mediterranean cruise with stops at various European ports. He happily enjoys seeing the Temple of Apollo in Greece and then seeing the Temple of Apollo in Corinth (as he pedantically explains to a suspicious American--the ancient world was simply littered with Temples of Apollo). But despite the calm seas and brilliant blue sky overhead, Ludlow has a feeling of an impending storm.

And the clouds seem to be gathering around Diana Acton, a wealthy beauty whose inner beauty doesn't seem to match the outer. She manages to have unpleasant encounters with just about everyone--from her own family to various crew members, whom she claims to be slacking in their duties. But were any of her disputes serious enough to end in murder? It would seem so.

Her cabin mate (and one of the few on board to have escaped Diana's scathing remarks) Julie returns from dinner one evening find Diana sprawled across the bed, dead from poisoned juice. Ludlow has often been the recipient of Julie's confidences and he happens along as she is rushing for help. He quickly takes in the situation and makes sure that the body his handled appropriately (or as appropriately as possible by the slightly drunken doctor), the cabin is sealed, and the proper authorities are notified.

When the ship docks at Malta, Ludlow's old friends Inspector Montero and Detective Springer come aboard having been sent by Scotland Yard to take the matter in hand. Between the three of them, they soon find motives more solid than ill-tempered disputes--pending investment deals, a need for cash by the dead the woman's brother, rebuffed suitors, jealous wives, and a confidence trickster or two all serve to muddy the waters. But Ludlow has noticed a few clues in the dead woman's cabin as well as in the questioning of passengers and Montero allows him to round up the suspects for a grand finale reminiscent of the golden age. He examines each one in turn before finally revealing the culprit.

Adam Ludlow seems a bit more pedantic and antisocial in this particular outing than the other two which I have read. It made this shipboard cozy a little less appealing, but Nash (Chapman) still put together a tidy little mystery with plenty of red herrings and suspects with motive and opportunity. I did identify the killer before the final wrap-up, but didn't quite have all the details worked out. A satisfying ★★★ mystery.

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[M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is difficult to find information about Simon Nash, although that name appears to be a pen name for one Raymond Chapman. As Nash, he wrote a few murder mysteries featuring the character of Adam Ludlow in the 1960s, and this is one of them. Death Over Deep Water is one of two paperbacks by Simon Nash that have sat on my "to be read" bookshelf for decades...probably since they were printed in the mid-1980s.

Death Over Deep Water is a standard murder mystery in the British tradition. Scholar Adam Ludlow is on a pleasure cruise, trying his best to avoid his fellow tourists and enjoy the sights. That comes to an end when heiress Diana Acton is found dead from arsenic poisoning. Ludlow takes charge and begins the investigation until his friend Inspector Montero boards the vessel in his official capacity.

Adam Ludlow is passable as a lead character. His irascibility and antisocial behavior is sort of entertaining, as is his tendency to ramble on about historical topics. This passion is shared with Inspector Montero, leading Montero's assistant Springer to often cut off the digression. The rest of the characters, however, were more one-dimensional. Individual personalities did not develop for them, leading to a perfunctory feel to the book. There is an occasional lyric quality to some of the passages in this book (especially the last scene), but without an attachment by the reader to the characters its impact is lessened.

I will try the other book, Dead Woman's Ditch, another day...I am willing to give Nash a second try.