The Case of the Fighting Soldier: A Ludovic Travers Mystery

Ludovic Travers #25

by Christopher Bush

What was I to be this time? A Commandant again of a Prisoner of War Camp? Was I to get a sedentary job at the War Office itself, and begin the slow process of fossilisation? Was I due for some wholly new job of which the rank and file had never even heard? As it turned out, I most certainly was. Ludovic Travers reports to room 299 of the War Office to receive new orders. He is sent up to Derbyshire to be a training officer for the local Home Guard, and to be plunged headlong into a new wartime mystery. It is not long before he meets the ‘fighting soldier’ of the title, a tough veteran of the Spanish Civil War and dozens of other bloody battlefields. But when chewing-gum is discovered wedged into the barrel of a bomb launcher, it is obvious there’s an individual—or more than one—in the camp out to make sure someone doesn’t live to fight another day. And it’s not long before their diabolical intent leads to explosive murder. Once again, it will be down to Travers’s quick wits to make sense of it and bring the guilty to justice—with able support from George Wharton of Scotland Yard. The Case of the Fighting Soldier was originally published in 1942. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

218 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1942

About the author

Christopher Bush was educated in the local school. He then won a scholarship to Thetford Grammar, and went on to study modern languages at King's College London, after which he worked as a school teacher.

He participated in both world wars.

He was a prolific writer of detective novels, wrote three autobiographical novels and nine books about Breckland life using the nom-de-plume Michael Home.

He lived in Great Hockham.

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

"He forces me to theorise so that he can pick what brains I have, and he bullies or wheedles me into courses of action which I loathe. He conceals information for his own purposes and assumes a tragic and mightily offended air when he considers that I have not spilled the whole of the beans."

I thought this slightly less successful than the "Kidnapped Colonel" but still an excellent end to the "wartime trilogy" which found Ludo Travers engrossed in military administration, while wily old George Wharton got a chance to shine on the detection front. The quotation above is one of many instances in the books where Travers muses on their relationship, to the great interest of the reader.

There are two murders of "fighting soldiers". I spotted the perpetrator without too much difficulty, but got the motive out of place! (Once you have read the book you will perhaps understand why I am a little cryptic here.)

My main quibble is over names.One character, Brende, has the same name as a character in the previous book which I found a little confusing. I also found irritating the affected way of naming some characters- the Colonel in charge was "Topman" for instance.

Highly recommended.

[Puzzle Doctor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The conclusion of the war trilogy of mysteries by Bush. Full review soon at classicmystery.blog