DYING ALDERMAN

Inspector Lott #1

by Henry Wade

At a meeting of Quenborough Borough Council, the Mayor, Sir John Assington, is accused by Alderman Trant of wasting money and turning a blind eye to speculators on the make. Then Trant is stabbed with his own knife, and while dying, manages to scratch the initials 'MA' on a piece of paper. Local Chief Constable Race is on the case. He is new to the force, so Superintendent Vorley comes to his aid. With the help of Scotland Yard, in the shape of Inspector Lott, they each bring a different approach to the investigation. For the truth is rarely straightforward . . .

Genres: Mystery

301 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1930

About the author

Henry Wade was a pen-name of Sir Henry Lancelot Aubrey-Fletcher, 6th Baronet. Other authors on Goodreads are also named Henry Wade.

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

“ Wade’s fourth detective novel, The Dying Alderman (1930), superbly manages the difficult task of meshing a finely-wrought murder puzzle with realistic police procedure, well-drawn characters and serious themes.”—The Passing Tramp blog 01/02/2012.

Curtis Evans neatly sums up exactly how I feel about this excellent novel. Henry Wade’s work is vastly underrated and deserves to be more widely-read.It has freshness and appeal sadly lacking in many other books of the same vintage.

Here the newly- appointed Chief Constable, Colonel Race, much shrewder than many, takes an early decision to call in Scotland Yard in the person of Inspector Lott, over the head of local Superintendent Vorley.

The case concerns the murder in the Council Chamber of Alderman Trant. Race has his suspicions about the murderer and Lott and Vorley each pursue different suspects. What motive lies behind the murder? Is the victim’s threat to expose corruption in the Council the moving force?

All the characters are clearly depicted and the clueing is deftly managed from an early stage. As always with Wade there is a late twist to the plot but the pacing is just right.The background detail of the workings of local government and small town politics, and the continuing after-effects on English society and values of World War One, add greatly to the interest.

Highly recommended. 4.5 stars.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two and a half stars.

I found this very hard going. Slow and tedious with masses of confusing (to me, anyway) detail. Inspector Lott is fairly anonymous and nowhere near as personable as Inspector Poole, Wades' other series detective.

Disappointing.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: at a meeting of Council, the Mayor is accused by Alderman Trant of wasting money. Later Trant is stabbed. He scratches out: MA.

[Kathy KS · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

Written in the late 1930s, this novel has many of the features I like, especially those from the same era. I enjoy police procedurals and gradual accumulation of evidence (or lack thereof), and The Dying Alderman certainly fit that description! After a local alderman is killed in the meeting room, three different police officials investigate in their own ways, with different suspects. Readers are able to follow each of the lines of inquiry while attempting to solve the mystery themselves. And for those of us that are also spreadsheet nerds, there are even some tables of data that are created by the Scotland Yard man!

Though I've read all of the novels by most of the principal authors from the "Golden Age of Detective Novels", this was my first by Henry Wade. It won't be my last.The Dying Alderman

[Carol Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dying Alderman is a well-plotted mystery with characters who are nuanced and believable. There are three cops working the case, Race who is new to the job, Vorley who is steeped in local gossip and prejudices, and Lott, the outsider who can be a bit heavy-handed in his questioning of suspects. Each of the men brings something to the plate. My favorite was Race, but Lott's goading of Vorley is rather amusing at times. Lott and Vorley are focussed on two different suspects and each seems reasonable. Wade does a good job with the police procedural aspect, but doesn't leave us with the impression that police are perfect, instead we know some may have their own agendas that don't necessarily fit with finding the truth. The clues are well done and I admit that I didn't know who the killer was until it was revealed.

This was written a decade or so after WW1 and the war's impact is still seen clearly in the lives of the characters. Sir John Assington, the only trustworthy man on council, is the last of his family. His son died on the Western Front. Race was appointed to his job in part due to his service in the war and knows, and doesn't want to think ill of, another character because they were in the were in the same regiment. The War is not glossed over, but not lingered on either. I think that's something that makes Wade a little different. His books are not purely escapism. He doesn't pass over things that were/are happening in society - corrupt public officials, the war, unethical cops, but he doesn't dwell on them either; they're just part of life.

Overall, it's a smart mystery that stands the test of time.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trant never joined the other aldermen of Quenborough in their traditional tea break; he preferred to stay in the meeting room and work on his papers. And that's where he was found stabbed to death. There were several people around, including the inexperienced chief constable Race, but only a very short time span during which the murder must have taken place. Considering the importance of the victim and the suspects, Race calls in Scotland Yard.