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Policeman's nightmare
"Produce Widmer"
That was the cryptic order given to Commissaire Dax by his chief when Eugene Dax turned up missing.
Dax decided that the disappearance was probably not voluntary and that Widmer might, indeed, be dead. He assumed that Widmer's associates and members of his family might be hiding important clues. Interviews with Widmer's wife, his business partner, his secretary, his chauffeur and his handsome platonic friend developed a picture of the missing man whom Dax succeeded in tracing much farther than he had anticipated.
When Dax finally located the missing Widmer and the person responsible for three murders he was overcome with chagrin because he had forgotten what a famous English author had called "the invisible man"; namely, the person who is always around, always taken for granted, and never questioned.
Scene : Parisian
That was the cryptic order given to Commissaire Dax by his chief when Eugene Dax turned up missing.
Dax decided that the disappearance was probably not voluntary and that Widmer might, indeed, be dead. He assumed that Widmer's associates and members of his family might be hiding important clues. Interviews with Widmer's wife, his business partner, his secretary, his chauffeur and his handsome platonic friend developed a picture of the missing man whom Dax succeeded in tracing much farther than he had anticipated.
When Dax finally located the missing Widmer and the person responsible for three murders he was overcome with chagrin because he had forgotten what a famous English author had called "the invisible man"; namely, the person who is always around, always taken for granted, and never questioned.
Scene : Parisian
191 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1949
1 person want to read
About the author
Marten Cumberland
55 booksSydney Walter Martin "Marten" Cumberland (1892 – 1972) was an English journalist, novelist and editor. He also wrote under the pseudonym Kevin O'Hara. He specialised in the detective/mystery genre and created the character of Inspector Saturnin Dax, a French policeman.
During World War I, Cumberland served as a radio operator in the Merchant Navy. After the war, he worked successively for several newspapers and publishing houses as a writer. He also composed some detective stories for various magazines. He became a freelance journalist in 1924.
In 1923, Cumberland published his first novel, Loaded Dice, which he co-wrote with B.V. Shann. He married Kathleen Walsh in 1928. In his last years, he moved to Dublin, where he died in 1972.
During World War I, Cumberland served as a radio operator in the Merchant Navy. After the war, he worked successively for several newspapers and publishing houses as a writer. He also composed some detective stories for various magazines. He became a freelance journalist in 1924.
In 1923, Cumberland published his first novel, Loaded Dice, which he co-wrote with B.V. Shann. He married Kathleen Walsh in 1928. In his last years, he moved to Dublin, where he died in 1972.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 19, 2020
A rich man, honest, hypochondriac, and only moderately happy in his home life, disappears after having asked his chauffeur to drop him off in the middle of Paris. An unplanned, unannounced vacation? An escape into another life? Or foul play? Commissaire Dax considers it his worst nightmare to have to deal with a case involving a missing person who's a social acquaintance of the Chief of Police. But with the help of Felix, his anglophile young assistant, and Georges Alder, expert in shadowing suspects, he manages to construct an image of the missing man's last day. Then dead bodies and missing gems start turning up, and it becomes clear that something is very wrong indeed.
As with many mysteries set in France written by English author, the book abounds in French idioms, not always idiomatically deployed. This is a police procedural - we hear nothing about Commissaire Dax' private life - it's all about the investigation. An enjoyable, not too demanding quick read.
As with many mysteries set in France written by English author, the book abounds in French idioms, not always idiomatically deployed. This is a police procedural - we hear nothing about Commissaire Dax' private life - it's all about the investigation. An enjoyable, not too demanding quick read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review