Death of an Editor

by Vernon Loder

Marsh House, Upperton, England—Hay Smith, editor of The Daily Record, is been dead in the private study of Sir James Sitheby. In his hands are the torn fragments of confidential Foreign Office documents. How Smith came to possess these documents is a mystery, but not as much of a mystery as which of Sir James’s house-guests murdered the editor. So when Inspector Brews arrives at the scene soon after the tragedy, having been summoned to Marsh House by a mysterious telephone call from Hay Smith earlier in the afternoon, he faces one of his toughest cases yet...

Originally published in 1931 in Collins’s celebrated “Crime Club” imprint, this is a classic British mystery from the ‘golden age’ of crime fiction.

Genres: Mystery

247 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1931

About the author

Vernon Loder was a pseudonym for John Haslette Vahey, an Anglo-Irish writer who also wrote as Henrietta Clandon, John Haslette, Anthony Lang, John Mowbray, Walter Proudfoot and George Varney.

Vahey started his working life as an apprentice architect, then an accountant before finally turning to writing fiction full-time.

extra bio info from a book blurb

Reviews

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two and a half stars.

This book would have been a lot better if it been a lot shorter. While I thought the plot was reasonable, there was far too much of Inspector Brews rehashing the evidence and all the possible scenarios with himself, with his sergeant, with his superintendent, with the Chief Constable, with the Foreign Office and Uncle Tom Cobbley and all. It seemed to go on for ever.

[Tony Harker · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting book to start with but as it progressed I found myself getting more and more disillusioned with it. It is overly long and the plot too complicated for the reader to arrive at a considered solution as to who committed the crime. I stuck with it and eventually guessed who did it (through luck not deduction). Bit of a slog to get through, not one of Loders best.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...