In Whose Dim Shadow

Sir Clinton Driffield #10

by J.J. Connington

In this, the tenth Clinton Driffield mystery, the action moves away from a country setting to the English suburbs, inhabited by a cast of unusual diversity: an ambitious young policeman, a naive journalist, an elderly clerk with dreams of foreign travel and an unhappily married Frenchwoman.

This meticulously clued mystery shows Connington at his compelling best and ends with a satisfying flourish.

Genres: Mystery

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1935

About the author

Pseudonym of Alfred Walter Stewart.

Reviews

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A body is discovered in an empty flat. Several people have heard the shot which apparently killed him - including an ambitious young policeman on his beat. The occupants of the flats seem willing to talk about all their neighbours but do they have the right information? Why is a young journalist on the scene virtually as soon as the police - making a nuisance of himself and badgering the police for information? Does the young French woman entertaining her brother in law have something to hide?

What I really like about this book and this well written and meticulously plotted series is that the reader gets all the clues just as Sir Clinton Driffield and his minions do. The reader has as much chance as the detectives to work out who the murderer is. I did work out who the murderer was in this case but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story.

I cannot think of any modern writer who is so meticulous about plot and evidence as J J Connington. Even though the forensic skills available to the police in the twenty first century are so much greater than they were when this series were written there is something very compelling about these books. The detectives have to rely on their own powers of observation and their knowledge of human nature. If you like classic puzzle type crime novels then you will enjoy this book and this series.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rarely find it difficult to spot the murderer in Connington but the joy is in the working out of the solution and in the conversations between Driffield, Wendover, the other policemen, and the suspects.

Some of the scientific background is interesting- in the last few there has been a lot about early blood-typing.

The characters are well-drawn and the writing is excellent.

Recommended highly.

[Gabriele Crescenzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

J.J. Connington è uno dei grandi nomi del giallo classico a tinte scientifiche.
"Un cadavere fuori posto" è un gran bella opera, disseminata di indizi, false piste e una pletora di sospetti tutti ugualmente detestabili.
La storia inizia in una calda sera di luglio: l'agente Danbury, durante la sua ronda quotidiana, sente uno sparo. Subito dopo accorre un uomo che sostiene che si fosse trattato di un colpo di pistola esploso nel suo stesso condominio. L'agente, accorrendo verso il suo caseggiato, scopre nell'appartamento vuoto al pianterreno il cadavere di un uomo dal volto sfregiato. Chi è costui? E perché porta un manganello nella giacca? A queste domande risponderà il capo della polizia Sir Clinton Driffield, non prima che venga commesso un secondo delitto, per di più in camera chiusa.
Il romanzo è molto gradevole e di stampo queeniano, molto onesto nell'apparato indiziario e con buoni spunti. L'identità dell'assassino è palese ad un certo punto, ma ciò non guasta la piacevolezza dello svelamento finale. Molto buona la soluzione della camera chiusa e classicissima la spiegazione di Sir Clinton, che, con logica inappuntabile, ricostruisce i lati oscuri della vicenda.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of J.J. Connington's better mysteries. A man is found shot in an empty flat, and Sir Clinton, Chief constable, and his inspectors, have to consider the manifold clues. An upset paint pot. A pair of tennis shoes on the mantelpiece. A cosh in the dead man's pocket. But most of all, a tau cross pendant, pointing towards a religious element in the affair. The characters in this book are a bit more exotic than usual in a J J Connington novel and include a pushy free-lance journalist, a timid pensioner with dreams of visiting Japan, a Frenchwoman (always suspect in Golden Age mysteries), an infatuated young girl and a snob. Sir Clinton guides his team through the meticulous evaluation of alibis and puts special emphasis on the forensics, such as they were. Much is made of blood group determination in the various crime scenes.

The murderer is not hard to spot, but the best part is the role of the "Dr. Holmes" of the story, in this case, Mr. Wendover, a houseguest of Sir Clinton's, who fancies himself as an amateur detective and is unerringly led down the garden path.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: officer William Danbury is out on patrol when a resident, Mr. Geddington, summons him saying that he heard a shot. A body is found.

[Victor · Rating 4 out of 5]

well written mystery with many complexities but few suspects .