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The Middle Temple Murder

J.S. Fletcher

Start date: May 1, 2024

Finish date: May 31, 2024

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What Members Thought

Apr 23, 2024 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is an early mystery, first published in 1919, and which has aged well. It begins with a body found in the Middle Temple (for those not familiar with London, this is one of the Inns of Court, where lawyers tend to have their offices). Frank Spargo, a newspaper editor happens to be passing and is invited to get involved by the detective.

The body has a slip of paper on it, with the name of Mr Ronald Breton, a young barrister. Spargo goes to see him and finds him with two sisters, daughter of ...more

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Sep 26, 2016 Bev rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: british-mystery, vintage-mystery, mystery, mount-tbr-2016

Frank Spargo is a young journalist who has just finished his shift as dawn breaks across London and plans to make his way home for breakfast and a good, long sleep. As he passes Middle Temple Lane, home to various barristers and the like, he notices Driscoll, a policeman of his acquaintance, looking about him and signalling to another policeman nearby. Sensing a possible story he approaches Driscoll to find out what's up.

A porter has found the body of an elderly man on the steps leading to one o Frank Spargo is a young journalist who has just finished his shift as dawn breaks across London and plans to make his way home for breakfast and a good, long sleep. As he passes Middle Temple Lane, home to various barristers and the like, he notices Driscoll, a policeman of his acquaintance, looking about him and signalling to another policeman nearby. Sensing a possible story he approaches Driscoll to find out what's up.

A porter has found the body of an elderly man on the steps leading to one of the chambers in the Middle Temple. Spargo hooks up with Detective Sergeant Rathbury who arrives to take charge of the case and they soon find that there is nothing at all on the man to identify him.The only lead is a piece of paper that had slipped into the lining of a pocket and which has the name and address of a young barrister, Ronald Breton. Spargo has recently made the barrister's acquaintance through a newspaper article. Breton, when questioned, claims no knowledge of the man but he becomes interested in the case and he, Spargo, and Rathbury work--sometimes in tandem and sometimes along separate lines--towards the solution.

I first read The Middle Temple Murder (1919) by J. S. Fletcher over twenty-five years ago (back before I did any sort of review on what I read) and when the library finally purged its copy and put it up for sale in its Friends of the Library Used Bookstore I snatched it up so I could own it and read it again. Fortunately, from the mystery-puzzle stand-point, I had very little memory of the story and was able to enjoy myself without knowing the solution beforehand. Fletcher provides us with a very nice early detective novel. His policeman is neither antagonistic towards the amateur detective work of Spargo nor is Rathbury incompetent (as so many fictional policemen are portrayed). Each of the men follow up the clues they find and pool their knowledge. If anyone keeps information up their sleeves, it's Spargo--all in the effort to get a big scoop.

This is a fast-moving story which follows our investigators from one adventure to the next, from one witness to another. There are several features that would become standard in mystery stories--mysterious man from the past killed for unknown reasons, wealthy man of business with mysterious background, the missing child--but here, because it is such an early example, they seem fresh. The main disappointment I have with the book is the denouement. The reveal of the culprit at the end comes much too quickly and with too little explanation. One can just see the motive for the murder, but Fletcher gives the wrap-up very little effort. It's as if he said--"Well, X did it. That's all you need to know." Other than the ending, this is a fine example of an early mystery story and, from what I read on the internet, one of Fletcher's better efforts. ★★★★ (I gave it five stars previously.)

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks. ...more

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Apr 15, 2024 Susan in NC rated it it was ok · review of another edition

2.5-3 stars for this better-than-average old detective story. This one, published in 1919, pairs a Scotland Yard detective with a taciturn, ambitious newspaper reporter, teaming up to investigate the murder of an elderly man in the Middle Temple area of London.

Spargo, the newsman, was walking home after working late when a constable he knew told him to come see a murder victim that had just been reported. Our intrepid reporter scoots along, writes up the story, decides this could be a career-mak 2.5-3 stars for this better-than-average old detective story. This one, published in 1919, pairs a Scotland Yard detective with a taciturn, ambitious newspaper reporter, teaming up to investigate the murder of an elderly man in the Middle Temple area of London.

Spargo, the newsman, was walking home after working late when a constable he knew told him to come see a murder victim that had just been reported. Our intrepid reporter scoots along, writes up the story, decides this could be a career-making story, and dives in to solve the case. I majored in editorial journalism eons ago in college, and my tough old professor drilled it into our heads that we were never the story and yellow journalism was bad. Spargo is not troubled by such nonsense!

Throughout this old mystery there were several such slipshod, casual (to modern eyes) violations of privacy and police procedure and journalism ethics (in all fairness, I think this was before newspapers worried about such things). When the reporter feels he’s finally cracked the case, after interminable to-ing and fro-ing chasing clues, he sends a telegram to his Scotland Yard buddy, telling him who to arrest for murder! Okey-dokey, I don’t know about in England nowadays, but here in the U.S. I imagine a savvy defense attorney could get the case dismissed…

Anyway, it was more entertaining than I thought it would be - I’ve read many of these early mysteries over the last few years with one of my GR groups, and they’re often melodramatic and boring, telegraphing the guilty party early on. This kept me guessing, but it just went on too long, the reporter kept following the convoluted, elaborate trail of clues to one more witness who seemed to know more than they were telling-and Spargo and the police never seemed any closer to the actual killer! They were running out of possibilities - I lost interest and skipped the last 20 pages or so to the last chapter to finally see who was the killer. Not too surprising, again, they were running out of possibilities. ...more

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Apr 21, 2024 Jan C rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, england, 2024

Somewhat predictable today, but possibly not in 1919. Anyway, I enjoyed it.

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Mar 31, 2024 Jill rated it it was amazing

Really liked this book. This begins with a newspaper editor going home from a nightshift at the paper, and meeting a police constable who informs him of a murder. Frank Spargo, the news man, accompanies the constable to look at the murdered man. It seems the murdered man had been robbed and there was nothing to identify him left on the body. The only clue is from a small scrap of paper, found in the lining of his coat, with the name and address of a young new barrister. It seems the unknown man ...more

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Apr 30, 2024 Sandy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-detective-grp, rread-2024, mystery-classic

A fine early mystery with intriguing characters, an intricate plot and investigation into the earlier lives of the victim and suspects. The Scotland Yard detective takes a back seat and allows the journalist free access to the investigation: not very realistic but makes for an interesting book. The young hero writes front page stories, solves the mystery and wins the hand of the fair maiden. I stayed up to finish the book, always a good sign.

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Dec 14, 2016 P. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Middle Temple Murder has all those plot devices you might expect in a Fletcher mystery but it also has a nice working cast of cops and reporters, the odd barrister and some love interest. So a well rounded story and worth a read. Do all those coincidences - and there are a handful - drag on the story? Not as much as you might think.

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Feb 10, 2016 Jenn Estepp rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindling, sleuths-and-gumshoes

Solid, if not particularly remarkable, old school mystery; bears some similarities to the other Fletcher novel I've read (and liked a little better) but still very dependable and enjoyable. ...more

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