Off The Record (2011) by Dolores Gordon-Smith

Professor Alan Carrington and Charles Otterbourne should have been a match made in heaven. Otterbourne’s New Century company would have been the perfect manufacturer for Carrington’s new gramophone, and the world of music could have been changed forever. But after a get-together, one of them lies dead and the other is accused of his murder…

When death strikes again, Jack Haldean finds himself pulled into the investigation. Convinced of Carrington’s son’s innocence, Jack is determined to save him from the gallows. As the bodies start to pile up, it seems that Jack may well have made a terrible mistake…

Right, having just reviewed what was, in my opinion, a poor example of an actual Golden Age novel, let’s take a look at an excellent example of a modern book set in the Golden Age. I’ve made no secret of my love of the Jack Haldean series, and it’s one of my go-to series for when I need a pick-me-up. There are certain books on my shelf that I save for the time when I need a great mystery novel – a good read can be very good for the soul, and after reading this one, my soul is doing very well indeed, thank you very much.

What I loved about this book – apart from the characters, the plot, the background detail of the gramophone history – is that I guessed who the murderer was. I was pretty sure from early on who the murderer was but I hadn’t a clue what was going on, why it was going on and how it was going on. It just seemed like an insoluble tangle that I figured couldn’t be satisfactorily explained. And then, as I knew she would, Dolores unveiled an explanation that hinged on a single idea that made the whole plot reshape into a beautiful piece of logic. But I seriously doubt anyone would spot it…

As yet, this one hasn’t been reprinted as the first four were, but fingers crossed its on the way, so you can all enjoy this one.

The Jack Haldean Mysteries