Four-Ply Yarn (1944) by Miles Burton

St Orran’s Cove, five miles from Penmouth on the west coast of England, is usually a peaceful fishing town, but it has come to the attention of Desmond Merrion, a Captain of Naval Intelligence, as the source of information that is being received by the enemy. He promptly sends one of his best agents to snoop around, but events are about to escalate.

When Valetta Hosking comes home on leave from the W.R.N.S., she expects a bit of peace and quiet, but one evening stumbles across the body of the wife of a local scientist, a body that promptly disappears. And by the time it has reappeared, another body has been fished from the nearby sea. But is this the work of the spy or someone different? Merrion feels the need to investigate in person, as does Inspector Arnold, but this time they may not be on the same wavelength…

I did a little series of reviews a while ago called “Do Mention The War”, looking at books set during the Second World War that were written at the time, especially when the outcome was far from certain. This maybe creeps into that category – it was published in 1944 and was the last of the wartime Burtons alongside the last of the wartime Rhode titles, Death Invades The Meeting – so was probably written before the Normandy landings. I’m not enough of an expert to know what the expectations were before this. However the next time, The Three Corpse Trick, also from 1944, has Merrion discharged from his wartime duties and is set post-war, iirc.

Anyway, it’s not an easy book to find, but it’s easier than most of the other wartime Burtons, save perhaps Murder M.D. – I can say that because I’ve got a copy of it, albeit a Collins White Circle paperback.

As for the book, it’s a very interesting read. The opening section as Valetta comes home only to find the dead body is really well done. The author takes his time establishing the setting, something Rhode/Burton/Street was excellent at, while never letting the pace drag. I found myself drawn into the town of Penmouth and its inhabitants.

What is a little weird is that just as Valetta is being set up as the heroine – indeed, I thought she might well be Merrion’s agent – she promptly twists her ankle and disappears from the narrative, only to reappear in the final line of the book, doing something that most single Golden Age heroines end up doing. That was a bit of a shame.

Anyway, that clears the way for Merrion to show up to look for the spy and Inspector Arnold to show up to look for the murderer(s). What is interesting here is the conflict as Merrion feels for security reasons, he can’t be completely honest with Arnold about why he’s there – his priority is the spy but if that means the murderer gets away, then he has his orders.

There are a few strands that end up weaving together to form the whole plot – I think that’s what the title is getting at – the two murders, the spy, the method of communication. I did like the method, but I’m really not convinced that you could send any detail that way.

There are a couple of blips, other than the vanishing of Valetta. The conflict between Arnold and Merrion (which Arnold is blissfully unaware of) just sort of goes when Merrion decides he has to divulge everything – did he really think he couldn’t trust Arnold? – and the murderer, well, it’s better hidden than some of Street’s killers but it’s still pretty guessable.

All in all, it’s a well written mystery with some interesting ideas and far, far from humdrum. Definitely worth your time if you can find a copy.

My Miles Burton Reviews: