Is there such a thing as a perfect crime? Not when Inspector Graves of Scotland Yard is on the case – or indeed the seven cases.
Whether it be a locked room mystery, a serial killer or an unbreakable alibi, there is no case too complex for Inspector Graves. From Soho to the steps of Montmartre, from the finest country house to the English seaside, murder lies everywhere. But every killer makes a mistake.
The challenge is laid out to you – can you spot the murderer before Graves reveals all? The clues are all there…
Well, this was a pleasant surprise. Not the book, I knew this was coming from J S Savage, author of the two Graves novels, The Mystery Of Treefall Manor and The Riddle Of The Ravens and the Penny Haylestone mystery, Sun, Sea and Murder. I really enjoyed these novels – can’t understand why, given some of the less-than-stellar books that are published in the genre why John has to self-publish these clever mysteries. If you are a publisher, I do recommend you take a look. No, the reason I was surprised is that this collection of short stories is dedicated to a certain blogger. Me. Wow.
So no pressure on the book being good or not, eh?
Luckily, it’s a smashing collection of stories, with a real feel for the reader to play along at the Grandest Game without stating so overtly (apart from in the blurb). Let’s have a look at the stories one at a time:
A Three Tea Problem – DC Carver reports in his findings regarding the murder of a young woman in the village of Tilford. It takes three visits from the Scotland Yard tea-lady, but Graves solves the case without leaving his chair.
The Case Of The Cockney Killer – a serial killer is striking seemingly at random in Soho. This one is harder to solve than the previous tale – it takes some logical leaps in the solution, but everything is there, and it’s a good tale.
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Daytime – two brothers are murdered in quick succession, the second found dead inside his locked study, with only his dog keeping his corpse company. Again, not an obvious one.
Deal In Death In 1926, Inspector Graves failed to solve the murder of a pub landlord in Deal, Kent. Or did he? One of my favourites of the collection, with a conclusion that sheds a little more light on Graves.
A Stitch In Time A man is killed in his study by someone dressed as Father Christmas who promptly runs out the French windows leaving a single trail of footprints leading away. So how exactly were the windows locked from the inside? Possibly a bit too much going on in this one, and I thought the murderer was very guessable due to one particular moment. Still, it’s a fun tale and creative.
The 38 Steps A serial killer has pledged to kill one person on each of the 38 sets of steps in Montmartre. Oddly, this time the police know exactly who the killer is. They just haven’t a shred of proof. I liked this one a lot, with a nifty idea and a trick right out of Carr’s playbook.
Who Slew Hugh Drew? When a irritating Australian cousin is found dead after becoming engaged to the daughter of the lord of the manor, he is found dead inside a maze, with Carver’s friend being the prime suspect. You have to take something that is in the killer’s scheme with a pinch of salt, but another fun tale with a killer that I missed.
So, a collection of very readable whodunnits, only one… maybe two that I spotted the killer in (but never the details). Lots of fun, so not only do I have three books dedicated to me now (#humblebrag), I have three great books dedicated to me now. Many thanks, John.
If you want to know a bit more about John Savage, he took my Five Books interview yesterday. 7 Deadly Sins is out now in paperback and out soon in ebook. Why not give it a go?
