Murder in Piccadilly
(Libby/OverDrive eBook)

The plight of a young heir waiting for the much older possessor of a fortune to die forms the life's blood of many Victorian novels. And it extends all the way into 1936 in this reissued mystery from Britain's golden age of crime fiction. This very clever novel centers on a ne'er-do-well young man, Bobbie Cheldon, in thrall to a gold-digging Soho nightclub dancer. Bobbie is blocked in his desire to marry the dancer by his rich Uncle Massy. Bobbie hates Massy for frustrating his desires; Massy hates Bobbie for still having them. The plot is further thickened by two Soho scam artists using Bobbie for their own twisted ends. Massy is stabbed to death in the midst of a surging crowd in the Piccadilly Underground. The way Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Wake sorts through the evidence in this most public place is masterful. This is another entry in the attractive, period-style paperbacks in the British Library Crime Classics series. Pair Murder in Piccadilly with Freeman Wills Crofts' Antidote to Venom, also notable for its psychological acuity and also available in the same series.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2015 Booklist

First published in 1936, this entry in the British Library Crime Classics series by the obscure Kingston (the pen name of Charles Kingston O'Mahoney) is too good to be lost to history. Bobbie Cheldon, an unambitious and broke gentleman of 23, is waiting for his frugal-to-a-fault middle-aged uncle, Massy Cheldon, to die so he can inherit his estate. To add insult to poverty, Nancy Curzon, the gold-digging nightclub dancer Bobbie has fallen for, won't marry a pauper, and Nancy and her theatrical partner, Nosey Ruslin, keep pressuring Bobbie to speed up his route to wealth. The consensus is that Uncle Massy needs to go to his reward so Bobbie can collect what should be his-both the cash and the girl. When Uncle Massy gets stabbed in the heart in London's crowded Piccadilly Underground station, it's up to clever Chief Inspector Wake to determine who wielded the blade. The dated plot may be fairly formulaic, but a nice twist at the end is worth the wait. (May) c Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

The plight of a young heir waiting for the much older possessor of a fortune to die forms the life's blood of many Victorian novels. And it extends all the way into 1936 in this reissued mystery from Britain's golden age of crime fiction. This very clever novel centers on a ne'er-do-well young man, Bobbie Cheldon, in thrall to a gold-digging Soho nightclub dancer. Bobbie is blocked in his desire to marry the dancer by his rich Uncle Massy. Bobbie hates Massy for frustrating his desires; Massy hates Bobbie for still having them. The plot is further thickened by two Soho scam artists using Bobbie for their own twisted ends. Massy is stabbed to death in the midst of a surging crowd in the Piccadilly Underground. The way Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Wake sorts through the evidence in this most public place is masterful. This is another entry in the attractive, period-style paperbacks in the British Library Crime Classics series. Pair Murder in Piccadilly with Freeman Wills Crofts' Antidote to Venom, also notable for its psychological acuity and also available in the same series. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

First published in 1936, this entry in the British Library Crime Classics series by the obscure Kingston (the pen name of Charles Kingston O'Mahoney) is too good to be lost to history. Bobbie Cheldon, an unambitious and broke gentleman of 23, is waiting for his frugal-to-a-fault middle-aged uncle, Massy Cheldon, to die so he can inherit his estate. To add insult to poverty, Nancy Curzon, the gold-digging nightclub dancer Bobbie has fallen for, won't marry a pauper, and Nancy and her theatrical partner, Nosey Ruslin, keep pressuring Bobbie to speed up his route to wealth. The consensus is that Uncle Massy needs to go to his reward so Bobbie can collect what should be his—both the cash and the girl. When Uncle Massy gets stabbed in the heart in London's crowded Piccadilly Underground station, it's up to clever Chief Inspector Wake to determine who wielded the blade. The dated plot may be fairly formulaic, but a nice twist at the end is worth the wait. (May)