Sun 7 Sep 2014
Reviewed by William F. Deeck: E. R. PUNSHON – Information Received.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[3] Comments
William F. Deeck
E .R. PUNSHON – Information Received. Ernest Benn, UK, hardcover, 1933; Penguin Books, UK, paperback, 1955. Houghton Mifflin, US, hardcover, 1934.
In his first recorded case, Bobby Owen (B.A. — pass degree only — Oxon) is a police constable patrolling a dull suburb. The suburb livens up when mysterious strangers start swarming and an alleged apple thief makes his presence felt.
All this leads to the discovery of the body of Sir Christopher Clark, shot twice near the heart in his billiard room at the same time his safe in the study was being emptied by a burglar.
With a fair number of suspects and an almost equal number of motive — embezzlement, ruination, inheritance, lovers denied — the case is a complex one. It isn’t helped by a couple of the suspects claiming that it wasn’t murder when it obviously was. A conspiracy of silence, except for an occasional odd remark, doesn’t assist in clearing things up.
While the novel is about Owen and his role, the real brains of the investigation is Superintendent Mitchell, a canny and amusing policeman. Enjoy Mitchell and hope that Owen matures quickly if he’s going to be on his own.
Editorial Comment: Bobby Owen was the leading protagonist in a whopping 35 detective novels by Punshon, beginning in 1933 and continuing on to 1956. I have no record of the number of Superintendent Mitchell’s appearances, but it’s easy to imagine he was on hand more than just the once.
September 7th, 2014 at 2:09 pm
I read one of Bobby Owen’s adventures once, but I don’t remember very much about it, other than thinking it was rather bland. My tastes may have changed since then — both Owen and I were young at the time — but so far I haven’t been tempted to read another. Until posting Bill’s review just now, that is.
September 7th, 2014 at 5:33 pm
This is an interesting review. Thank you.
It makes one want to track down Information Received.
Any coverage of Punshon on the Internet is rare.
This post is now linked to my brief Punshon article:
http://mikegrost.com/punshon.htm
I’ve only read four of his books – a small fraction of his output.
He’s often interesting – but rarely great or superb. At least in those four novels.
Deeck: “the case is a complex one”. This is what every review ever read says about Punshon: his plots are complicated.
The other consistent thing about Punshon: all the social satire, much of it from a strong left-of-center point of view. “Genius in Murder” and “Night’s Cloak” are especially notable for their political and social views.
September 7th, 2014 at 6:20 pm
The politics are all I really recall registering about Punshon or Owen. Owen is an attractive enough hero, but I don’t recall him being a particularly brilliant sleuth.
Punshon always seemed hard to find in the states. The ones I read I read in England, and like Mike and Steve they weren’t many. I’m not really sure if I regret that or not, though I seem to recall the writing was good if the going was a bit slow.