MAX MURRAY – The Doctor And The Corpse. Michael Joseph Ltd, UK, hardcover, 1953. Farrar Straus & Young, US, hardcover, 1951. Detective Book Club, US, hardcover reprint, 3-in-1 edition. Penguin Books, UK, paperback, 1957.

   If you should know rich, nasty, and hateful old men or women, suggest to them that the reading of mystery stories might be salubrious. With the wisdom gained from that reading, they might reconsider plans to surround themselves with people who have reason to despise, loathe, and hate them, and maybe desire their money.

   They may even pause in their attempts to make additional enemies. No one gave that advice to the unpleasant wealthy man in this novel, and he blithely creates more enemies. What is worse, he does it in a closed environment — that is, aboard a cruise ship.

   The corpse in this novel, before he becomes a corpse, of course, sends a note to the Singapore police, where the ship is temporarily anchored, telling them he has reason to believe there is a murderer aboard. Indeed there is — his.

   The police arrive in the person of Inspector Michael West to interview the note writer, who just a bit earlier had taken poison, unwittingly. West is thus limited to interviewing the living, which he does rather desultorily, in my opinion, and mildly. Interrogation is not for him, for he is a gentleman. Conversation has to suffice.

   The case is admittedly a difficult one, with so many suspects, but West really never seems to buckle down to a thorough investigation. His conscience says let the ship sail, as the man’s death was fully justified. His sense of duty says carry on and capture the culprit. It’s a dilemma he never satisfactorily resolves, though the person responsible ultimately confesses.

   For those who worry about such things, West gets the girl in the end. I was not aware he was interested in her. Nor was I aware that she was interested in him. I was tempted to go back and see what I had missed, but I resisted the temptation, which was not that strong anyhow.

   The novel is competently written, and there are a couple of interesting characters.