Wed 29 Jun 2016
Reviewed by William F. Deeck: FREEMAN WILLS CROFTS – Fatal Venture.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[5] Comments
William F. Deeck
FREEMAN WILLS CROFTS – Fatal Venture. Hodder & Stughton, UK, hardcover, 1939; Dodd Mead, US, hardcover 1939, as Tragedy in the Hollow. Popular Library #18, US, paperback, under the latter title, 1944.
Perhaps another dubious entry here. Charles Bristow has a good idea: Buy a salvageable ship and set it up to cruise around the British Isles, visiting hard-to-reach attractions, at a price the average person can afford. As the scheme is developed, however, the ship is turned into a floating casino and priced accordingly.
Although the ship is registered in France, the British Government is embarrassed by this flouting of their gambling proscription. Inspector French is asked to take a holiday on the.ship with his wife, Em, in the hope he will spot some irregularity and be able to halt the gambling. No irregularities occur, unfortunately, but there is a murder.
Some criticize Crofts’s novels as being dull, a view with which I do not agree. Oh, sure, the prose is mostly pedestrian and occasionally the detailed confirmation or breaking of alibis can be a bit tedious, but on the whole, Crofts manages to hold at least my attention. Try this one, or one of his many others; you may agree.
June 29th, 2016 at 5:30 pm
Has anyone else noticed that Crofts’ name is misspelled on the cover of the old Popular Library paperback?
June 29th, 2016 at 5:36 pm
Back when I was sampling every Golden Age author whose books were in the local library, I tried one of Crofts’, and as Bill predicted, after reading Carr, Christie and Gardner — gobbling them up, in fact — I did find Crofts deadly dull. I was 15 or 16 at the time, so what did I know, but it was enough that I’ve never tried another.
Enough time has passed since then that I might give him another try, but on the other hand, there are too many books and authors I know I want to read.
June 29th, 2016 at 5:44 pm
The cover looks so familiar I must have had a copy at one time. Some of Crofts has been reprinted recently so there may be an audience for him out there.
June 29th, 2016 at 6:14 pm
Crofts can actually work up a bit of suspense here and there, and French, if not exactly exciting, has some good and great cases, this one no exception.
He’s mostly famous for his use of railroad timetables to make and break alibi’s and actually can make them fairly exciting. He does suffer however compared to many of the more enduring Golden Age writers. I would recommend THE PIT PROP SYNDICATE (not French), THE PURPLE SICKLE MURDERS, THE STARVEL HOLLOW TRAGEDY, THE LOSS OF THE JANE VOSPER, THE CASK, DOUBLE DEATH, and SIR JOHN MAGILL’S LAST JOURNEY along with this one.
Symon’s infamous ‘humdrum’ comment probably fits Crofts more than John Rhode, but at his best it is pretty good humdruming.
June 30th, 2016 at 6:50 am
Especially good Crofts, to start reading him:
THE CASK
THE BOX OFFICE MURDERS
MYSTERY IN THE CHANNEL
I added this Deeck review to the links in my Crofts article:
http://mikegrost.com/crofts.htm
Have to agree that Crofts is not quite at the tip-top level of Carr and Christie.
But at his best he is a good writer.