Sun 22 Jan 2023
ANTHONY BERKELEY – Top Story Murder. Roger Sheringham #7. Doubleday Crime Club, hardcover, 1931. Published previously in the UK as Top Storey Murder (Hodder & Stoughton, hardcover, 1931).
Novelist and part-time criminologist Roger Sheringham follows along, as Scotland Yard puts together a case against a burglar who added murder to his last job. These were the leisurely days when the professional criminals were all known and readily identifiable by their characteristic methods of operation.
But Roger finds flaws in their· theories and strikes off on his own investigations, which increasingly point to an inside job. He also adds a secretary — the murdered woman’s niece — who mysteriously disclaims her rightful inheritance, and whom Roger finds secretly provoking in other ways as well.
A nice bunch of clues and theories, which Roger conveniently lists at appropriate intervals, and which do provide a fitting solution to the discerning reader. But I think it’s the underlying happy twinkle which provides the most pleasure in this tale, well told.
Rating: A.
January 22nd, 2023 at 8:54 pm
I’ve read a handful of Anthony Berkeley mysteries. Like you, I’ve had some trouble following the deductive logic of his books. But that happy twinkle is addictive!
January 22nd, 2023 at 10:12 pm
Sheringham was a bit of an ass in the early books, but grew a bit more human as things went along as Berkeley discovered that writing an unpleasant character itself grows tiresome over time.
I don’t mean to suggest Sherringham ever became an attractive lead, but he was less obnoxious by this point than at the beginning, much as Wimsey became less silly and more romantic or Campion became a believable human rather than a caricature.
January 22nd, 2023 at 11:25 pm
Even though I n longer remember any of the details, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. They don’t write detective novels with as many clues and red herrings as there are in Berkley’s books. Sheringham himself can definitely take a while to get used to, but if I knew where my copy was, I’d read it again.
I hope I still have it!