Last year Dean Street Press, who are rapidly becoming one of my favourite publishing houses, issued four titles by Moray Dalton. This is the pseudonym of Katherine Dalton Renoir who wrote 29 mysteries, the last in 1951. I know very little about her and it seems she lived on the South Coast of England for most of her life following her marriage. She died in Worthing in 1963. Now, call me flippant, but a mystery writer who dies in Worthing is just perfect - it fits in with the Miss Marple trope and Miss Silver (though these two characters never married), and the contrast between a, presumably, middle class married lady turning out death and destruction is irresistable.
I read the original four in 2019 and was delighted to see that there were more to come (and I do hope that Dean Street Press continue to publish them ALL) and have had a happy time reading them during lockdown, (I am also galloping through a huge re-read of Agatha Christie at the moment, of which more later) and feel perhaps in future years somebody might write a dissertation on why reading about murder and mayhem was so relaxing at this time. Of course, it might just be me...
OK off we go.
The Condamine Case. Stephen Latimer, a rather arrogant and over sensitive film director, learns of a gentrified family in Somerset with an old history of witchcraft and haunting. Thinking this might be an excellent subject for his next film he goes on a visit. Mr Condamine, who is rather a sweetie, is very exciited at the thought of a film being made featuring his family and is eager to help. His wife, who obviously married him for money and status, is a different kettle of fish entirely:
"Mrs Condamine had not uttered a word for some time and sat smoking her cigarette and looking into the fire, indifferent and aloof. Or was she? Evan wondered. He was sensitive to atmosphere and it seemed to him that someone in the room was in a state of suppressed fury. He glaced doubtfully at her. There might be more in that young woman that met the eye"...
The Case of Alan Copeland. An unhappy marriage, the death of the wife, the younger husband remarries quickly. It is all innocent. But after a while the word "murder" rears its ugly head and the obvious suspect is arrested. The evidence is overwhelming. Now at this stage you start pondering well yes it cannot be him as it is so obvious. But then we might be tricked into thinking this way and he/she really did do it. And I am not going to tell you what the answer is in this one. I did guess who the culprit was but then I have read a lot of Agatha Christie and this character reminded me of one in a Christie novel in a slight way and so I plumped on this person as the murderer. Shades of Miss Marple....
The Art School Murders. Glamorous but slightly over the hill femme fatal is posing as a model at an art school as she needs the money. Her body is found and, as happens frequently in crime, somebody who saw something and decides not to say anything and to be terribly mysterious and clever about it, also turns up dead. They never learn these clever ones.
The Belgrave Manor Murder. This is my least favourite of all that I have read by Moray Dalton. I found it vaguely fantastical and not at all convincing. It involves weird practices, witchcraft and I have to say, a ludicrous ending (and again I guessed what was coming). However, this is just my view point and I would not like to deter anybody from reading any of the above just because I disliked this one.
All these books feature Inspector Hugh Collier of Scotland Yard, a charming, cultured man but not as elegant or as fastidious at Roderick Alleyn or Wimsey which, quite frankly, does come as a bit of a relief. Much though I love Ngaio Marsh and Sayers and adore their detectives, sometimes the snobbish element and its feeling that a character might say any moment Gor blimey govnor you're a toff is always lurking.
To sum up - well written, well plotted and no dull bits at all, these are a great read. I now have eight of these on my shelves and am looking forward to More Please.
At the moment the Kindle editions are available at £1.99. A total bargain. Go buy.
