Death of an Airman: British Library Crime
Classics
Christopher St. John Sprigg
Poisoned Pen Press, Aug 4 2015, $12.95
ISBN: 9781464204821
Visiting England, Australian Bishop
of Cootamundra Doctor Edwin Marriott arrives at the Baston Aero Club seeking
flying lessons so that when he returns home he can efficiently meet his
practitioners spread over a large diocese that takes weeks to traverse with
ground transportation. The cheeky
manager Sarah “Sally” Sackbut signs him up before introducing the Bishop to his
flight instructor George Furnace.
Edwin arrives for his first lesson, but an
irritated Sally tells the Bishop that George is in the air flying solo in spite
of knowing of the appointment. Suddenly
the plane crashes killing George. The
official inquiry determines the plane was in excellent shape and the deceased
was a great pilot. Thus the conclusion
for the death is undecided though suicide seems most likely even though those
who knew him insist otherwise. Bishop Marriott
helps Scotland Yard Inspector Bray investigate the Death of an Airman.
This is an entertaining late 1930s twisting
mystery at a time when tensions on the continent are heating up. The key support cast is underdeveloped but
their amusing sauciness somewhat makes up for their two-dimensional
characterizations. The wonderful teaming
of the Australian Bishop and the British police inspector make for an engaging
investigation.
Harriet Klausner
No comments:
Post a Comment