By E.R. Punshon First published: UK, Benn, 1931 This second exploit of Carter and Bell is immeasurably superior to their first, The Unexpected Legacy, a dated thriller about the White Slave Trade (which only J.J. Connington handled in an acceptable manner). Here, the thrills are those provided by the working out of the complex plot involving … Continue reading Proof, Counter Proof (E.R. Punshon) →

By E.R. Punshon First published: UK: Gollancz, 1944; US: Macmillan, 1946 One of the best of the Wychshire stories.  It’s slow moving (and Gollancz’s miniscule print doesn’t help), but Punshon creates a strong feeling of something dreadful, as ordinary people are suddenly revealed as strange and sinister.  It’s very much an atmospheric, character-driven story—Bobby talks to … Continue reading Secrets Can’t Be Kept (E.R. Punshon) →

About E. R. Punshon Twentieth-Century Crime and Mystery Writers (ed. John M. Reilly, St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1980) E.R. Punshon was writing mystery fiction before, during and after the Golden Age, in a career that spanned over half a century.  His work in the field falls naturally into three distinct phases, a sporadic group … Continue reading B.A. Pike on E.R. Punshon →

By E.R. Punshon First published: UK: Gollancz, 1954 Punshon was born in 1872, therefore this book was published when its author was 82. Yet it is not the work of an old man. It is a tale full of energy, ingenuity and imagination, with flashes both of comedy and of horror, the work of a … Continue reading Brought to Light (E.R. Punshon) →

By E.R. Punshon First published: UK: Gollancz, 1943; US: Macmillan, 1944 A more straightforward and topical story than usual, which is both its strength and its weakness. The plot revolves around the Conqueror Inn, possibly the oldest licensed house in England (although rebuilt in 1750), with lorry drivers, army camps, the IRA and black marketeers … Continue reading The Conqueror Inn (E.R. Punshon) →

By E.R. Punshon First published: UK: Gollancz, 1942 There is more than a hint of the Brothers Grimm in this story of a mysterious hermit living in the woods, a wild girl who talks to animals, her wicked stepfather, two disappearances, two El Greco paintings, and a Cellini (the Diabolic Candelabra of the title). Like … Continue reading Diabolic Candelabra (E.R. Punshon) →

By E.R. Punshon First published: UK: Gollancz, 1941 One of the earliest Wychshire mysteries, taking place in June 1940.  The plot concerns a solicitor’s office staffed by tormented people, with revenge and passion in plenty.  Bobby Owen, in contrast, is the voice of the Higher Common Sense: he applies everyday standards and a sense of … Continue reading The Dark Garden (E.R. Punshon) →

By E.R. Punshon First published: UK: Gollancz, 1938; US: Hillman-Curl, 1938, as Death of a Tyrant Like Crossword Mystery, this is an attack on fascism and totalitarianism, based (according to the prologue) on a topical event—which disproves the commonly held theory that English detective writers weren’t interested in politics or social commentary.  (They tend not … Continue reading Dictator’s Way (E.R. Punshon) →

By E.R. Punshon First published: UK: Gollancz, 1937; US: Hillman-Curl, 1938 One of the best 1930s Punshons.  In some ways, it anticipates the Wychshire books: Bobby acts as an assistant to the Chief Constable, Colonel Warden, and takes over when the Colonel falls ill.  The plot is complex, but not cluttered, because everything fits together, … Continue reading The Dusky Hour (E.R. Punshon) →

By E.R. Punshon First published: UK: Gollancz, 1936; US: Hillman-Curl, 1938 An unusually sinister tale from this author. Since the Home Secretary used to deliver milk to Lord Hirlpool’s father, Lord Hirlpool’s nephew Bobby Owen is assigned to investigate the death of his cousin, boiled alive in his bath, the second of three “bath mysteries,” … Continue reading The Bath Mysteries (E.R. Punshon) →