Quirky crime... 3 stars

Eustace K Mildmann is the unlikely founder of a new religion based on Egyptian gods, new age mysticism, vegetarianism, short trousers and general silliness. Even more unlikely is that this religion – The Children of Osiris, or Cooism – has attracted thousands of followers, including some of the wealthier residents of Welworth Garden City. Now, however, Eustace’s position as Head Prophet is in danger, with the rise of the charismatic fez-wearing Peta Penpeti, who may (or may not) be the reincarnation of an Egyptian priest. Penpeti has the advantage of appearing exotically foreign, which appeals greatly to the female members of the cult. Poor Eustace risks losing not only control of the cult but also the woman he worships to this usurper. Factions abound, secrets are hidden, rivalries fester. And when the whole cult is invited to take part in a festival in the grounds of the cult’s wealthiest benefactress, Mrs Alicia Hagge-Smith, all this simmering passion leads to murder...

The first half concentrates on describing the cult and its various adherents, and is mildly amusing. But although it goes on for a long time – too long – I never got any real feel either for what the religion was offering its followers, nor why so many people were attracted to it. It seemed to need a heftier suspension of disbelief than I could summon up. The second half becomes more serious after the murder is committed and Bude’s recurring detective, Inspector Meredith, is called in to investigate. The reader is privy to hints about the backgrounds of various characters so to some extent is ahead of the police. The actual murder method is nicely contrived and provides more of a mystery perhaps than the simple question of whodunit.

John Bude is apparently one of the most popular of the “forgotten” authors the British Library has resurrected, but for some reason I never find myself loving his books. They are well written, and this one in particular has a lot of humour around the quack religion and the various eccentric characters who are drawn towards it. But I think it’s that very eccentricity that stopped me from feeling involved – these are characters to laugh at, not to care about. And while I can enjoy a supporting cast of quirky characters, I prefer the central characters to have a greater feeling of realism. Unfortunately, I also find Inspector Meredith a rather bland detective – this is the third book I’ve read in this series and I would find it difficult to give any kind of character sketch of him.

Not one that stood out for me then – in fact, I’ll admit to skim-reading most of the second half because I had pretty much lost interest in the outcome by then. But, since other people clearly enjoy his style more than I, I accept my reaction is clearly subjective. If you like your crime fiction to be laced with humour and especially if you’ve appreciated Bude’s other books, then I expect you would enjoy this one too. Personally, I’ve preferred him when he’s been in more serious mode, but I don’t think I’m ever going to become a die-hard fan.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press.

Death Makes a Prophet* by John Bude. This is another British Library Crime Classic. The Children of Osiris is a new religion led by its mild-mannered prophet and financed by a very opinionated woman. The first half of the book does a lot of scene-setting and I almost forgot I was reading a mystery as I got caught up in the eccentricities and relationships of the characters. Then the murder-suicide occurred. Superintendent Meredith arrives and has no trouble putting all the pieces together.

"'Small hostilities were growing; vague jealousies were gaining strength; and far off, wasn't there a nebulous hint of approaching tragedy in the air?'

Welworth Garden City in the 1940s is a forward-thinking town where free spirits find a home-vegetarians, socialists, and an array of exotic religious groups. Chief among these are the Children of Osiris, led by the eccentric High Prophet, Eustace K. Mildmann. The cult is a seething hotbed of petty resentment, jealousy and dark secrets - which eventually lead to murder. The stage is set for one of Inspector Meredith's most bizarre and exacting cases.

This witty crime novel by a writer on top form is a neglected classic of British crime fiction."

Nice wordplay in the title in this re-release of some classic British crime fiction!

I always enjoy John Bude, and this had a particularly intriguing setting, in a period of social history about which we do not hear very much.

From http://www.bookbarmy.com

Is it possible to have a crush on a publisher?

My heart beats faster, my fingers fondle their book covers, and my wallet giddily opens its arms -- all for The British Library Crime Series by Poisoned Pen Press.

Just look at these beauties, I mean really, what mystery reader could resist?
I first became aware of this series with my first purchase of THIS long lost favorite mystery. Since then I have cultivated a insatiable craving finely-tuned taste for this Poisoned Pen Press imprint.

In 1997, husband and wife founders, Robert Rosenwald and Barbara Peters, who are also the owners of the legendary Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona, saw an opportunity to re-publish the wonderful British mysteries novels of the 1930's and 1940's. They tapped into every bibliophile's secret desire --out of print titles, long lost authors, and beautiful covers to lovingly add to a bookcase:

“We knew that mystery readers wanted complete collections, so we thought we could make a business out of that.”
I've read several of these and, while some are better than others, all are well-plotted mysteries graced with some classic crime writing and completely interesting settings - in short they are pure fun escape reading.

There are locked room mysteries (Miraculous Mysteries), murders in Europe (Continental Crimes), small village settings (Death of a Busybody), and dead bodies in crumbling manors (Seven Dead).
In short, there's a British mystery for you in The British Library Crime Series. You got to love any publisher/bookseller who states this as their mission statement:

We are a community Bound By Mystery.

and who gathers praise such as this:

Hurrah to British Library Crime Classics for rediscovering some of the forgotten gems of the Golden Age of British crime writing.(Globe and Mail)

Might I suggest you support this fine enterprise by buying the books direct from their website ~ just click this logo.

This is a book of two halves. The first half sets the scene and has great character descriptions, which I really enjoyed. The second half contains the murders and the arrival of Inspector Meredith. Although written in 1947 it does not feel dated, in fact some of the descriptions feel very up to date. This makes a pleasant change from Agatha Christie and I would happily read more from this author.

By the second paragraph of Death Makes a Prophet I had turned back to check the copyright date just to make sure it was really published in 1947 England and not 2017 Portlandia. It made me laugh out loud recognizing our local prototype in this description, “A very high percentage of the Welworth élite are not only vegetarians, but non-smokers, non-drinkers and non-pretty-well-everything-that-makes-life-worth-living for less high-minded citizens. They weave their own cloth, knit their own jumpers and go their own ways with that recherché look common to all who have espoused the Higher Life. Many favour shorts and open-work sandals.” If only they had Birkenstocks. Of course, Portlanders are drinkers, but if microbrews had been the thing in 1947, perhaps the Welworthies would have been drinkers, too.

This sets the tone for much of the book, a bit of gentle mocking humor from the narrator’s point of view, healthily skeptical of the Children of Osiris religious sect, the religion of Cooism…and that word alone should clue you into how this book will have great fun poking at the credulous cultists of COO.

Of course, it’s a murder mystery, but the first half of the book sets the stage, introduces the characters, their conflicts and conspiracies. It’s pretty clear someone is going to be murdered, but exactly who is still up for grabs until, surprisingly, two are killed in an apparent murder-suicide. And so, it’s not until we’re halfway through that the unflappable Inspector Meredith shows up to solve the case by interviewing people and taking long walks to think.



I have mixed feelings about Death Makes a Prophet though overall it is an enjoyable enough procedural. It is fair, even though at the end, Meredith gets some test results on evidence and has an interview and a report from France that all we get to see are Meredith’s “aha’s”, nods, and smiles. Usually, that kind of thing irritates me, but enough other clues are provided that while we while the specific information is absent, we know the kind of information he was seeking. It really is a clever plot that murderer came up with and very nearly successful.

I enjoyed the humor, even though, or maybe because, it was a bit contemptuous of those seeking a different road to meaning. However, it really showed its age when the narrator, not a character, used an expression that is long out of favor because it uses a racist epithet to express an unexpected turn of events in a woodpile. This presents a dilemma, I think, for publishers who reprint long out-of-print books like this. After all, John Bude was a nice, agreeable, kind man. If he were writing today, he would never use that expression and would say something like “fly in the ointment” or “had he but known” or some other way of expressing an unexpected turn.

The use of the epithet in the narrative, so not essential to denote any character’s racism so it’s not like Mark Twain’s use. I think it should be edited to a less offensive term because I think Bude himself would edit it if he were alive to do it. After all, why should some African American reader who picks up this book get slammed in the face with the insult? It’s different if there is an expectation created by the subject matter, the characters, the setting, but this book has nothing to signal that they will spring this word on readers. I have seen a friend break down in tears when assaulted by this word, so why keep it in a book when it has no story purpose? In 1947, people spoke and wrote differently than they do now, but some of those old expressions do not need to be retained. It is not more authentically 1947 and editing is part of a publisher’s job.

I don’t want to make too much of this. It didn’t “ruin” the book for me, though it dampened my pleasure in it. It is a dilemma and I can understand the idea of reprinting exactly as it was written will have its defenders, but I think we should ask ourselves what this man who has been lauded as a kindly and lovely man would do if he were editing it today.

I received an e-galley of Death Makes a Prophet from the publisher through Poisoned Pen Press.

Death Makes a Prophet at Poisoned Pen Press
John Bude/Ernest Elmore at Wikipedia

That's it, I was born not only in the wrong era but the wrong country as well. Ok, so there was the Battle of Britain and the whole nightly bombing thing in London, still, the books and authors get me or I get them. Plus-have you seen the styles and heard the music? Awesome.

Moving right along to Death Makes a Prophet, there have always been weird religious cults everywhere and at every time. This time Superintendent Meredith is called to the scene of what looks like a murder-suicide at a cult's mighty posh retreat until one looks deeper. Then there are suspects galore and the proverbial red herring or three.

Inspector Meredith and this book have a lot of dry wit that was so sadly needed postwar, although I don't think that Meredith means to be funny. (Which makes it all the funnier.) Sometimes he seems to be turning in circles and as new clues come in, he has to reshuffle all of his thoughts.

As to characters in this individual mystery, they are some cooky people, even for a post-war British cult. I nearly died laughing with the truth of one statement by the largest donor.
“Had Mr. Mildmann any enemies?” asked Meredith practically. “What a ridiculous question!” exclaimed Mrs. Hagge-Smith. “It’s quite exhausting enough to find out who are one’s own enemies. How can I conceivably give you a list of poor Eustace’s? Hostility is also a matter of degree. Dislike and hatred are poles apart.”

God help you, if you have that many enemies!

Anyway, this was my first introduction to John Bude and Inspector Meredith and I'll be trying to find the rest of the series. It's also the fourth in the series that I've read from the British Museum/ Poisoned Pen re-release of British detective fiction from the Golden Era and the thrid that knock it out of the park so far. If you like the more traditional and less gory mysteries, you need to check these out.

Death Makes a Prophet by John Bude
Death Makes a Prophet (Superintendent Meredith, #11)
by John Bude
30817744
Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* Jones's review Dec 31, 2017 · edit
really liked it
bookshelves: 2018, netgalley-arc, 4-star, cosy-mystery, crime, historical-fiction, murder-mystery, sandy-s-ng-nirvana, sandy-s-reading-retreat

EXCERPT: . . . a ferment was at work; small hostilities were growing; vague jealousies were gaining strength; little intrigues swelling into obsessions. And far off, no more than a dark speck beyond a distant horizon, wasn't there a nebulous hint of approaching tragedy in the air? Big oaks from little acorns grow, and viewing events in retrospect there seems little doubt that the jumping off point of this tragedy was Alicia Hagge-Smith's "vision". Without her "vision" circumstances favorable to a murder would never have materialised. And without a murder, Inspector Meredith would never have heard of the Children of Osiris. As it was, he always considered it to be one of the most interesting, bizarre, and exacting of all his cases.

THE BLURB: Welworth Garden City in the 1940s is a forward-thinking town where free spirits find a home - vegetarians, socialists, and an array of exotic religious groups. Chief among these are the Children of Osiris, led by the eccentric High Prophet, Eustace K. Mildmann. The cult is a seething hotbed of petty resentment, jealousy and dark secrets - which eventually lead to murder. The stage is set for one of Inspector Meredith's most bizarre and exacting cases.

MY THOUGHTS: I have read and enjoyed two of John Bude's previous novels, the very first novel he wrote in 1935, The Cornish Coast Murders, and the first of his Inspector Meredith novels, The Lake District Murder.

Although Death Makes a Prophet is the 11th in the series, don't feel you need to read the back books. Unlike the detectives in our modern novels, we learn little, if anything, about Meredith's private life. The focus is entirely upon the events leading up to the crime, the crime itself, and the steps taken to solve it.

Bude is an author from the 'Golden Age' of detectives who is guaranteed to provide you with a reliable and atmospheric read. In Death Makes a Prophet, Bude gives rein to his sense of humour, providing the reader with a few chuckles along the way, but never does he overstep the mark, as some authors do, into stupidity.

Bude's descriptions of both his characters and the scenery are delightful, e.g. Irish, tough, blue-eyed, broad humorous mouth, and a lilt in his voice that would have made poetry of the telephone directory.

John Bude wrote more than 30 detective novels, and I look forward to reading more of them.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of Death Makes a Prophet by John Bude. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

An Odd, But Engaging, Combination of Satire and Murder

Published in 1947, this book has aged gracefully and certainly fits well into that "overlooked classic" category dear to the hearts of murder mystery readers searching for a new author. Bude wrote a fair number of highly regarded mysteries, many centering on the skills of Inspector Meredith of the Yard. That said, though, it is fair to remark that this particular book, with its humorous build up, is a little bit of a one-off lark and not necessarily what one would think of as typical Bude, (at least at the outset).

Bude devotes the first half of the book to setting the scene, frame, and characters, before setting the crime and detection into motion. This first half is amusing, but it has an edgy and sometimes brittle bite to it. The setting is a 1940's Garden City populated by progressive and forward thinking Boho sorts. The main characters are all involved, in one way or another, with a ludicrous Osiris cult playing about at being a religion. Bude's first few pages are a rather withering dismissal of such foolishness, and might strike some readers as a bit of arch overkill. Just as I began to think that this might all be a bit too heavy-handed, though, Bude took his foot off the gas and allowed his characters a little more room to breathe and to be silly or foolish without being contemptible. This lighter touch carried me quite nicely to the halfway point and I didn't mind at all that up to that point no one had been murdered.

But then the book gets down to be a finely plotted mystery. It's not so much a whodunit as a howdunit, and it is in the tracking down and piecing together of all sorts of clues and possibilities that Inspector Meredith shines. Meredith doesn't really have a gimmick or a hook; he's just a competent and observant and clever pro who buckles down and sorts things out. That's a fine way to run an investigation and a fine way to write a good mystery. This was a happy and entertaining find.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Originally published in 1947, Death Makes a Prophet is one golden age mystery that deserves to find another audience.

The Children of Osiris, or Cooism for short, is a church/cult based on a mishmash of Egyptian gods, astral bodies, meditation and vegetarianism. Its founder, Eustace Mildmann, is the High Prophet. One of Cooism's highest members, Mrs. Hagge-Smith, donates substantial funds to the church including a 5,000 pound annual stipend to the High Prophet. However, she is entranced by the dynamic personality of the Prophet-in-Waiting, Peta Penpeti. So rapt that she creates an additional annual stipend of 500 pounds for him. Penpeti and Hagge-Smith plot a coup on Cooism: hoping to overthrow Mildmann if favor of Penpeti. Several church members remain loyal to Mildmann and tell him of the rebellion. Meanwhile, Terrence, Mildmann's son, is attracted to Mrs. Hagge-Smith's secretary, Denise, but the romance is thwarted by both his father and Mrs. Hagge-Smith.

Death Makes a Prophet is bursting with plots. It is one part Preston & Child and two parts Agatha Christie. The plot synopsis above is only from the first 10% of the book. There is a cauldron of attempted murder, mistaken identity, murder, suicide, theft, sex without benefit of marriage, blackmail and more within the storyline. It is genuinely awesome how all of these disparate puzzle pieces magically transform into a clear picture by the end of the book. Mr. Bude was a master at misdirection and it is a treat to read this book. It kept me guessing until the end. However, the book is best read on a Kindle as some of the words may be unfamiliar to modern audiences (e.g. toper, rissoles, abeyance, paucity, surfeit). Some of the phrases also take a little detective work to figure out. "I'll cut the cackle and come to the goose, eh?” seems to mean I'll get to the point. Some phrases are rather racist and one contains the n-word so sensitive readers may not enjoy this book. However, for all other mystery lovers this book is highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

"Death Makes a Prophet" is probably one of the most entertaining titles from the British Library Crime Classic series. If other titles from the series I have read and have given 5-star ratings, either I need to re-review the ratings by taking one star off from each, or I'd have to give "Death Makes a Prophet" a 6-star rating. Sadly, the later is not an option and I would not temper any previous ratings I have given. All I could say is, I enjoyed "Death Makes a Prophet" immensely.

The first half of the book is simply a fun soap opera of all the love/hate relationships between the important characters. And believe me, not much mystery here but it's fun to predict what is going to happen, who will be murdered, and so forth.

The second half we have Superintendent Meredith trying to solve, to him, one of the most intriguing mysteries he has encountered. With facts all lying out to him, nothing makes any sense and Meredith does not understand the contradictions of the evidences and alibis given. In the end, when the most crucial link between the murder and few suspects are revealed to Meredith, it takes him no time to put two to two together. Voila! The case is closed.

Such a fun mystery from the golden age mystery fiction era! The language is not as "dated" as Bude's contemporaries, and Bude does not waste unnecessary time on random irrelevant tidbits. An overall tight knitted plot with a good pace. Thanks Poisoned Pen Press for providing me an amazing chance to read such an awesome piece of work.

1940s Welworth Garden City has attracted its fair share or more of free thinkers. Fairly liberal for the era it is also home to a community following a particular way of thinking - the organisation of Coo with its own head of fairly eccetric characters.



Like all communities, there are secrets and blackmailers and murderers and it is upto Inspector Meredith to sort it out and bring back a sense of calm to this city.



A classic mystery crime book which with its religious sect overtones was very good.

Excellent vintage mystery republished by Poison Pen as part of the British Library Crime Classics. Originally published in the mid-1940's and featuring series character Superintendent Meredith.

This entry was a delight to read. Light-hearted but intricately plotted. The author had some fun with the world of cult religion by spotlighting the doctrine of the Cult of Coo, complete with High Priests, ancient Egyptian references and states of "non-being."

Meredith does not come on the scene until halfway through the book, but the stage setting and ensemble of well-drawn and amusingly odd characters is thoroughly entertaining.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A delightful addition to the series of mystery classics from the British "Golden Age" of mysteries. The has two distinctly different but wonderful parts. The first half, leading up to the crime, is a wonderful send-up that's surprisingly current of what we'd call a "New Age" religion. It's great in how it send up what's a made-up religion, its adherents and its growth.

Once the crime occurs, Bude's detective, Inspector Meredith gets called in to solve two mysterious deaths. As he investigates more clues and more mysteries pile up. The solution had me completely surprised but was very satisfying.

It's one of my favorites in the series so far.

I do love classic murder mysteries and this was a good one. This book was published in the 1940ies, but is set for the first half in a garden city just before the war. I was instantly amused about the observations about the people that live in that garden city, their health food kick (it's not a new thing), their spiritual seeking (also not a new thing) and the introduction of the characters (all highly unlikeable). The first half of the book is a set up of all the "players", the second half is the unravelling of the devilish clever mystery. It's a puzzle mystery and typical for the time and the style of writing. If you are looking for great character development, then this is not the one, they are all fairly cardboard cut out, but if you like puzzle out a who dunnit, then this is perfect. I adored it despite the racist/antisemetic moment in the book (which is sadly prevalent in books set during that time, but in comparison to many others, there is not that much of it, either).

You wouldn’t expect a novel issued in 1947 to be such a page-turner! Granted, I am a diehard fan of author John Bude and his detective, Superintendent William Meredith; however, here’s the greatest testimonial I can give. Meredith doesn’t even show up until halfway through the book, and I didn’t care! I still couldn’t put it down! Such a delay is usually the kiss of death (e.g., Georges Simenon’s The Dancer at the Gai-Moulin and Agatha Christie’s novels that delay the appearance of Hercules Poirot).

The first half is a satiric look at addlepated cults, which show up in England as well as the United States. A dithering fellow named Eustace K. Mildmann (who lives up to his name) founds a religion that embraces the Egyptian gods as well as vegetarianism and temperance. Somehow Mildmann’s cockamamie religion, called the Children of Osiris (COO), attracts Alicia Hagge-Smith whose forcefulness is only matched by her funds; she spends freely enough to attract 10,000 followers to Coo-ism, as it’s known. While not laugh-out-loud funny, the depiction was pretty amusing!

But just as the Garden of Eden had its serpent, so does the Children of Osiris: one Peta Penpeti, a swarthy bearded fellow with a fez who claims to be the reincarnation of an Egyptian priest from Thebes. Early on, it’s revealed he’s something to hide. But what? And are there other nefarious goings-on in Coo-ism? Like me, readers will devour this novel to find out!

In the spirit of full disclosure, I received this book free from NetGalley, Poison Pen Press, and British Library Publishing in return for an honest review. And I especially thank them for reissuing John Bude’s wonderful and woefully overlooked novels.

My thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the digital galley of this novel.

Within the past two years I have discovered a number of books reissued through the British Library Crime Classics program. These are classic crime fiction novels which have fallen out of print for a variety of reasons but which are being enjoyed again by a new readership. This is the third novel I've read in this group featuring John Bude's work. This one was originally published in 1947 and differs quite a bit from the other Bude works I've read because of the light feel for this one. Bude included a lot of humor, especially in the first half of the book, which was okay for me but I did want the story to move on in a more serious direction. The series detective Bude used often is Inspector Meredith of Scotland Yard and his presence in the last half of the book puts a damper on some of the lightness of tone. I suppose it had to when the body count began to rise.

The plot of this story centers around the believers in the religious teachings of Cooism, the Children of Osiris, founded by Eustace Mildmann in the Garden City of Welworth which didn't even exist 30 years previously. The cult's most wealthy sponsor, The Honorable Mrs. Hagge-Smith, proposes a summer convocation of Cooists on the grounds of her estate. Mildmann seems to be losing control of his own religion with someone else wanting the position of Head Prophet. Could there be trouble among the Children of Osiris? Well, naturally.

I have to admit to thinking about abandoning ship during the first half of the book because it was being much too "punny" and cute. Luckily I stayed with it until the story became more serious, but even then the Scotland Yard detective did lots of smiling, laughing and chuckling. I've found a lot to like along the lines of classic crime fiction by John Bude, but I think I will probably approach any other books by him after doing as much research as I can. One humorous murder story was okay, in fact I eventually became fully involved with this book, but I don't think I want to read one like this again. I tend to take mystery novels rather seriously.

It was the third John Bude's mystery I read and, as usual, it is really entertaining it has a solid plot. The description of the cultists is really entertaining and the sequence of events that leads to the murders is well written and funny to read.
I would advice this book to whoever is interested in traditional british mysteries.

A very good example of older style mystery. I id enjoy it although it did not move as fast as I would have liked and the ending was a bit abrupt, which again was typical. Lots of twist and turns which really leave you trying to sort out all the comings and goes, and for this reason I did enjoy it - a real puzzle