I was aware of David Magarshack’s translations of Dostoevsky for Penguin Classics, but I didn’t know that he also wrote detective novels. The British Library have reissued his Big Ben Strikes Eleven in their Crime Classics series. When it was first published in 1934, it attracted praise from Dorothy L Sayers and other critics.

An important businessman, Sir Robert Boniface, has been murdered. His body is found in his car near a small hamlet on Hampstead Heath. There are only a few major characters in the book: Sir Robert’s wife, Lady Boniface; his sister, Mary Littlewood; her son, Frank; Matt Caldwell, an artist who recently painted Sir Robert’s portrait; two of Sir Robert’s employees, Miss Pritt and Benjamin Fuller; and two policemen: Chief Detective-Inspector Beckett and Superintendent Mooney. Other people come and go, but the narrative really follows those named.

The book shows how Superintendent Mooney tackles the murder investigation patiently and almost like a jigsaw. He will try a piece and, if it doesn’t fit the picture he has built so far, he puts it on one side and tries another. In theory, I should have enjoyed this book because it pushes all my buttons: it’s a Golden Age detective story set in England between the wars by an author not renowned for detective fiction. In practice, I was disappointed. I felt the characters’ behaviour was unrealistic - would the police really let an important witness get away with stating that they won’t disclose information about Sir Robert’s movements and business affairs because it’s nothing to do with his murder? There’s also a lot of tell, not show. Although that can advance the plot more quickly, the author misses an opportunity to let us see the characters in action and so they struggle to gain our interest.

There are a couple of interesting historic points. Firstly, the abuse of women is treated as, if not acceptable, then to be expected. Samuel Halstead “was used to beating his wife occasionally” and tries to hit his daughter, but she is bigger than him and he comes off second-best; Frank Littlewood says that a woman’s “loyalty actually increases if she is treated roughly.” Although the only physical violence we see if Agnes Halstead shaking her father like a rat (hurray!), I felt quite uncomfortable with some of the text. The second point that struck me is the police interview with a woman following the world’s oldest profession. The author is explicit about what she does; how much she got paid; where she takes her client; and other aspects of the transaction (but not the physical act itself). I was surprised that the author didn’t try to hide what she did with allusions – this must have been a raw text for the 1930s.

Magarshack’s translations are superb, but there were several points where I felt this was a mediocre novel by a second-rate author. Although it’s good to read some books like that in order to get a truer picture of 1930s detective fiction (most authors were not of the calibre of Christie, Sayers, etc.), I probably wouldn’t buy any other novels by him.

This was an intriguing and distinctive debut novel originally published in 1934 by an author who only wrote a few mysteries in his lifetime. The story begins with the discovery by a passer-by of the body of a famous captain of industry in his parked limousine. As the story unfolds, we see the events through the points of view of various characters who are connected to the case in some way. In the case of Superintendent Mooney and Inspector Beckett, this is a highly entertaining and illuminating approach. The inspector is diligent, thorough, practical, down-to-earth. His superior is intuitive, lateral-thinking, prone to whims and daydreams. Beckett is great at gathering evidence but can’t see the big picture. He doubts his boss’ whims and fancies. Mooney has the creative vision to put the pieces together as long as he has Beckett’s help to gather them.
This story is quirky enough to keep it from being dry and formulaic. The case turns on whether the dead man’s murder had a personal motive (the love triangle he was involved in), or a professional/political motive (as a tycoon, financial speculator, and Fascist sympathizer, he had a lot of enemies).
Part of the quirkiness is an interesting interlude of a few chapters where one of the suspects leaves town and has a bit of an adventure that is tangentially related to the case. This seemed almost like it could have become its own novel, and the characters and events in this section practically leap off the page.
For the last few chapters we return to the police Superintendent and Inspector. The final clues fall into place and the case is solved with a tense and fast-paced finale (more details would give too much away) at the chiming of eleven o’clock on a busy morning in London. Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book.

I continue to enjoy the British Library Crime Classic reprints of lesser known or forgotten golden age mysteries, I am coming up on 100 of these novels completed. Although a majority of these come from authors that are well known, there is the occasional mystery by an author who just has one or two novels to his/her credit. “Big Ben Strikes Eleven” falls into this category, written by David Magarshack, a well-known biographer of Russian authors but not a mystery writer.

As is usual in mysteries from the mid 1930’s, Sir Robert Boniface is a rich industrialist who is begging to be killed. He is haughty and highhanded with his family, ruthless and cutthroat in his business, condescending and dismissive to others around him. When his body is found shot in the back of his limousine, the police have a hard time narrowing down the suspect list since it seems everyone had a motive to kill this man.

But three main suspects emerge. There’s the nephew, Frank Littlewood, who was recently fired from his position working for Sir Robert, had threatened to go public with embarrassing information, and was an avowed communist while Sir Robert was an avowed fascist. Frank also had a fiancée and a mother, Sir Robert’s sister, who were always trying to protect Frank. Also on the suspect list is Matt Caldwell, a poor artist who was the first to identify the body. Matt had painted a portrait of Sir Robert, but Robert did not like the painting and returned it to Matt, refusing to pay for it. Although Matt was cooperative with the police at first, he had quickly vanished and was nowhere to be found. Suspicious, especially after it was discovered that it was his gun that fired the fatal bullet. And finally there’s Benjamin Fuller, an employee of Sir Robert’s, whose wife has been Sir Robert’s mistress for a very long time, years. Sir Robert never would allow for a divorce, but now Benjamin has met a woman who he wishes to marry, but Robert refuses to change the status quo.

There’s also others from the business world, including his secretary Marjorie Trevor, always kept under his thumb, and others who have forced Sir Robert out of certain ventures due to his recklessness and underhanded ways.

Into all of this plod Inspector Beckett and Superintendent Mooney, two policemen with completely contrasting approaches, trying to solve the murder. Becket jumps to conclusions and is quick to twist with each new piece of evidence, Mooney is the one with imagination, trying to understand the motives, the psychology behind the killing. They make for an enjoyable pair, moving through the evidence and following each clue to the end.

An enjoyable police procedural from the 1930’s, this is longer and more detailed than most stories from this era, with an action-packed conclusion. But be prepared for a procedural, not a deductive wizard solving crimes out of the blue.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

Unpleasant wealthy businessman Sir Robert Boniface is found dead in his limousine, shot. Presumed murdered. Very quickly three suspects emerge. Superintendent Mooney and Inspector Beckett, with contrasting styles of investigation are assigned the case.
An entertaining police procedural with a varied cast of characters though not all likeable.
First published in 1935
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I never hear about this author before as his field was a bit removed from my interests.
I loved this whodunit as it's a classic Golden Age Mystery but it's the portrait of a ruthless self-made businessman with some very modern traits.
There's a number of people who could contemporary and I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, the characters, and the humour.
A well plotted mystery.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This story begins with the discovery of Sir Robert Boniface, dead in his limousine. An important man in the business industry, and with a past in politics, Boniface has accrued many enemies over the years. The clues are few and the suspects are many in the search for the elusive murderer.

Though this story has an interesting premise, it was underwhelming and failed to be overly entertaining or memorable. The use of "telling" over "showing," as well as unnecessary attention to points unimportant to the plot, created a slow read that became something to work through rather than a story to enjoy.

Sir Robert Boniface’s body was discovered in his limousine and it was a toss up between murder or suicide. A leading industrialist he was a well known figure, but one who had plenty of enemies. He knew how to cut people down with biting talk, using his power to coerce those working for him or with him.

The story starts with a legion of suspects and then gets whittled down. Three main suspects and each gets handled differently by the two Detectives heading the case. The attention to detail as each piece of evidence is unearthed is rather tedious and you wish it could just be hurried along. The story set in the 1930s is classic vintage mystery and it evolves like that.

Characters are varied which add depth and interest to the story.

ARC | Telling, not showing | I'm sorry to say that this really dragged for me. I read classic Golden Age cozy mysteries all the time, so this should have been perfect for me, but it was so dull, right from the start. It usually takes me a couple of hours to read a book this genre and length, this took a month.

Martin Edwards' introduction heightened my anticipation and set high expectations as I began reading the book. David Magarshack had a fascinating career, with his Russian translations gaining more acclaim than his crime novels. Big Ben Strikes Eleven opens on a compelling note, with the discovery of a dead body in a blue car by a window cleaner—a promising start to a crime mystery.

Unfortunately, the narrative soon loses momentum. Lengthy descriptions of scenes, suspects' thought processes, and tangential details take precedence over actual sleuthing until well past the halfway point. The two police officers—an inspector and a superintendent—fail to measure up to the greats of the Golden Age (think Holmes, Melville, or Poirot). Their quirks are underwhelming, and their investigative efforts are bogged down by excessive, often unnecessary information that detracts from the story's pacing.

Overall, this was an average read—not a standout in the BLCC reprints

Latvian-born David Magarshack is best known for his translations of Russian literature, particularly Fyodor Dostoevsky. But he also produced several mystery novels during the Golden Age, his first being <i>Big Ben Strikes Eleven</i> in 1934.

Chief Detective-Inspector Beckett and Superintendent Mooney have parallel ideas of who shot fascist (literally) industrialist Sir Robert Boniface in his blue limousine. Which of the two policemen has fingered the correct murderer? Is it the disgruntled, bohemian brute of a painter? Is it Boniface’s tightly wound Socialist nephew? What about the husband of Sir Robert’s mistress? Or the mistress herself? Or someone else?

Magarstack has been sadly forgotten, but I enjoyed this serviceable whodunit, and I’m so grateful that British Library Crime Classics and Poisoned Press for reissuing this little gem.

This British Library Crime Classics new-to-me author discovery made my day! I savor every Golden Age mystery I can find. Contemporary authors can be incredible but there's something timeless and special about the classics which draws me in, again and again.

In Big Ben Strikes Eleven, artist Matt Caldwell happens upon a corpse in a blue limousine one evening and recognizes tycoon Sir Robert Boniface. No love lost there. Others weren't exactly heartbroken about Sir Robert's fate, either. Likeable Superintendent Mooney heads the investigation and encounters lies around every corner. His empathy peeks out occasionally which endeared me to him.

I love the old-fashioned investigative techniques and problem solving, red herrings and quirky characters. Folks had scores to settle. The culprit is a good choice. The writing itself is bright and appealing with sparks of wit.

My sincere thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this enthralling reprint.

This book is part of the British Library crime classic series which I generally love. Each Christmas I buy one of their Christmas anthologies and that’s my Christmas reading over the break. So I was looking forward to this one.

The highlight of the series for me is the introductions which give you an incredible insight into the wriiting,and the lives of the authors. This case was no exception, and knowing about the author’s history made the book (and the plot) much more interesting.

If you are familiar with the world of Agatha Christie this book may seem a lot more violent and unkind, but I think that’s much more realistic as a reflection of the reality of life at that time. In a way it reminds me of recent tv adaptations of ‘The ABC murders’ and ‘Witness for the Prosecution’ which gave those stories a much more gritty backstory than in the books.

I enjoyed the story, and the unmasking of the killer was a real surprise. Overall a good read

law-enforcement, procedural, entitled-attitude, wealthy, investigation, murder, detective-duo, due-diligence, unpleasant-victims, London****

Besides being a better-than-average police procedural of its day, the storyline also gives some insight into the politics and social mindsets of the police and others in 1930s London. The victim's business practices and wealth, not to mention his personality saw to it that he had no shortage of people who wanted him dead (including his own family). But who shot him dead in his car in the hot summer? And what happened to the gun?
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected digital galley from Poisoned Pen Press, via NetGalley. Thank you!
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