A Telegram from Le Touquet is a 1956 detective novel by John Bude and the latest release from the always excellent British Library Crime Classics series published by Poisoned Pen Press here in the U. S.

The novel has an unusual structure in that the first quarter of the story is told in first person from the perspective of Nigel Derry who has gone to visit his godmother at her country home in England over the Easter holiday. Not everything is peaceful among the guests and the arguments that ensue will set up the murder to come later in the book.

The second part of the book is then told in third person as it chronicles the investigation by Inspector Blampignon of the Sûreté who is called in to solve the mystery. All of the guests of the guest house are suspects but the ultimate solution will come as a great surprise for the reader.

This novel feels a little like Bude was experimenting with story structure. By the time this novel had been originally published he had already established himself as one of Britain's premier detective novelists. It is no wonder, then, that he might want to try something a little more unconventional in the latter stages of his career.

If I had not been warned about the unusual story structure in Martin Edwards' excellent introduction to the book, I might have been put off a little bit more by it. However, I found that it did work well for me even though Derry was not considered as much of a suspect as I might have expected given that he was the narrator for the first part of the novel.

One other common criticism of the book is that Bude does not play fair with the reader in revealing the murderer. Upon reflection, I felt the clues were there even if they weren't always in plain sight and a seasoned reader of the genre should have been able to reasonably solve the crime.

The great joy I have found in the British Library Crime Classics series is the introduction to writers and their novels that have been overlooked. A Telegram from Le Touquet is a welcome addition to this long running series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advance copy of this book for this review. No other consideration was received.

"A Telegram from Le Touquet" is a mystery set in England and France, which was first published (and is set) in 1956. The story started in England and in Nigel's viewpoint, so we saw what occurred leading up to the murder. Once the body was discovered in France, we switched to the viewpoint of the detective. Some clues were hidden (but guessable) because Nigel didn't witness them. The detective asked good questions and followed up on leads, but the clues were confusing. We pretty much got what the detective did until the end, when he confronted whodunit and got a full confession. While I didn't guess exactly how it was done, I did guess parts of it (like whodunit had an obvious motive) and certain secrets. So it felt like a fair puzzle mystery.

Though the mystery was completely solved and made good sense, the ending was pretty abrupt. We never learned how certain things played out as some things were left unresolved. It felt like we were missing the final chapter. There was no sex. There was a fair amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this intriguing mystery.

John Bude writes interesting Golden Age whodunits with spades of red herrings and sprinkles of wit. His writing is engrossing but not quite as strong as some of his esteemed colleagues. However, I scoop up them up, knowing I'll be entertained and taken back in time when mysteries were at their zenith. British Library Crime Classics are the ultimate!

Nigel Derry and Sheila are keen to marry. The two are amongst a handful of guests at Aunt Gwenny's austere mansion where they expect the unexpected from Gwenny. She has unabashedly had many questionable men in her life, dresses opulently and is an atypical woman who adopted Sheila and was godmother to Nigel. Her sister, Deborah, is demure and the grace to blush. When Gwenny objects to the marriage, angers flare and other matters simmer. Aunty flounces off to France, leaving her guests to their own devices. Outright arguments, mayhem and murder ensue. French Inspector Blampignon steps in to fit the pieces together.

Bude's humour caused me to chuckle a few times. I like quirky characters (the housekeeper's husband!) and storyline a lot. But I wish Bude would have delved deeper into the characters and built up angst more believably. Still. My time reading A Telegram from Le Touquet was enjoyable.

I continue to enjoy the British Library Crime Classic reprints of lesser known or forgotten golden age mysteries, I believe this is number 100 or 101 reprints completed. In “A Telegram from Le Touquet”, John Bude leaves Superintendent Meredith aside in England and instead brings back French Inspector Blampignon of the Sûreté Nationale, first introduced in “Death on the Riviera”.

The story is set in two parts, the first taking place in England. We see things through the eyes of Nigel Derry, who’s been invited for Easter break to the country house of Gwenny Marrable, his godmother “Aunt Gwenny”, a rather odd older lady, headstrong and always picking up (and rapidly discarding) boyfriends who are mostly interested in her money. Nigel is more interested in her adopted daughter, Sheila Marrable, whom he intends to marry and is planning on asking Aunt Gwenny’s permission during this vacation. George Gammon, the old boyfriend, and André Duconte, the new boyfriend, also complete the party, along with Gwenny’s sister Deborah Gaye and assorted others, including the mysterious local painter Harry Skeet, who seems to have some sort of hold over Aunt Gwenny.

But this idyllic setting is anything but peaceful. A knife fight, screaming arguments, a secret affair, and other confrontations all make for a tension-filled week, culminating with Aunt Gwenny’s refusal to allow her daughter to marry Nigel, for reasons unknown. Gwenny decides to end the vacation early and sends everyone on their way, as she packs the house and prepares to go to her summer villa on the French Riviera.

Part two takes us across the channel to France, where we see that the preparations for opening up the villa are cut short when Gwenny’s body is discovered in her massive steamer trunk at the house. Enter Inspector Blampignon, who has to not only solve the identity of the murder but also where she was killed, since her route didn’t make sense if she actually sent “A Telegram from Le Touquet”.

An interesting mystery from the 1950’s, with well-developed characters and plenty of juicy family secrets that make this an interesting read. John Bude’s mysteries continue to be a step above the usual fare, and a fascinating look at a lost time and place.

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

I'm a big fan of Golden Age detective ficton, but the more I read of John Bude, I just cannot see why he is held in such high regard within this genre, While he is by no means the worst of the Golden Age writers, he is not a good one either and I find his popularity singularly unaccountable. This book is a good example of his lack-lustre output - thin plot, one-dimensional characters that one can't summon up any regard for, and a completely inept detective. Contrast Budes books with those of say, E C. R Lorac, and you will see what I mean.

I didn't take to Inspector Blampignon at all and I don't rate him as a story-book detective. He seemed to be hailed some sort of detective deity by all, but was very hard to see why. He didn't seem to detect so much as simply jump to conclusions, and the titular telegram seemed to have a significance for the Inspector that I was at a loss to fathom, myself. The whole thing was predictable, tedious and dull. For devotees of the Golden Age, I would say defintely read it but more for the sake of completness than because it is actually a good book.

Cote D’Azur Calls..
Mystery and mayhem on the Cote D’Azur in this lively and colourful classic of the Golden Age of Crime. Brimming with some wonderful characterisation, misdirection galore and with a solid mystery at its heart there are plenty of surprises along the way as suspects multiply and motives abound. A worthy reissue complete with beautiful cover art and an interesting and fact filled introduction from Martin Edwards.

Author John Bude first introduced the affable, sweaty Nice policeman Inspector Blampignon in Death on the Riviera, the fourth novel in Bude’s excellent series featuring Inspector William Meredith. Blampignon returns in A Telegram from Le Tourquet, and he does a wonderful job carrying this mystery cozy virtually on his own.

Gwenny Marrable, a very wealthy but very impulsive widow, refuses her adoptive daughter’s request to marry Mrs. Marrable’s own godson, a good young man who Mrs. Marrable has adored. Why? The widow also upsets a number of mooching hangers-on and her own younger sister, the naïve and timid Deborah Gaye. Soon after, Mrs. Marrable heads to her villa on the French Riviera, but her body is found murdered in a steamer trunk. With so many suspects, how can poor perspiring Inspector Blampignon find the true murderer?

Bude does his usual yeoman’s work of providing lots of tips to the police and twists for the readers. While he plays a bit unfair with the ending, this novel is still highly recommended.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable Golden Age mystery if that is your thing. There were a few too many characters, a few too many motivations, and a few too many coincidences for it to be truly excellent, and the solution was confusingly complicated, but if you've read everything Agatha Christie wrote and you're in the mood for more of the same, you could do significantly worse.

A classic mystery from the British Library's Crime Classics collection that once again does not disappoint. This collection highlights the hidden gems of British mystery books from the first half of the 2oth century, with each book individually selected, and it shows. The pacing is tight and fluid, and the mystery is gripping.