The Z Murders

Richard Temperley's irritating, snoring fellow traveller is shot dead at a hotel in Euston, London. They had travelled on the overnight sleeper. There follows a cat and mouse chase through various places in England. Loved the old fashioned ways, the language of those days and of course the mystery itself which is nicely solved by our hero!

warning - do not start reading this in the evening, you will be up all night with the charming fellow who is following the girl, and leading the police when he'd rather not - genial policeman but perspicacious and smart, with colourful assistance (although not sometimes who our naive man thinks they are sometimes). Farjeon is a really skilful almost literary writer, and that makes the reading experience extra value on the crime angle: the stakes are high - there are serious murders, and shady spooky characters - set in the UK, it also gets the feel of the place really well. the tricky thing of having a civilian doing the detecting and inadvertently helping the police inquiries is motivated by his utter fascination with the beautiful girl who seems to be at the heart of it. really terrific - i'm glad poisoned pen found this writer to revive again - and i see they also have produced another of his which i will rush to get great value -

The Golden Age of Mystery produced many a talented author and a huge number of cerebral thrillers. Some, like the books of Dorothy Sayers and Margery Allingham have remained in print, but many of these have long been unavailable to modern mystery lovers. I had never heard of Jefferson Farjeon, but I was eager to read The Z Murders. I enjoy classic mysteries, for their colorful writing and delightfully complex puzzles. Needless to say I was impressed.

The Z Murders is one of the earlier mysteries featuring a series of apparently unrelated killings, perpetrated by an individual warped by anger and madness. On the opposite side of the spectrum is Richard Temperley, an earnest young man who seeing a troubled and beautiful young woman leaps into action. Convinced she's in danger, Temperley endeavors to find out who she is and what her connection is to the mounting number of deaths. Detective inspector James knows the young woman is somehow connected and realizes Temperley may be able to help find the sinister killer. He and his associates are remarkably patient and good natured in their dealings with Temperely, even though he is not always forthcoming with all he knows.

The Z Murders is a delicious blend of murder and suspense, seasoned with a dash of romance. Any lover of classic mystery will eagerly devour it. It is a pleasure to see it re-released and made available to a new generation of mystery lovers.

The Z Murders is available for preorder and will be released September 1, 2015.

5/5

I received a copy of The Z Murders from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom