I’m usually enthusiastic about the British Library Crime Classics. Martin Edwards’ introductions to these books are invaluable. And, he does an excellent job providing the background for this mystery. But, once I was past Part I of Anthony Berkeley’s Murder in the Basement, the story dragged.
Edwards introduces the story, published originally in 1932. He says Anthony Berkeley Cox, writing under Anthony Berkeley, wrote the first “whowasdunin” mystery. The amateur detective, Roger Sheringham, and the readers are challenged to learn the identity of the victim. Then, the search is on for the killer.
In the opening, newlyweds who just bought their first home discover a body in the cellar. It’s identified as a woman. Chief Inspector Moresby of Scotland leads a team that searches for the woman’s name. It takes ‘unremitting, dogged routine labour” in the step-by-step search in this police procedural section of the mystery.
Once he knows the victim’s name, Moresby turns to his friend, writer and amateur sleuth, Roger Sheringham, and challenges him. Sheringham once spent a fortnight working at the same place as the deceased. Then, he wrote a manuscript about the going ons there. Moresby suggests Sheringham come up with the victim’s identity from what he had written in the manuscript. Once Roger succeeds, both men try to find the killer.
We all know I’m a fan of police procedurals, and I enjoyed the first part of the book. But, I bogged down in the second part as it introduced a number of dislikable characters. And, by the third part of the mystery, I really didn’t care who did it.
Murder in the Basement plodded along, in my opinion.
Murder in the Basement by Anthony Berkeley. Poisoned Pen Press, 2023. ISBN 9781728261249 (paperback), 272p.
FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent a copy of the book, with no promise of a review.
Yes, some of these British Library editions are terrific but others…the Edwards introduction is better than the book. I’ve read some of Berkeley’s shorter works, but he is not really someone I like.
The best “who was done in” book I can remember was Patricia McGerr’s PICK YOUR VICTIM. The murder happens in Washington, D.C., and soldiers in Alaska are reading newspaper articles sent in the mail and trying to determine who was killed. In any case, it’s a brilliant book, well worth looking for.
Jeff, I think Martin Edwards even mentioned Pick Your Victim in his introduction. I’ll have to check tonight when I’m home and have access to the book. That one does sound good.
Yes, in this case, Edwards’ introduction was better than 2/3 of the book.
Though I’d known of it for decades, it was only a few years ago or so that I finally read Berkeley’s (dubious) “classic” THE POISONED CHOCOLATES CASE. Talk about a protracted yawn….
Thank you, Barry. I’ll pass on that one, now.