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Carolus Deene #16
Death of a Commuter
"Five men occupied their usual places in a first-class carriage, but the sixth place was empty..." It is most unusual for the sixth man, Mr. Parador, to be late. The five commuters are wondering what happened to him, when a strange-looking man enters the compartment, dressed in black and wearing dark glasses. When he is told that the sixth seat is taken, he replies, in a deep sepulchral voice, "He won't be coming." He was right. Parador does not come, and his companions never see him alive again. And if Carolus Deena had not taken an interest in the case, the coroner's verdict of suicide would not have been questioned.
194 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 2, 2019
" 'Five men occupied their usual places in a first-class carriage, but the sixth place was empty ...' It is most unusual for the sixth man, Mr. Parador, to be late. The five commuters are wondering what happened to him, when a strange-looking man enters the compartment, dressed all in black and wearing dark glasses. No one knows who he is, but when he is told that the sixth seat is taken, he replies, in a deep sepulchral voice, 'He won't be coming.'
"He is right. Parador does not come, and in fact his companions never see him again. And if Carolus Deene had not taken an interest in the case, the coronor's verdict of suicide would not have been questioned. [This mystery] is set in the bedroom community of Brenstead, where Carolus meets the usual complement of English eccentrics, including Mr Hopelady, the vicar who loves practical jokes, and the sex-obsessed gardener, Boggert. The denouement is, as always, a clever solution to a murder and dangerous puzzle."
~~back cover
As always, very cleverly done, although I thought the murderer was rather more obvious than usual in these well-plotted mysteries.
"He is right. Parador does not come, and in fact his companions never see him again. And if Carolus Deene had not taken an interest in the case, the coronor's verdict of suicide would not have been questioned. [This mystery] is set in the bedroom community of Brenstead, where Carolus meets the usual complement of English eccentrics, including Mr Hopelady, the vicar who loves practical jokes, and the sex-obsessed gardener, Boggert. The denouement is, as always, a clever solution to a murder and dangerous puzzle."
~~back cover
As always, very cleverly done, although I thought the murderer was rather more obvious than usual in these well-plotted mysteries.
June 3, 2024
Six men, five days a week, occupy their same seats in the same first class compartment on a train to and from London. One morning one of the men doesn’t show up. His place is taken by a man dressed all in black wearing dark sunglasses. When it is pointed out that the seat is taken, the man states “He won’t be coming.”
This is the beginning of a mystery with many twists and turns and connections between the characters.
The missing man is found dead in his car. Suicide is the declared cause, due to a bottle of pills found in the car. But was it?
There is the matter of a will that has been rewritten. Where is it and what were the changes? Who benefits and who was written out?
There is the missing briefcase. What was in it and what happened to it?
And there is more. Carolus Deene’s investigations explore and track down the thread and untangles them to develop a detailed solution to the number of mysteries involved.
Not a simple mystery.
This is the beginning of a mystery with many twists and turns and connections between the characters.
The missing man is found dead in his car. Suicide is the declared cause, due to a bottle of pills found in the car. But was it?
There is the matter of a will that has been rewritten. Where is it and what were the changes? Who benefits and who was written out?
There is the missing briefcase. What was in it and what happened to it?
And there is more. Carolus Deene’s investigations explore and track down the thread and untangles them to develop a detailed solution to the number of mysteries involved.
Not a simple mystery.
January 3, 2018
For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...
October 12, 2014
A very slow starter and rather boring until the closing stages. I find Deene not particularly believable as a character.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews