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Post by dem bones on Apr 25, 2020 18:56:46 GMT
Leon Gribble - The Arsenal Stadium Mystery (British Library, 2018: originally Harrap & Co., 1939)  Mary Evans picture library Blurb: With an introduction by Martin Edwards
"No one had tackled Doyce. He had been alone when he fell. He had simply folded up like a jack-knife and slipped to the ground. What had happened ?
The 1939 Arsenal side is firing on all cylinders and celebrating a string of victories. They appear unstoppable, but the Trojans - a side of amateurs who are on a winning streak of their own - may be about to silence the Gunners.
Moments into the second half the whistle blows, but not for a goal or penalty. One of the Trojans has collapsed on the pitch. By the end of the day, he is dead.
Gribble's unique mystery, featuring the actual Arsenal squad of 1939, sends Inspector Anthony Slade into the world of professional football to investigate a case of deadly foul play on and off the pitch. A Sport is Murder period piece, basis for the delightful movie of the same name. Novel unlikely to be found among friend Matt's expansive library for obvious reasons. A 70,000 capacity crowd watch English league champs Arsenal take on the Trojans, the finest amateur team in Great Britain and one "which has captured the national imagination with its clean, clever play." Two evenly matched sides, the one more attack-minded than the other (you can guess which), an early Ted Drake breakaway goal for the home side all that separates them at half time. During the interval a brown paper parcel arrives for Trojan right half, John Doyce, a recent signing, "inactive in an effeminate way" throughout the first 45. His second will prove eventful. Restart. Trojans, taking the battle to the champs, are awarded a blatant penalty when Eddie Hapgood punches a goal-bound shot from beneath the crossbar. Doyce steps up to equalise. Hardly has the game restarted than he mysteriously collapses to the ground. Stretchered off to the treatment room, Doyce is dead before the final whistle. In his absence, Arsenal net a late second to scrape a face saving victory against ten men. Division 1? You're having a laugh. But Inspector Anthony Slade of the Yard has more pressing concerns than a fluky win for the prancing pro's, namely which of the the almost universally disliked Doyce's enemies fed him a lethal dose of poison? To be continued
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Post by ropardoe on Apr 26, 2020 8:44:53 GMT
I love this British Library series (I said as much in my column in the current Ghosts & Scholars), and I did have this book out of the library, but I'm afraid my lack of interest in anything to do with football meant I couldn't even manage to go beyond the first few pages. Darroll, on the other hand (who, mercifully, also has no interest in football), rated it a 'B' in his simple rating system (A,B,C - no gradations) which obviously means 'middling'. Given my non-interest in football I'm rather surprised at the fact that I really enjoyed the Rivers of London book set around West Ham's old Boleyn Ground.
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Post by dem bones on Apr 26, 2020 10:45:18 GMT
I love this British Library series (I said as much in my column in the current Ghosts & Scholars), and I did have this book out of the library, but I'm afraid my lack of interest in anything to do with football meant I couldn't even manage to go beyond the first few pages. Darroll, on the other hand (who, mercifully, also has no interest in football), rated it a 'B' in his simple rating system (A,B,C - no gradations) which obviously means 'middling'. Given my non-interest in football I'm rather surprised at the fact that I really enjoyed the Rivers of London book set around West Ham's old Boleyn Ground. Ah. I loaned Cornell's London Falling from library on the strength of your Black Pilgrimage recommendation and a personal fondness for an area where I worked for several years. Could be there was too much real life distraction at time, but I couldn't get into it. Maybe if/when we come out the other side of lockdown, will give it another go. In the case of The Arsenal Stadium Mystery, the football takes a back-seat early doors, which may explain Darroll's perseverance. No shortage of suspects for Inspector Slade and Sergeant Clinton to consider, prime among them Philip Morring, Doyce's team mate and business partner, who stands to gain a cool £10, 000 from cashing the murdered man's insurance policy. Prior to joining Trojans, Doyce, Morring and Ginger Setchley - a research chemist - played together for Saxon Rovers FC. Trojans founder Francis Kindilett was on the Rovers committee. His right hand man, trainer George Raille, was with the second eleven. Despite their association, Morring was not friendly with Doyce - a notorious womaniser - and dead set against his joining the new team. I guess we'll have to go along with the author and reluctantly exonerate the host team, though can't help feeling they're guilty as sin. You think they'd risk losing to a bunch of crummy amateurs? Peroxide schemer Pat Laurice, photographers model, is a strong contender. Pat is Morring's fiancée - or, at least, she was until this morning. The Trojan man has since learned of her clandestine visit to Doyce's Baker Street love-nest on the eve of his murder. Miss Laurice attended the game with flatmate Jill Howard. On full time she dashed to the dressing room to inquire after the stricken player. On being informed of his death - by kit man Punch 'Leather apron' McEwan - Pat again drove to Doyce's flat, evidently to retrieve some item she did not wish for the police to find. Slade immediately deduces that Pat is a lying, conniving creature, selfish to the point she doesn't care who gets hurt just so long as it's not her. Jill naively backs up her alibi for previous evening, and is made to look both gullible and guilty when Slade produces evidence to the contrary. We learn that Jill is secretly in love with Philip Morring and won't sit back should Pat make good on her threat to slip a noose around his neck out of spite. It is not looking good for Morring, but then Slade's back room boys locate the original of a scrap of press cutting found in the dead man's wallet. The item appeared four years ago in an issue of the Ryechester Chronicle and concerns the death of Kindilett's daughter, Mary, who drowned returning from a dance. Verdict: misadventure. Popular local opinion; suicide due to an unhappy love affair. Mary attended the event with - John Doyce! TBC Novel was among my last Sclater Street market mini-hauls pre-lockdown. It was in such good nick as to appear unread, but not so. Previous owner has pencil underlined several passages and jotted cryptic comments - 'addiction,' 'sax?,' 'ang*situation,' 'new chap' - in margins throughout. |
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Post by andydecker on Apr 26, 2020 13:16:21 GMT
Ah. I loaned Cornell's London Falling from library on the strength of your Black Pilgrimage recommendation and a personal fondness for an area where I worked for several years. Could be there was too much real life distraction at time, but I couldn't get into it. Is the Cornell series worthwhile? Frankly I lost interest when I saw the "special police" tag, a topic which I think is overdone. Also couldn't see really the difference to Aaronovitch's River of London series which seems - at least from the look of it - much of the same. |
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Post by Dr Strange on Apr 26, 2020 14:09:12 GMT
Ah. I loaned Cornell's London Falling from library on the strength of your Black Pilgrimage recommendation and a personal fondness for an area where I worked for several years. Could be there was too much real life distraction at time, but I couldn't get into it. Is the Cornell series worthwhile? Frankly I lost interest when I saw the "special police" tag, a topic which I think is overdone. Also couldn't see really the difference to Aaronovitch's River of London series which seems - at least from the look of it - much of the same. I read the first couple of books in the London Falling series and then lost interest. I thought they were much better than the Harry-Potterish Rivers of London though, which I also gave up on after the second book. For whatever reason, the whole "urban fantasy" genre just never works for me. But I think I have given it a fair go. |
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Post by dem bones on Apr 27, 2020 18:11:55 GMT
I love this British Library series (I said as much in my column in the current Ghosts & Scholars), and I did have this book out of the library, but I'm afraid my lack of interest in anything to do with football meant I couldn't even manage to go beyond the first few pages. Darroll, on the other hand (who, mercifully, also has no interest in football), rated it a 'B' in his simple rating system (A,B,C - no gradations) which obviously means 'middling' Having finished The Arsenal Stadium Mystery, I can only agree with Darroll's verdict. A light easy read, enough false leads and blind alleys to maintain interest, just not especially dynamic. My main disappointment - perhaps those who've read it will agree - is that Slade gets his man. After all he's been through? Give the guy a break! |
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