Book Review: The Cheltenham Square Murder (1937) by John Bude #1937Club

Third in the series of mysteries featuring Inspector Meredith by English author Ernest Carpenter Elmore, who wrote as John Bude, The Cheltenham Square Murder is in some ways the typical golden age murder with a closed circuit of suspects in a small tight-knit neighbourhood, but it still has its novelty in terms of the murder weapon (a bow and arrow) and in that a large section of that small neighbourhood just happen to be members of the local archery club, many of them fairly good shots.

We are introduced to the small u-shaped Regency Square in Cheltenham, with 11 homes set around it, and to each of their inhabitants—from a patrician and his wife to a vicar, a stockbroker and a doctor, the stereotypical spinster with her menage of dogs, two spinster sisters sharing a home, and a bank manager among them. This is a tranquil neighbourhood but not one without its small and not-so-small troubles. There is an ongoing battle over an old elm which half the neighbours want chopped down while the rest vehemently oppose; more seriously there is also an open flirtation between the wife of one resident Mr West and another, the disreputable Captain Cotton—causing the former his fair share of marital troubles, though not their only cause. But things take a more serious turn when one of the residents is killed while visiting another—shot with an arrow in the back of their skull.

Inspector Long of the local police is sent to investigate; but luckily for them, at number 8 visiting mystery-writer Aldous Barnet is none other than Inspector Meredith. Long and his superior Chief Constable Hanson not only don’t opposite his presence but positively welcome it, his reputation having preceded him and soon sort out permission issues so that he can work with them on the case.

It isn’t a secret that the victim was not well liked but whether and which person’s dislike was enough to lead to murder remains a puzzle. Then there is the method of murder, a bow and arrow—easy enough to work that out but where was it shot from, that too in the dark? And then the numbers of residents of Regency Square who are adept at archery add further layers of complication. Long and Meredith slowly work on each lead, in the process uncovering several secrets. But the murderer isn’t quite so easy to track and more than once Meredith and Long find themselves at a dead end. Do they manage to solve it?

Even though fairly straightforward (not many twists and turns), this was an enjoyable mystery to read, for its setting and characters as well as the mystery. I enjoyed ‘meeting’ the different characters, all distinct and well-drawn out, whether Sir Wilfrid and Lady Eleanor Whitcomb at the White House who think the other residents hoi polloi and only wish to get away from the unpleasantness of the murder to the unscrupulous broker Mr Buller, the young couple, bank manager Mr Fitzgerald and his wife, Miss Nancy and Emmeline Watt who enjoy a simple life with morning jaunts to the pump room and other gentle pursuits to the formidable Miss Boon and her dogs (at the receiving end of some unflattering and not too PC observations from Inspector Long).

The mystery unfolds more like a police procedural with Meredith working on each line of investigation interviewing all involved, following up on alibis, tracking down physical clues and even working out how the arrow might have been shot (for which he turns to a professional archer as well). But this also does have elements of the whodunit; there were two clues that were easy to pick up on which pointed to the murderer (and one rather obvious point in the murder itself) but this didn’t mean I didn’t suspect others or wonder whether another line of thought pointed at was the actual answer. Alongside there are other developments and revelations too which complicate things for Meredith and Long but add elements of interest for us readers.

In Meredith, to whom this was my introduction, we see an intelligent enough but certainly not beyond the ordinary detective. His method is simple painstaking work, his answers coming not only from tracking down leads and clues but (at least in this case) also chance occurrences or a good bit of luck. I did like though that when faced with the murder, the novelty of it made him keen to be ‘in’ on the investigation.

 For those bothered by these things as I am, there are two incidents of animal harm—not dwelt upon much, but I felt I should mention them anyway.

Slightly slow moving and not exceptional in terms of its mystery, but still a nice enough GA mystery.

This was my fourth read for the #1937Club but I didn’t get it read in time to post my review last week!