Dr Mortimer and the Aldgate Mystery by
Gerard Williams
hbk out March 00
Published by Constable
at £16.99
Dr James Mortimer was a friend of Dr James Watson, the chronicler of the cases of Sherlock Holmes. It was he, indeed, who had the good fortune to bring the facts in the case of the Hound of the Baskervilles to the attention of Holmes. A year later, however, his wife died and he felt he could no longer continue with his practice in Grimpen. But what should he do now. He was a young man with adequate private means and Dr Watson suggested that he act as locum to a friend, Dr Ferraby, who would be away from his practice for a short time. The Ferraby practice was in Mayfair, but Mortimer's first case took him to Aldgate where he met the beautiful Lavinia Nancarrow and her guardian, Boynton-Leigh, who came of a distinguished line of Indian nabobs.
Mortimer senses that something is wrong. Boynton-Leigh is overbearing and keeps his charge a virtual prisoner in a room with a barred window. Mortimer is anxious to help Lavinia, but her guardian is indifferent. Moreover Boynton-Leigh is involved with an unsavoury artist called Agar who is, despite his surface charm, the Mr Big of crime in the East End. Mortimer is informed of this by a colleague, Dr Violet Branscombe, who runs a People's Dispensary to help the poor in the East End. Mortimer also meets a young man called Percy Tooke who is very interested in Lavinia and Boynton-Leigh. When Dr Ferraby returns Mortimer joins Dr Branscombe at the Dispensary. Shortly after this there is a murder at the Boynton-Leigh house and Lavinia disappears. She is immediately regarded as the prime suspect by the two police officers engaged on the case, D I Moultry and D S Wensley. Mortimer is convinced of Lavinia’s innocence and with the help of Dr Branscombe solves the case.
This is a first novel and Dr Mortimer is an engaging hero and Dr Branscombe an equally engaging heroine. But the minor characters Lavinia, Boynton-Leigh, Agar, Tooke - do not impress and the two policemen are in the plod tradition. All speak, quite naturally, in the more formal mode of a century ago - there is frequent use of sir, as in, You do not care for the book, sir.Care for it, sir? - and Dr Mortimer speaks often of luncheon. This all rings true, as does the setting which evokes a London of cabs and gaslight and dark alleys. A most promising first novel and, who knows, perhaps the pilot of a series featuring Dr Mortimer.
Dr Mortimer and the Aldgate Mystery by
Gerard Williams