Shadows Before (Golden Age Detective Novels) by
Dorothy Bowers
pbk out December 05
(Rue Morgue Press)
at £8.56
Dorothy Bowers followed up her assured first novel with this ambitious and
elaborately plotted mystery. First published in 1939, it marked a welcome return for
Chief Inspector Pardoe and his doughty sidekick Sergeant Salt. Again, the pair are
called in when a local force, confronted by the fatal poisoning of a rich woman, needs
the help of Scotland Yard. The sensitivity of the case is increased by the fact that the
victim's husband, Matthew Weir, was acquitted two years earlier of poisoning her
sister. Weir is a mild-mannered academic who attracts the fervent support of those
who know and like him – but is he a skilful double-murderer? And if not, what, if
anything, is the connection between the two deaths? The complications of the story
are increased by the way in which Bowers shifts between the viewpoints of different
characters – and in one instance, perhaps, she plays a little less than fair. The major
flaw in the book is, however, simply that the cast of characters is too extensive, with
the result that interest is diffused. This is a pity, because Bowers sketches her people
with skilful economy and a less congested narrative would have been highly effective.
It is a mark of her limited experience at the time, perhaps, that she overdid the
complexities. Nevertheless, the quality of the writing has stood the test of time and
makes this book, like its predecessor, a pleasure to read.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
Shadows Before (Golden Age Detective Novels) by
Dorothy Bowers
