This is my second Leo Bruce, and my first read in the Carolus Deene series.
Here, a man is murdered (off stage) in England. Another man apparently confesses to the crime and jumps overboard from a boat traveling from Tangier to Britain. Case closed.
But of course it isn’t. When a friend from childhood tells Deene that it’s murder instead of suicide, he enters into the investigation. When he finds an over abundance of evidence in one direction, he realizes that it is in fact misdirection, and sets about solving a fairly complicated case.
Bruce writes well; the plot is tight and the characters are well-developed without too much of the caricature. Subtle and obvious humor is scattered throughout the book. The author lived in Tangier for a time, and his picture of it is fascinating.
There’s a tiny subplot inserted, I think, as a sly yet sad commentary on events from the author’s life.
Highly recommended to those who like private detectives in the Golden Age manner. I really enjoyed this one. ( )