Inspector French's Greatest Case

by Freeman Wills Crofts

Paperback, 1924

Status

Available

Call number

823.912

Publication

Baltimore: Penguin, 1965

Description

From the Collins Crime Club archive, the first Inspector French novel by Freeman Wills Crofts, once dubbed 'The King of Detective Story Writers'. THE FIRST INSPECTOR FRENCH MYSTERY At the offices of the Hatton Garden diamond merchant Duke and Peabody, the body of old Mr Gething is discovered beside a now-empty safe. With multiple suspects, the robbery and murder is clearly the work of a master criminal, and requires a master detective to solve it. Meticulous as ever, Inspector Joseph French of Scotland Yard embarks on an investigation that takes him from the streets of London to Holland, France and Spain, and finally to a ship bound for South America . . .

User reviews

LibraryThing member JonRob

The first book about Crofts' best-known sleuth still makes for good reading, if you can overlook his flaws (in terms of writing style he makes Agatha Christie look like Henry James). The plot here involves a robbery at a Hatton Garden jewellers' firm, in which the chief clerk is murdered, and

French's dogged pursuit of the criminals. Some red herrings are not developed very well, and an astute reader will probably spot the plot twist rather easily, but it's still worth your time if you like Golden Age mysteries.

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LibraryThing member cmbohn

I think I would have rated this much higher if it weren't for the title. If this was Inspector French's Greatest Case, then it's no wonder that his books are virtually forgotten today.

A man goes to work at a jewelry shop only to find the dead body of a senior clerk and an empty safe. French takes

over the case. The investigation is described in mind-numbing detail, along with his frequent trips to Europe - the Netherlands, Spain, France, etc, which are either by rail (with the entire route carefully described, including a time table) or by sea. At this point, I had all but given up. So when I temporarily misplaced this book, I wasn't exactly heartbroken. And when I got it back, I finished more because I wanted to get it over with than because I really cared how it ended.

It ended with a big climax aboard another ocean-going ship, complete route included (just in case you wanted to book passage) and Inspector French being surprised by the identity of the murderer.

This was a classic example of "tell, don't show." Not recommended for anyone. If you want to try another book by this author (this was his first book, and it really shows) Inspector French and Cheyne Mystery is better. Although even then, the ending could have been much better. Crofts seems to go for the very conventional story.

To be fair, this might have been a much better read at the time. But as a modern reader, I kept thinking that if he had taken a plane ride, it would have sped up the plot a lot. And where was Scotland Yard getting all this money to pay for his fares? Never once does French end up short on cash or miss his connection. Silly read, all around.

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LibraryThing member Condorena

This is truly a police procedural because the case is solved by shoe leather and following up each clue over period of weeks.

LibraryThing member antiquary

This is called "inspector French's Greatest Case" but it was also the first Inspector French case, so it did not have much competition at the time. My recollection is that there are laterFrench cases I liked better. This one involves a clerk reporting finding an open safe at a diamond merchant's

office --and the body of the merchant's chief clerk.

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LibraryThing member BrianEWilliams

This is Inspector French’s debut mystery story, written in 1925 or so. French investigates a robbery and murder of a diamond merchant in London’s Hatton Garden. His investigation takes him all around London and also to Europe: Switzerland, Spain, France and Portugal. The exciting capture of the

villain takes place in Oporto, Portugal. So in addition to the whodunit, there’s also the adventure of train and ship travel to entertain the reader.

French is the narrator and star of the story. He has no “sidekick” like Holmes had Dr. Watson. His sounding boards are his wife and his superior officer back at Scotland Yard. Readers see the various suspects through French’s eyes and experiences.

The plot is engaging – not overly complicated – and moves along at a good clip. Several times French thinks he has his culprit, only to have them slip away. He is frustrated but keeps going. The resolution comes in the last chapter , with the howdunit details revealed in the following Epilogue. A satisfying conclusion to an interesting murder mystery.

Note: The eBook I read was not a British Library Crime Classic edition, so there was no Martin Edwards’ Introduction which usually appears in them. I enjoy those essays and missed having one here.

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LibraryThing member majkia

Lots of travel for the good detective as he attempts to solve a diamond robbery and murder. Not much in the way of suspense, just a concentration on detecting.

I enjoyed it, especially somebody running around London and getting anywhere he wished to be in a matter of minutes!

LibraryThing member leslie.98

Though I suspected the guilty party almost at once, the case involved intricacies I'd never have figured out.

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