True,the pace is somewhat slower, but the story, told from the murderer's perspective, is solid " golden age " ( )

Andrew Crowther, a retired manufacturer, flies from Croydon to Paris with his son-in-law, granddaughter, and personal attendant to visit his daughter. He is dead on arrival in Paris. Was it accident, suicide, or murder? Actually, we find out very quickly that it’s murder, and we find out whodunnit, flashing back to the planning and observing how the murderer falls apart with the stress and strain of covering up his crime.

I picked this up mainly because there was a gorgeous airplane on the cover of the British Library Crime Classics edition, and I was hoping for some good airplane bits. The book duly delivered at the beginning—I love stories set during the early days of passenger flight. There wasn’t much airplane after that, but that was OK. The rest of the story was well constructed and would have been quite unconventional at the time the book was first published (1934). I was kept in suspense throughout and appreciated the chapters at the end where Inspector French explains how he solved the case.

I also liked the little nods to other detective fiction of the period: one of the police inspectors on the case initially is named Appleby, and at one point the murderer makes a reference to the works of R. Austin Freeman.

This is definitely worth picking up if you’re interested in the golden age of detective fiction. ( )

Decades before it was a staple on the "Columbo" television series, this book (originally written in 1934) shows us up front whodunnit. Indeed, the back-of-the-book blurb on my edition all but says it outright. The key here is: will the killer get away with his murders, which we see him planning and plotting in a great deal of detail? The solution was mostly satisfying, though a few key bits of information (which the killer didn't know about) are also withheld from us (such as a key possible source of poison not being viable). But the solution, which is explained in the last few chapters, is logical. Overall, an interesting mystery well worth reading. ( )

This was a rather revolutionary book when it came out, I think. For most of the plot there is no doubt who the killer is, but only the exact details and whether he'll get away with it or not. All it will take is a cool head and deliberation, just as he showed in the planning and execution of the murder – but can he maintain it?

It's well-written, gripping stuff – a fascinating look at the other side of the whodunnit.

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review. ( )