Mystery in the Channel

Written by Freeman Wills Crofts

Narrated by Gordon Griffin

The captain of the Newhaven to Dieppe steamer spots a small pleasure yacht lying motionless in the water, and on closer inspection, sees a body lying on the deck. When members of his crew go aboard the yacht, they find not one male corpse but two. The dead men were chairman and vice-chairman of Moxon General Securities, one of the largest financial houses in the country. Inspector Joseph French of Scotland Yard is called in. French soon discovers that Moxon's is on the brink of collapse. Moxon and Deeping seem to have been fleeing the country with their ill-gotten gains, but who killed them, and how?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Soundings
• Release date: Mar 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781407964959

Freeman Wills Crofts

Freeman Wills Crofts (1879–1957) was an Irish author of detective fiction. Born in Dublin, he spent decades as a railroad engineer in Northern Ireland. When a long illness kept him away from work, he wrote The Cask (1920), a mystery novel that launched him to immediate popularity. He continued writing after he returned to work, finally leaving the railroad in 1929 to write full time. His best-known novels include The Starvel Hollow Tragedy (1927) and The 12:30 from Croydon (1934).

Reviews for Mystery in the Channel

[clairemays · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really enjoyed this, from a new author for me. Trimming a star because I find the voice actor uses the wrong emphasis or intonation at the end of sentences. But I like the detailed pathway of the Inspector's investigation, the nice relations he has with his colleagues, French's inner life including a focus on places he would enjoy visiting while on vacation. And the author has a real talent for compact, evocative nature and landscape description. I learned the meaning of several expressions we all use, like "casting about", and there were a few gem sentences like one about problems being the inevitable outcome of the solution to the previous problem, which in turn must be solved (one of many faultless asides by the engineer author). The whole thing was a simple treat, although some may find it a bit long, and the voice actor come to think of it definitely drew it out sometimes ;-D

[Alice McPeak · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The meticulous descriptions of procedures held my attention. Excellent yarn.