I enjoyed Death Of An Airman very much. First published in 1935, it’s a good mystery, written in an engaging style.
An experienced airman is killed when the small plane he is piloting crashes at the aerodrome at which his flying club is based. It all seems like a tragic accident until some puzzling features become apparent and evidence of skulduggery begins to appear. The detectives on the case (and some civilian characters) eventually expose sinister malfeasance.
It’s all rather charming. The two detectives on the case are likeable and engaging (although one of them does seem remarkably slow on the uptake for a seasoned Inspector at times) and the other characters are neatly and quite convincingly drawn. The style is very enjoyable, with a wry humour often showing through. Just as a small example, one detective says of a possible suspect, “She is the daughter of a rural dean. That’s pretty bad, but not the sort of thing you can use in evidence against her.”
The narrative did get a little bogged down in what-ifs and hypotheses from time to time and the solution is just a trifle pat, but overall this is a very enjoyable Golden Age mystery and a fun read.
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