I enjoyed A Case Of Blackmail In Belgravia very much. It is the first Clara Benson I have read and I’m rather impressed.
The plot is an enjoyable load of old hokum, of course. A group of half a dozen or so socialites in the 1920s go for a dinner together, at which one of them is poisoned. Freddie Pilkington-Soames is a junior reporter for The Clarion and becomes embroiled in the investigation when his mother, who was at the dinner, falls under suspicion. He then buzzes about the place, discovers that the victim was an odious blackmailer and eventually, of course, reveals the true identity of the killer.
It is a lot of light-hearted fun with a distinctly Wodehousian feel to it – and there’s a touch of Galahad Threepwood about Freddie, too. It says much for Clara Benson’s skill as a writer that she manages to pull this off very well. She strikes an excellent tone; quite light and amusing but with some proper Golden-Age mystery content, too. Her characters are well drawn and, while a bit stereotypical, remain well this side of caricature. Freddie’s mother in particular is an infuriating delight; her self-orientated view of the world as a place where inconveniences like rules and laws aren’t meant for people like her and where others will just take care of any difficulties she may create is rather recognisable in a number of prominent people today.
I identified the culprit pretty early on, but I didn’t mind a bit because it was a pleasure to read. Great literature it ain’t, but it’s great fun and a very enjoyable read. Recommended.
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