Spargo lived in Bloomsbury, on the west side of Russell Square. Every night and every morning he walked to and from the Watchman office by the same route-Southampton Row, Kingsway, the Strand, Fleet Street. He came to know several faces, especially amongst the police; he formed the habit of exchanging greetings with various officers whom he encountered at regular points as he went slowly homewards, smoking his pipe. And on this morning, as he drew near to Middle Temple Lane, he saw a policeman whom he knew, one Driscoll, ...
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Spargo lived in Bloomsbury, on the west side of Russell Square. Every night and every morning he walked to and from the Watchman office by the same route-Southampton Row, Kingsway, the Strand, Fleet Street. He came to know several faces, especially amongst the police; he formed the habit of exchanging greetings with various officers whom he encountered at regular points as he went slowly homewards, smoking his pipe. And on this morning, as he drew near to Middle Temple Lane, he saw a policeman whom he knew, one Driscoll, standing at the entrance, looking about him. Further away another policeman appeared, sauntering. Driscoll raised an arm and signalled; then, turning, he saw Spargo. He moved a step or two towards him. Spargo saw news in his face. "What is it?" asked Spargo. Driscoll jerked a thumb over his shoulder, towards the partly open door of the lane. Within, Spargo saw a man hastily donning a waistcoat and jacket. "He says," answered Driscoll, "him, there-the porter-that there's a man lying in one of them entries down the lane, and he thinks he's dead. Likewise, he thinks he's murdered." - Taken from "The Middle Temple Murder" written by J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher
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Add this copy of The Middle Temple Murder to cart. $28.30, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Independently published.
Add this copy of The Middle Temple Murder to cart. $57.23, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Independently published.
When he's drawn into the investigation of a dead body found on the steps of the highly respectable chambers of Middle Temple Lane, near London?s law courts, Spargo, a journalist for the Watchman, ends up unraveling a mystery that stretches back many decades and involves not one but two wrongly convicted criminals, a well-known politician with a secret past and a good friend with a surprising unknown identity. I enjoyed listening to this book - it is a great example of early detective fiction in America. I could just imagine it as a black and white movie starring Humphrey Bogart!! My only complaint is that the mystery is solved almost too easily at the end - Spargo suddenly sees it all come together and the book is quickly wrapped up, leaving the reader with a sense of incompleteness. The rest of the book is well-written with a plot that is just convoluted enough to keep the reader's interest without becoming too confusing. I would definitely recommend it.
