"Green for Danger"

This is the kind of book that reminds me why I am so hooked on good, classic mysteries. "Green for Danger," by Christianna Brand, is considered a classic of the Golden Age. Set in the blitz, that tragic and deadly series of German bombing raids on England during World War II, it is a story of an impossible and apparently motiveless crime: a patient dies on the operating table at a makeshift field hospital. It seems to be a routine death - unfortunate, certainly, but there appears to be nothing sinister about it. But then a member of the medical team claims to have evidence proving that it was murder - only to be murdered, in turn.

All this happens in the course of a well-written, fully developed novel with believable, sympathetic characters - and while we are soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying those characters, the author suddenly produces a series of plot twists and developments which will leave readers dazzled. And yet the deceit is scrupulously fair. The author goes out of her way to give us the information we need to solve the puzzle ourselves, but she disguises it so cleverly that I suspect most readers will be completely fooled - as I was.

You can listen to a full audio review on this week's podcast.

I am delighted to see that this book is still in print - and in an inexpensive mass-market paperback edition at that. I can't say it strongly enough: you owe it to yourself to read this one. It's really that good.