Cecilia Cameron was having dinner in a small restaurant when she overheard part of a conversation that she wasn't supposed to hear. It began with a mention of Dallow Corner in Sussex, where Cecilia was living with her uncle - but here's what Miss Cameron remembers most about that overheard conversation:
“a coarse sort of laugh. More than that even. It was low throaty, and altogether horrible. Then I heard another voice say something about “salmon” to which the voice of the horrible laugh replied, “Good job he died. If he hadn’t I’d have slit his throat for a tenth part of it.”
By the time she could look around to see who was speaking, the adjoining table was empty. But from that small beginning, a terrifying plot began to take shape - a plot aimed at Cecilia Cameron and her friends. Fortunately, those friends included Anthony Bathurst, whose success at solving puzzles - especially murderous ones - would prove to be literally lifesavers. And we’re off and running with a story about a couple of mysterious murders, a clue in the form of a mysterious cryptogram, numerous hints about what could be buried treasure, a message left by a dying man, and some unpleasant encounters with a truly evil group of villains. It all happens in The Triple Bite, a 1931 thriller and mystery by Brian Flynn. It's the subject of my audio review on this week's Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to the complete review by clicking here.
The Triple Bite was written in the heart of the Golden Age, but it's much more a thriller than a puzzle-plot mystery - it reads as if it could have been a collaboration between Edgar Wallace and Sax Rohmer. There's also a significant reference to Sherlock Holmes which will be appreciated by the dedicated Sherlockians who visit here. And there is Flynn's sleuth, Anthony Bathurst, described as a polymath, an expert in many things who also acts as an advisor to Scotland Yard. There are also some very nice touches – particularly when it comes to the “triple bite” of the book’s title. It’s not a completely original idea; I’m reminded of a similar situation in a story by Samuel Hopkins Adams, but it’s unusual enough (and unpleasant enough) to make an impression.
Long unavailable in any format, The Triple Bite and most of Brian Flynn's novels about Anthony Bathurst are back in print, courtesy of Dean Street Press. There's a good amount of action (at least by Golden Age standards) and a plot which grabs readers very quickly and keeps them racing to keep up. I do think you would enjoy it.
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