Newly minted as a Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard, Bobby Owen was not at all happy about the direction (or directions) in which his murder case seemed to be moving:
“This isn’t a murder case,” Bobby reflected grimly; “it’s just a psychological problem where none of the ordinary principles apply. And how the dickens am I going to find the answer?”
Indeed, there were a great many seemingly extraneous happenings associated with this murder case. There was a murder, to be sure. There were reports of missing boats and/or missing people. Virtually every step taken by Bobby Owen towards a solution appeared to end up on a byway as an irrelevant clue. There was a distinctly hostile wave of public opinion that believed members of an aristocratic family were avoiding arrest and quite possibly exploiting their own privilege (with a local Chief Constable who believed it was simply impossible for an aristocrat to be a murderer). And then there was Helen, who, like her mythological namesake, was said to be so lovely that every male who sees her instantly falls head over heels in love with her. And that could spell a motive for murder. Details will be found in the book Helen Passes By, written in 1947 by E. R. Punshon, his 23rd novel to feature Bobby Owen as his principal detective. It's the subject of this week's audio review on the Classic Mysteries podcast, and you are welcome to listen to that complete review by clicking here.
British class politics play an important role in Helen Passes By, with working men on one side and aristocrats on the other, but Bobby, wasn’t having any of it. Bobby (who detested politics and politicians) kept following up leads – and discovering more dead ends, not least among them, his apparent inability to interview the mysterious and beautiful Helen Adour. Clearly he needed to question everyone who might have been involved in the murder – and that would include the fantastically lovely Helen, daughter of the local lord. Only somehow he kept missing her. Or he’d try to meet her and find she was eluding him quite successfully. Does Helen hold the key to the mystery?
You’ll enjoy finding out. This new edition of E.R. Punshon’s Helen Passes By from Dean Street Press also features an interesting and entertaining introduction by mystery historian Curtis Evans.
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