Murder Gone Mad (Detective Club Crime Classics)

Just finished reading this book. I have not read anything by this author before but I would willingly give another one a go. I was able to identify the murderer early on but that didn't spoil my enjoyment. I was keen to find out if I had got it right. I was a little disappointed by the ending which fails to explain the motive for the crimes. The reader is also left pondering the perpetrator's modus operandi, and how the police finally realised whodunnit. Still, not a bad way to spend a few quiet hours.

One of the earliest examples of the serial killer novel from the always innovative Philip MacDonald. He captures the mounting sense of horror and frustration well and makes good use of the small town setting, with all its pettiness and snobbery lightly but tellingly sketched.Gethryn, his usual sleuth, is absent in this novel and the investigation is led by Superintendent Pike instead. Much of the police work feels like trial and error stuff but the authorities do manage to ferret out the culprit eventually. I'm not sure if it is all that fairly clued though; I had worked out who the killer was by perhaps the 65% point but, while not an outright guess, it was largely an intuitive thing.

An interesting early (1931) example of that now overused idea- the motiveless serial-murderer.This provides a detailed account not only of the police investigation but also of the effects of the murders on the families and friends of the victims, and on the population of the small town of Holmdale more generally.The pace of the novel is slow, until the denouement, correctly reflecting the nature of police work at the time. Macdonald deliberately places his series detective, Gethryn, hors de combat, as this is not the type of case susceptible to his methods. Superintendent Pike, like Inspector French., combines meticulous attention to routine with a measure of inspired ratocination.Gradually suspects are narrowed down, until, after the sixth murder, the killer is outed. While undoubtedly the ending is weak, Pike perhaps chooses the only way available to prevent further deaths.There are no real clues for the reader, but there are two or three indications, given that the author sometimes looked to psychogical explanations.Rather better than I expected.3.5 stars.