The Spirit Murder Mystery (1936) by Robin Forsythe #RIPXVIII

👻 Eileen Thurlow is what you would've called in 1930s as a spiritualist. She is an ardent supporter of spiritualism, and is learning to become a medium. She persuaded her uncle to do a séance to prove her theory that a faint music she had been hearing lately wasn't of this earth. Skeptical at first, John Thurlow eventually agreed. And he did hear a faint organ playing! He checked outside, the sound wasn't heard anymore.

👻 Still curious, John Thurlow decided that night to investigate the source of the organ sound, bringing his pistol for precaution. The next day he was nowhere to be found. Few days later his dead body was found on an empty corner, together with the body of another man who had been missing several days before. John's head was smashed with a heavy tool, while the other man was shot. The other man was known to have been jealous when his girl got intimate with John Thurlow. So, were they killed each other in an amorous duel?

👻 Algernon Vereker, a painter slash amateur sleuth, is sojourning in the same village. And he wastes no time to investigate alongside Inspector Heather, with whom, a sort of sporting competition is running. Can he beat his rival this time?

👻 This turn out to be highly entertaining. Séance, a mysterious music, even an apparition in the room where Algernon is alone, made this a perfect Halloween read. The crime itself is ingeniously crafted, I think. Because there are two murders at the same time. If John had shot the other man first, the man couldn't have been able to smash John's head after that. And vise versa, it's impossible for John to shoot the other man after his head was smashed.

👻 The solution is well thought and unexpected. The how, in this case, is the more interesting question than the whodunnit. After my second read of Antony (Algernon) Vereker's mystery, I admire Vereker's wonderful deducting ability. Similar to Christie's Hercule Poirot, Vereker doesn't do the detection alone. He gathers his facts through the helps of his easy-going womanizer friend Manuel Ricardo (Ricky) - with whom he enjoys some funny, witty banters - and his rival Inspector Heather (yes, they exchange facts during the investigation). And like Poirot, Vereker's strong point is, what Poirot used to say, his grey cells.

👻 All in all, this is a highly entertaining mystery. Eerie atmosphere: checked. Suspenseful actions: checked. Difficult mystery solving: checked. End result: a superb read!

Rating: 4 / 5

This is the 5th book of the series, re-published by Dean Street Press, and I read this for:

#RIPXVIII

British Crime Classics Challenge 2023

For Bingo Card: Spooky Mystery
For Monthly Theme: Spooky Mysteries