Book Review : Murder Most Modern by Hugh Morrison

Although this book is described on Goodreads as ‘a 1930s Golden Age style crime thriller’ it’s not one of the British Library Crime Classics series.

This is a good story and the plot zips along at a good pace.

I see Clarice and Cliff as Hugh Morrison’s version of Tommy and Tuppence Beresford and these two certainly interact very well in the book.

A housewarming party at Seaview One, designed by the Romanian architect Kinishken, descends into an argument over the dinner table. Sir James Phillips and his second wife Theodora have invited a few guests to celebrate their new home, but old rivalries between their children arise quickly and Theodore shows herself not to be a diplomat and even the servants aren’t spared her tongue lashing.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that the next morning Theodora is found floating in the swimming pool. Who has done this? Only Clarice and Cliff don’t have a motive. Theodora’s gold necklace and diamond are missing but are soon found by the police on the butler’s bed. This is probably one of the most obvious plants there’s ever been in a book, but the butler, Hives, turns out to be a former jewel thief so the superficial superintendent of police arrests him.

After disclosing to Clarice that the drainage pipe from the swimming pool is not as large as it should be, Kinishken becomes the second victim. Hives is released but a family member is arrested.

Towards the end, Clarice and Cliff barely escape with their lives, as the maniac murderer tries to kill them too.