One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.
I picked up a used copy of The Lake District Murder by John Bude bc I was interested in the British Library Crime Classics series of books.
When Inspector Meredith is called out to an apparent suicide at a petrol garage, he thinks there is more to the case. As he investigates, he finds a conspiracy bigger than he ever imagined.
This is a golden age mystery written in the 1930s. I’m used to reading pretty exceptional golden age mysteries. The Lake District Murder was by no mean a bad mystery, but I would not say it was exceptional. It was definitely slow and not exciting. I really liked the inspector Meredith character and this is the the first of a series of book staring him. He is humble and creative, but he is also good at what he does. He uses disguises and sometimes plays the “bad cop” when needed. But he also heads home to enjoy lunch with his wife each day and has his son help him with the non dangerous aspects of a case. This mystery differed from many of the other golden age mysteries the I have read bc the plot widens out to have a bigger conspiracy besides just the murder. I liked that the larger plot was more involved. It happened to have to do with petrol and there was a looootttt to do with how petrol is moved, bought, sold, stored, etc… This might have been quite thrilling in the 1930s, but it lacks a little in this day and age. Overall I would recommend this book to those who like slow and steady mysteries, readers looking to read more golden age mysteries or those by lessor known authors, and people who like British life in the 30s.
I will definitely keep my eye out for other books in The Inspector Meredith series and the British Library Crime Classic series. Have you read any books in either of these series?
This book is featured in my March Wrap Up.