Brisk. Baffling. Entertaining.
The Hardway Diamonds Mystery is a real gem written in 1930 by Miles Burton, the pseudonym of English author Cecil Street. That Street also published under the name John Rhode surprises me, as I find Rhodes mysteries pedantic, whereas this is a cracking mystery that whips along leaving surprises and action in its wake.
A specialist burglar nicknamed Pussy gets pinched by police after stealing the priceless Hardway diamond necklace. Handcuffed, he manages to escape into the London fog until getting picked up again - the trick is, the first men weren't the police! Inspector Brooks is competently on the case - until the next day when a large heavy crate arrives at Scotland Yard - inside is Brooks poisoned body! This is only the beginning of a complex mystery involving a criminal mastermind no one has ever seen, organizing Londons burglars and murderers in impossible jewel heists: the Maharajah's Rubies stolen from a safe which has only one guarded key that was not on the premises; and the disappearance of two solid metal safes from an enclosed basement, the walls of which were encased in thick steel and brick.
Charming Dick Penhampton, the brother of Lady Hardaway, is a friend of Scotland Yard and proceeds his own investigation fuelled by the fertility of his own imagination, leading him to impersonation and into dangerous action as he infiltrates then evades the gang. Scotland Yard is thrilled to find a clean set of fingerprint evidence at the latest jewel heist - but they are Dick's!
For fans of 'locked-room' mysteries, this offers several baffling twists. I had just the right amount of suspicion I knew who the mastermind was, and was happily kept dangling until the reveal. The story doesn't stop momentum and it was hard to put down. As Dick acts mostly on his own, there is not a lot of police work or talk about the steps to be taken (very unlike a Rhode novel), he just bolts off into action, whether it's to a seedy waterfront bar or deep within a closed lead mine.
This has the bonus of a terrific art deco jacket artwork, typical of books published by The Mystery League Inc. To find a clean copy at my local thrift store (inscribed on the flyleaf "To Carl From Grandma & Grandpa 1930") for the grand price of $2.99, and then be so pleased to have read it is the kind of bonus book lovers search for. Really enjoyable.
1930 / Hardcover / 285 pages
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