The Big Bow Mystery by Israel Zangwill
The regular sound of a Book People catalogue plopping onto the doormat has signalled doom for Mount TBR over the years, but I have started to exercise a little willpower and not buy up lovely looking collections at cheap prices in the hope that I’ll get round to reading them eventually (because mostly I don’t…) However, I was sorely tempted recently by a collection of three ‘Gaslight Crime’ novels reprinted recently; I restrained myself, because I already owned one of them, but when, as so often happens, the other two turned up in the local branch of The Works, I gave in – I really have no willpower with books!
I was determined that I would read them soon, rather than let them languish on the pile, and so “The Big Bow Mystery” seemed ideal to pick up after the Bulychev as I really didn’t know what to read next. The Gaslight Crime books come with a generic introduction and also a specific one, and this book is touted as ‘the first locked room mystery’. That, of course, is not quite the case, and the introduction acknowledges that the first locked room story was Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and indeed this tale is referred to within the text of “Bow”; however the latter is regarded as the seminal first full length novel dealing with this particular method, and it certainly is a cracking read!
The “Bow” of the title is not, of course, a large piece of decorative ribbon; the mystery is set in the East End of London, where landlady Mrs. Drabdump discovers her lodger Arthur Constant foully murdered. Fortunately, one of her neighbours is a retired Scotland Yard detective, one George Grodman, whom she summons for help. Constant’s throat has been cut, but the door was locked from the inside, there is no weapon and no means of entry; yet Constant did not kill himself, so how was he murdered and by whom??
Needless to say, the press take up the story in a big way and the main suspect is Tom Mortlake, a popular and charismatic trade union leader who may have been a rival to Constant in love and work, despite their apparent friendship. There is also the poet Denzil Cantercot, who flits in and out of the action, constantly short of money; Lucy Brent, Mortlake’s fiancée, who has gone missing; and Edward Wimp of Scotland Yard, Grodman’s great rival. There are riots, red herrings, arrests and trials and the plot gets thicker and thicker till all is revealed at the end.
“The Big Bow Mystery” was an enjoyable and fun read, which I think was probably not meant to be taken completely seriously…. The quirky Dickensian-style names give a hint of that from the very beginning, and there is plenty of broad humour throughout the book. Cantercot and his friend the cobbler Crowl, have little to do with the plot but provide confusion, but they’re very funny while they do this. Gladstone makes a guest appearance at one point, and the number of different solutions suggested are ingenious and entertaining.
Zangwill was an interesting man: from a family of Russian Jewish emigrants, he spent much of his life championing those he felt were oppressed, so it’s not surprising that his hero is a left-wing Union man and he has little swipes at Gladstone. I’m not sure if he wrote any other crime stories, but this one is a fabulous comfort read and I *am* glad I finally picked up a copy!
Jun 24, 2016 @ 07:06:49
Sounds fun! Those Book People collections are a nightmare for TBR management. I hadn’t noticed the Gaslight crime collection…I’m trying to remain strong…. 😉
Jun 24, 2016 @ 09:04:52
Well, I wouldn’t resist for too long – let’s read books while we still can….
Jun 24, 2016 @ 07:11:35
Lovely review, Karen. Sounds like a fun read. I think a little escapism might be in order over the next few weeks…
Jun 24, 2016 @ 09:04:28
Definitely – I feel like we’re all going to hell in a handcart this morning… 😦
Jun 24, 2016 @ 09:56:52
My local branch of The Works did have this, so of course I picked it up, and now I’m seconding what Jacqui has just said.
Jun 24, 2016 @ 10:04:54
Most definitely – I never felt the need to hide in books more strongly….
Jun 24, 2016 @ 10:06:53
The book is good fun even if the solution is pretty daft – I think this was one of those stories originally published serially without the ending right away so readers could suggest there own. I remember enjoying this though one suspect Zangwill is more likely to be remembered as an important Zionist than a crime author!
Jun 24, 2016 @ 11:00:57
Yes, I guess the plot is quite daft – but it’s great fun, and Zangwill’s writing is very sparky and funny.
Jun 24, 2016 @ 10:09:49
I rather like the sound of this as i grew up in the East End. I’ll be in the vicinity of The Works later today so I’ll pop in and see if I can grab a copy – if ever there was a day that required comfort reading, this is it!
Jun 24, 2016 @ 11:00:05
Most definitely – I was reading about Siberian exiles this morning and Victor Serge’s thoughts on life and politics and they were oddly comforting. Hope you can find a copy of this – it’s wonderfully escapist.
Jun 24, 2016 @ 16:06:56
Ooh this does sound good. An atmospheric escapist read.
Jun 24, 2016 @ 21:15:19
Very much so – I think you’d like it, Ali.
Jun 24, 2016 @ 17:44:19
Typically (for me), I didn’t know anything about Israel Zangwill, but I can note that his wife Edith also published several novels which sound intriguing, including one on the suffrage movement. So thank you for fleshing out my knowledge of the male side of the partnership!
Jun 24, 2016 @ 21:15:05
Oh, that’s very interesting, Scott – I’ll look out for her books. This one is definitely a fun read, and he sounds awfully interesting if you read his Wikipedia page! Edith, of course, does not get a page of her own….
Jun 26, 2016 @ 09:17:07
How true. As far as Wikipedia is concerned she is a daughter (both her mother and father have pages) and wife …. but I was able to read all about her on Spartacus Educational. A most intriguing woman I had never heard of before. Thank you for bringing her to my attention.
Jun 26, 2016 @ 11:37:47
Well, I’m glad she gets some coverage somewhere! 🙂
Jun 25, 2016 @ 00:34:20
Thanks, great review ! I am always on the llok out for a new mystery! happy reading weekend, Johanna
Jun 25, 2016 @ 08:03:03
This is a lovely, enjoyable read, Johanna – well worth tracking down. Have a lovely weekend!
Jun 26, 2016 @ 17:29:29
Oooh, Zangwill’s epic ‘Children of the Ghetto’ has been languishing on my tbr pile for ages and I’m tired of feeling guilty about not reading him. This sounds like a great solution to the problem! I’ll enjoy the mystery and leave the social realism for another day.
Jun 26, 2016 @ 18:43:25
This is definitely a good way to avoid realism – I’m not much in the mood for it myself right now.
Jun 26, 2016 @ 18:29:49
The Book People and The Works often have similar books as well as similar offers, so glad that came out well for you. Sounds like an ideal read, too!
Jun 26, 2016 @ 18:42:41
Yes, I’ve found that – and it’s quite useful that The Works sell books individually that are sets at The Book People. Handy in this case, definitely, as I had the third book in the set that was online!