Dood op een dorpsfeest

Inhoud

Op 5 november wordt in Engeland met luidruchtig vuurwerk Guy Fawkes-day gevierd. En, uitgerekend in de verwaring en het lawaai van dat feest, wordt er in een Engels dorp een moord gepleegd. De politie verdenkt een groep jongeren, maar Hugh Bennett, een journalist die toevallig getuige was van de moord, besluit een eigen onderzoek te doen.

Bespreking

Not a real whodunit, but quite intriguing

Every year on November 5th England celebrates Guy Fawkes Day. Hugh Bennett, a reporter of the local Gazette, is on his way to Far Werther to write a piece on these celebrations. In the tumult of fireworks he witnesses what seems at first a silly prank of some youngsters on bikes. But when the smoke clears it turns out that this group of boys was not into playing: they were 'deadly' serious. A man stabbed with an unseen ferocity is the only real evidence that is left. A lot of witnesses say that they have seen the boys attack the guy, but Hugh Bennett is convinced that no-one was able to see anything in that dark and smoky night. He starts his own investigations.

The Progress of a Crime is an intriguing story that focuses more than any other whodunit on the moral site of crime solving. Julian Symons neglects -clearly on purpose- the question of who the real murderer is. Instead he focuses on who the papers want to be the 'ideal' murderer. The difference between journalists and advocates becomes quite small when both their wages depend on the outcome of the trial. Although the subject has certain originality to it, Julian Symons does not succeed in keeping it always as fresh throughout the novel. Although the strong characterisation gives the story a strong feel of realism, at a certain point the reader needs to get some hints as to the identity of the perpetrator. When this information is lacking you loose interest very quickly.

If you are looking for some surprising denouement skip this one and read some Agatha Christie mysteries for example.