The death of Zac Brettler: London Falling
WW2 crime mystery set in Canterbury, Kent (and London)
28th May 2026
Murder at Canterbury Cathedral by Jim Eldridge, WW2 crime mystery set in Canterbury (and London).
1941 and WW2 is raging. Rudolf Hess has just landed in Scotland, suggesting peace is on the cards, but the destruction in London and surrounding areas indicates otherwise.
The investigating duo DCI Edgar Saxe-Coburg and DS Lampson – normally based in London at Scotland Yard – are asked to look into the case of Canon Walter de la Coeur, who has been found bludgeoned within the walls of Canterbury Cathedral, at the same point where Beckett was murdered by four knights in 1170.
De la Coeur happened to be the Cathedral Treasurer and as the investigators know, most murders seem to revolve around money, sex or power.
The author inserts various characters into the narrative, all of whom could have a valid motive and as the sleuths probe ever more deeply into – sometimes sinister – avenues of exploration, the whole picture of the murder becomes more complex and murky, with several interlacing elements.
The author is always at delightful pains to slip in interesting facts for the audience and this cathedral, as it happens, was the first Christian cathedral in Britain. And further interesting insights and snippets dot the narrative.
WW2 is apparent everywhere and the author creates an event where a young man is in need of plastic surgery, a skill that became all too necessary as the war went on. The inspiration for this, he explains in the Acknowledgements, is the pioneering work of Archibald McIndoe and Harold Gillies, who deserve wider recognition for the work they did with wounded servicemen and civilian casualties.
A good read that is strong on plot and setting.
This is the second novel in the Cathedral Mysteries Series (the first is Murder at St Paul’s Cathedral, and there are occasional references in this book to events that took place in that volume). The author is quite prolific, having published over a 100 books, including the following series: Museum Mystery Series, London Underground Station Mysteries series and Hotel Mysteries Series.
On the front cover there is a quote by the Daily Mail which states: “Fast and furious”. I disagree, this is a sedate story that takes its time to explore the options, it’s reflective and it certainly doesn’t race around as one might assume from that headline. It feels very appropriately paced for the time in which it is set.
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