Lead Review (The Soho Murder)
- Book: The Soho Murder
- Location: Soho (London), The City of London
- Author: Mike Hollow
Another title in #TheBlitzDetective series gracefully penned by Mike Hollow. DI John Jago is informed of the death of Samuel Bellamy (the tenant from hell, according to his landlord). He has clearly been shot and now it is the duty of the police to inform his widow, whom he discovers in the ruins of their bookshop near St Paul’s. It was only last night that Hitler had dropped bombs on the rabbit warrens of narrow streets on the north side of the cathedral, which “had been known for generations as the heart of the nation’s book trade” (who knew!). Now, the area lay in shocking ruins.
Jago starts his enquiries with his sidekick, DC Cradock and early on they discover that the victim was a collector of books, and often sold valuable items on to his clientele. Visitors would often stop by his home and therefore, as there was no forced entry, it seems likely that the perpetrator and deceased knew each other. Could this aspect of his life have had something to do with his murder?
They gently explore the possibilities, disappear down a rabbit hole or two and pull all the threads together.
There is a good sense of the period, and clearly the author has done a great deal of historical research
for a good feel of authenticity. He references the popular choice of cigarette – Senior Service – and mentions programmes on the radio that would have been familiar in the era. There are a couple of slip-ups where modern day parlance creeps in (like “there’s tons of books” – it would have been much more era correct to say there are tons of books).
An engaging and transportive read.
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