Novel set in Overijssel 1961
WW2 mystery set in Cambridge
13th May 2025
The Cambridge Siren by Jim Kelly, a WW2 mystery set in Cambridge (with side trips to Liverpool and Barrow-in-Furness).
The Cambridge Siren is a tale of strange goings on in WW2 Cambridge. The body of a young man is discovered in an air raid shelter. It is followed over the next weeks by two others… Each appears to be a suicide. But are they, or were they first killed (somewhere unknown) and were the bodies then dumped?
Detective Inspector Eden Brooke leads the investigation, but it is difficult and painstaking work. At the same time another investigation needs his expertise…There is a local factory making lenses for submarine periscopes. Security is tight but faulty lenses keep on finding their way to the shipyards in Barrow-in-Furness where submarines for the navy are built. If one were installed in a submarine it could lead to a dangerous mishap in the firing of a torpedo. Brooke leads a secret team looking for the saboteur but, again, his efforts appear to be in vain. He simply can’t work out where the lenses are being interfered with. He is certain of only two things. First they leave the factory in perfect condition, and second some are not in pristine condition when they reach Barrow…
He finds out the name of the first air raid shelter victim (a breakthrough in itself). And he is led to a small hotel in the countryside where several of the permanent residents are young men who have failed their call up medicals. They have jobs in the community, but all live in the hotel. And, perhaps strangely, they all seem to have a fair amount of money to spend in the local pubs and restaurants. Brooke feels they have a lifestyle above their obvious means. He suspects some sort of scam, but can’t work out what it might be…
The three investigations (the murders, the sabotage, and the possible scam) proceed in parallel.
Then Brooke, and his team, have a bit of luck – and the plots begin to unravel.
The Cambridge Siren is very much of its time and place. Both Cambridge and WW2 come through loud and clear. Not a rip roaring thriller – but a good insight into police work as it used to be. Recommended.
Tony for the TripFiction team
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