Murder Underground by Mavis Doriel Hay is one of those recently republished British Library Crime Classics, the book was first published in 1934.

I had never heard of the author before but the blurb on the back has a wonderful endorsement by Dorothy L. Sayers who happens to be my favourite crime writer so I thought it would be a good read.

Sayers wrote in the Sunday Times, 1934:

‘This detective novel is much more than interesting. The numerous characters are well differentiated, and include one of the most feckless, exasperating and lifelike literary men that ever confused a trail.’

Sadly I can’t really say that I agree. For me this was just an okayish read and I felt it really did drag on.

Miss Pongleton is an elderly lady who owns the Frampton Hotel which is the sort of place which has a company of permanent residents. When Pongle, as she is known to them ends up murdered on a London Underground railway staircase, it seems obvious who the culprit is and the police make an early arrest. But of course it doesn’t end there. I almost said ‘more’s the pity’ but it wasn’t that bad, just not as good as I had hoped.

I can think of classic crime writers who would have been more deserving of being reprinted, and probably you can too.