If you are a fan of Edmund Crispin (actually Bruce Montgomery) then you know the principle character of his novels, Gervase Fen---a professor of English Literature at Oxford, solves crimes often using obscure clues. So it's always a treat when he explains to Scotland Yard inspectors how he did it. And, unlike Sherlock Holmes' own Yard adversary, Fen's inspectors happily come to him for leads.
This book has 26 short stories, mostly. Except for three of them, all the rest are only 5-6 pages or shorter. The longest one, "We Know You're Busy Writing, But We Thought You Wouldn't Mind If We Just Dropped in for a Minute," describes a crime which was never solved. But then Gervase Fen wasn't in the story. Actually, there are a few stories here which are not "solved" with an arrest. But the punishment was there nevertheless.
Bruce Montgomery actually wrote film, concert and church music for a living. Writing was probably a profitable sideline. He died from his alcoholism. That was unfortunate, as I've enjoyed all his stories, and, with this book, I've read them all.
This book has 26 short stories, mostly. Except for three of them, all the rest are only 5-6 pages or shorter. The longest one, "We Know You're Busy Writing, But We Thought You Wouldn't Mind If We Just Dropped in for a Minute," describes a crime which was never solved. But then Gervase Fen wasn't in the story. Actually, there are a few stories here which are not "solved" with an arrest. But the punishment was there nevertheless.
Bruce Montgomery actually wrote film, concert and church music for a living. Writing was probably a profitable sideline. He died from his alcoholism. That was unfortunate, as I've enjoyed all his stories, and, with this book, I've read them all.
