Excellent Intentions by Richard Hull

When I first saw and read some of the books of the British Library crime classics, I renewed my interest in the mysteries written by authors in the early 1900s. I recently read all the of the Flaxborough Chronicles# 1-12 (not the same publisher but the same time frame) and Fire in the Thatch by E.C.R. Lorac and Foreign Bodies: A British Library Crime Classic. I know these are not exactly enough to indicate my appreciation for them since they only form a percentage of my reading. This is mostly because each of these books may be slim in volume and number of pages but is heavy on the nuance and interesting dialogues. They are not meant to be read quickly but savoured ( although this may not be a term to be used lightly around murder mysteries).

I have therefore been reading only a few of these reprints of older authors, but I have been enjoying the experience. This particular tale was pretty interesting. The story begins in a courtroom, with a trial beginning. The people in the room are all introduced to us except for the identity of the accused. The council for the crown starts to tell the tale in a very pompous and flowery fashion, and we cut away to the actual occurrence to avoid any distortion of the actual facts. I am not aware if this was ever converted into a movie but it would make a very good one!

The victim was a man who was liked by almost nobody adding a further issue in the proceedings. The question is debated if the accused actually did a good deed instead of a murder. There are multiple characters who play important roles in the story and the writing had a very subtle humour. It almost felt like the author was laughing at or with the people when he wrote it! I do not know if my description makes any sense but if you have the time and the inclination, do check out the author. I have another of the author’s books on my kindle and I intend to get to it soon.

I got a chance to read this book thanks to Edelwiess+

Affiliated link for purchase: Book Depository

P.S: I do not remember when I submitted my blog for this list  https://blog.feedspot.com/novel_blogs/  but I am now in it!. Something new 🙂