The Sinking Admiral

Fourteen different authors collaborated in this inventive mystery. All the chapters — one by each author with some interpolations by the editor to provide a thread which carries through — have been very carefully knitted together by the Editor, Simon Brett. This is a continuation of a series of books undertaken by members of The Detection Club of the Golden Age of British mystery and it is very cleverly done. The authors must have had a lot of fun working on the book and it shows.

Very enjoyable! Brought back fond memories of mysteries from the 1930s. Similar to the Floating Admiral by Agatha Christelman, et. al.

I found this neither particularly good or bad. It was written jointly by members of the Detection Club, an invitation only British association for mystery writers. It was readable, but not gripping. One thing that is mildly entertaining is that there is a character named for each of the author’s of the Detection Club’s earlier effort, The Floating Admiral. Unlike the preceding book, the writers didn’t contribute separate chapters; their work is braided together and coordinated by editor Simon Brett. The story for the most part is decent, if a little implausible. After the police seem determined to consider pub-owner Geoffrey Fitzwilliam’s death a suicide, the pub’s skeptical bar manager, Amy Walpole, decides to investigate. She pairs up with a somewhat unlikely partner, Ben Milne, a sensationalist “reality” television reporter. While I’m sure that Ben is eager to be in on the investigation, hoping to dig up dirt, it is rather surprising that Amy wants to work with someone she is inclined to view with disgust and distrust. The police seem to be operating in another town. They are almost never seen to interact with, or question, anyone. Crofts, the more senior partner, is only marginally competent, and anxious to tie up the case before he has much evidence. Chesterton, the junior partner, seems a little more promising, but is impeded and cowed by Crofts. Maybe it is just that American and British mores are different, but I can’t see that there is adequate motive for murder, or even physical confrontation. It just doesn’t seem to me that anyone’s life would be ruined by The Big Secret, in this day and age, particularly in view of what people already accept about the character.

Admirable effort to put the writing of 14 writers together.

This is a collaborative novel written by fourteen members of The Detection Club. The Admiral Byng is a pub on the Suffolk coast in the village of Crabwell. The pub’s future seems to be limited because there just aren’t enough customers. Currently the day to day activities of the pub are being filmed by a TV crew and has temporarily increased the number of customers all keen on their five minutes of fame. Then the landlord – Geoffrey Horatio Fitzsimmons – also known to everyone as the Admiral – is found dead in his dinghy. Is it suicide or is it murder? The case is investigated by a couple of fairly incompetent detectives and a stubborn bar manager who is determined to get at the truth as she doesn’t believe it was suicide. Naturally Amy – the bar manger – succeeds where the detectives fail. I found this entertaining reading especially as I read it immediately after reading The Floating Admiral written by original members of the Detection Club. I think having several different authors adds texture to the book as all of them have their own styles and particular quirks. If you want something different then try this modern collaborative who dome it.

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