This was on the list of 100 best mysteries. It started out strong with a diary of a man set on revenge against the person who killed his son. But the diary ends halfway through the book and I thought things dragged after that.

The book is part of a series of Nigel Strangeways' mysteries. His wife Georgia also appears. I think we're supposed to believe that she's pretty, although Blake's manner of describing her as "monkey-faced" was a bit of a strange way by itself.

One interesting quote (remember it was written in 1938) — ... I must say we could do with a bit of Hitler here though I do rather bar rubber truncheons and sterilization.