Eric Ambler (ed) - Great Cases of Scotland Yard ; Volume One - Reader`s Digest - 1993
Reprint of book first published in 1978
Contents ;
Thomas Neill Cream, Poisoner - Elizabeth Jenkins
Flannel Foot - Michael Innes
The Strange Case of Stanley Setty - Andrew Garve
The Portland Spy Case - Ludovic Kennedy
Clive Egleton - The Stealing of Muriel McKay
The story of five historical crime cases told by popular writers of the day.
Generally, a very absorbing and satisfying read. The first three cases were very much my kind of thing and I enjoyed them immensely. I am not particularly keen on espionage stories, whether fact or fiction, but in fact Ludovic Kennedy`s account of the Portland Spy Case was fascinating and very enjoyable.
I was surprised to find that I was not so keen on the Muriel McKay kidnapping case, which is odd as it`s a case that I`ve read about before and one that generally interests me. I`d have to also add that while the author quotes the judge in the case as praising a "brilliant piece of detective work", some readers might doubt the accuracy of that description. I would have to say in fairness that this is the most detailed account of the case I`ve read and is probably worth reading on that account.
A word of praise for the illustrators is in order. Guy Deel (Thomas Neill Cream), Gino d`Achille (Flannel Foot) and David Blossom (Stanley Setty) all provide a number of excellent illustrations. The last two cases each have a two-page illustration by Rick McCollum followed by a number of reproduced black and white newspaper photos etc, which just seem to be slotted in wherever they`ll fit, so the effect is not so impressive.
Overall, it was a pleasure to revisit this book, which I`ve owned for years, and in fact I liked it so much I`ve ordered myself a copy of Volume Two !
