Murder in the Museum

John Rowland

Chapters (29)

Murder in the Museum

John Rowland

With an Introduction
by Martin Edwards

Poisoned Pen Press

Copyright

Originally published in London in 1938 by Herbert Jenkins

Published by Poisoned Pen Press in association with the British Library

First E-book Edition 2016

ISBN: 9781464205804 ebook

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.

The historical characters and events portrayed in this book are inventions of the author or used fictitiously.

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Contents

Murder in the Museum

Contents

Introduction

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Chapter IX

Chapter X

Chapter XI

Chapter XII

Chapter XIII

Chapter XIV

Chapter XV

Chapter XVI

Chapter XVII

Chapter XVIII

Chapter XIX

Chapter XX

Chapter XXI

Chapter XXII

Chapter XXIII

Introduction

It is perhaps appropriate that the British Library should republish John Rowland’s Murder in the Museum, which made its first appearance in 1938. At the time that Rowland’s book came out, the United Kingdom’s national library formed part of the British Museum, which in this book supplies a memorable crime scene.

Meek, mild-mannered Henry Fairhurst is undertaking research in the domed reading room at the Museum. “An assiduous reader of detective stories”, he indulges in idle speculation about his fellow occupants of the reading room. One red-haired individual who catches his eye appears to be asleep, but when Henry approaches him, he discovers that the man is dead. He has been poisoned with cyanide.

Inspector Shelley, who featured in most of Rowland’s detective novels, takes charge of the inquiry, but Henry finds himself fascinated by the case, and strives to remain involved. Shelley is an affable fellow, and—as in several other John Rowland books—he proves willing to allow an amateur to assist with the investigation, generosity that may be surprising but tends to justify itself with results.

This combination of professional and amateur detectives, whether working side-by-side or as rivals, was not unusual in crime fiction of the 1930s. Henry Fairhurst is reminiscent of Ambrose Chitterwick, who featured in three excellent novels written by Anthony Berkeley, one of the most influential crime novelists of the era. Chitterwick, like Henry, is hen-pecked, and is subservient to a domineering aunt, much as Henry is bossed around by his formidable sister. The similarities are particularly apparent when one compares this book to Berkeley’s The Piccadilly Murder, a cleverly contrived mystery which opens with Chitterwick witnessing a murder by cyanide whilst taking tea in a London hotel.