Forgotten Book - Which Way Came Death?

Which Way Came Death? written by Faith Wolseley, and published by John Murray in 1936, is my Forgotten Book for today, and it really is forgotten. I'd be very surprised if more than one or two of my readers have come across it. And yet it was, in its day, a very well regarded and well reviewed novel. With some justice, I should say, as the writing is elegant and often witty.

The book is presented as a first novel, yet although it was the first under the Wolseley name, it was not really a debut, for the author had previously dipped a toe into the waters of detection with two books under what was, I understand, her real name, Stella Tower. Dumb Vengeance, which really was her first novel, was one of my Forgotten Books recently.

The Tower book was set in a country house. The Wolseley novel is set against another background that was popular in Golden Age detective fiction: the public school. Anthony Berkeley, James Hilton, Nicholas Blake, Christopher Bush and Gladys Mitchell were among those who made good use of school setting in the Thirties, but the wit and insight into school life in this book calls to mind R.C. Woodthorpe's The Public School Murder. Wolseley's writing did not have the political edge of Woodthorpe's, but is none the worse for that.


It becomes clear early on that a schoolmaster called Stoner is the likely murder victim, and we are led to believe that poison may be the murder weapon - but how will it be administered? The head teacher's wife is a memorable character who plays a central role in the story, and I was not surprised to discover that the author was herself the wife of a public school teacher. The story flags a bit in the middle, as in Dumb Vengeance, before perking up again. The plot is nothing special, but the quality of the writing lifts this one out of the ordinary.

Forgotten Book - Dumb Vengeance

Dumb Vengeance is a rare and little-known detective novel written by Stella Tower, published in 1933, and so far as I know, never reprinted. It was drawn to my attention by Jamie Sturgeon, a highly recommended book dealer, and thanks to him, I've just read it. This was the first novel by Tower (who wrote one more book under that name, and then a handful (and at least one stage play, Open Verdict) under the name Faith Wolseley

The dust jacket blurb makes the bold claim that "It is fair to say that few thrillers yet published have contained as great an element of surprise in their denouement as Dumb Vengeance". To be honest, I think this is over-stating the case, because I had a rough idea of what was likely to happen at the end, but that said, the book does end well.

It also begins very well. The story is told in the first person by a character called Miss Jenkins, who lives at Houghton, the home of well-to-do John Vine and his wife Gloria. Vine is a likeable chap, and Miss Jenkins is devoted to him. But here comes the first twist - Miss Jenkins is a dog.

This book was, as far as I know the first crime novel to be narrated by an animal (please let me know if you are aware of an earlier example). And although it's a traditional whodunit, it's by no means as "cosy" as many of the novels featuring cats that are especially popular in the United States. It's also conspicuously well-written, and at times very witty. For a first novel, it's a very assured piece of work.

It does, however, in my opinion sag somewhat in the middle, and one could argue that this is because there isn't enough meat in the plot - a brilliant short story idea has been expanded beyond its ideal length. But I can understand why Tower wanted to make the most of her original concept. I enjoyed reading Dumb Vengeance, and I look forward to reading more of her work. She really could write.