‘Mystery in White’ by J Jefferson Farjeon

Published by British Library Crime Classics,
25 September 2014.
ISBN: 978-0-7123-5770-8 (PB)
Originally published in 1937.

On Christmas Eve, the 11.37am train from Euston to Manchester came to an unofficial halt.  And a group of people find themselves stranded in the snow, as the guard informs them that there is no chance of the train moving.

Several passengers decide to leave the train and try to walk to another station down the line,  but poor visibility leads them off the track and eventually they take shelter in an remote empty house, amazingly with tea laid out and a kettle humming on the hob. Maybe the sight of a bread knife in the middle of the kitchen floor should have given then pause for thought. But maybe shelter and a cup of tea is all they wanted at this point.

Initially the only passengers identified in the book are a brother and sister, David and Lydia, Carrington, but an elderly gentleman does identify himself as Robert Thomson, without a P, as he quickly informed them. Later they are joined by other travellers from the train and they learn that there had been a murder on the train. During the trek from the train Jessie Noyes had fallen in the snow, twisted her ankle and passed out. Also from the train seeking shelter, are a Mr Hopkins, a Mr Smith and a Mr Edward Matley. Quite an assorted group.

In his introduction to this book Martin Edwards says ‘although today little is known of this author, he was a major figure during the Golden Age of murder between the two world wars. Indeed his novels were admired by Dorothy L. Sayers, who called him "unsurpassed for creepy skill in mysterious adventures"

There is without doubt an Agatha Christie feel about the book, as people disappear. The thing I enjoy most when reading crime fiction is when the roots of the puzzle lie in the past, and therefore to solve the mystery the past has to be unravelled. There is a spooky feeling to the house they have stumbled upon And a rather high body count.

A dark atmospheric classic mystery, with a twist at the end, like all good mysteries. Recommended.
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Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett

Joseph Jefferson Farjeon (4 June 1883 – 6 June 1955) was born in Hampstead, London. He worked for ten years for Amalgamated Press in London before going freelance.  An English crime and mystery novelist, playwright and screenwriter. was the grandson of the American actor Joseph Jefferson, after whom he was named. His father, brother and sister also developed successful careers in the literary world. His "Ben" novels were reissued in 2015 and 2016.