‘Murder at St Paul’s Cathedral’ by Jim Eldridge

Published by Allison & Busby,
17 April 2025.
ISBN: 978-0-74903178-7 (HB)

It is May 1941, and Nazi bombers are bombarding London nearly every night. St. Paul’s Cathedral is a constant target, because it is a clear landmark, and its destruction would be a blow to British national morale. This has resulted in the cathedral having its own volunteer fire fighters, comprised of choristers and cathedral staff, who are stationed within the cathedral. All the volunteers know that duty with the St. Paul’s Watch is very dangerous, but death through enemy action is one thing, murder is very different and much more shocking. Everyone is horrified when, after a night’s firefighting duty, one of the senior choristers is found beaten to death. Because of the hallowed location of the crime, the usual formalities are dispensed with and Scotland Yard is called in. Detective Chief Inspector Coburg and his assistant, Detective Sergeant Lampson are dispatched to investigate the murder of Edwin Roberts. Coburg is a natural choice for this difficult and sensitive case because he has both the birth and education to deal tactfully but firmly with the eminent religious authorities in charge of the cathedral. This is vital because, from the beginning, it is evident to Coburg that the authorities wish to control his investigation in order to limit the damage to the cathedral’s reputation.

Although everybody expresses their willingness to help, Coburg and Lampson find it very hard to discover any information about Roberts, other than the basic facts about his life. They are told that his passions were St. Paul’s Cathedral, the choir and playing chess, but, apart from that, even those who had been in the choir with him offer no clues about his friendships or personality.

In order to understand the situation more fully and get an opportunity to talk informally with the volunteers, Coburg spends a night serving with the St. Paul’s Watch. He emerges from the experience filled with admiration for the courage and tenacity of the men who, night after night, fight to preserve the cathedral building and the artistic and religious treasures that it contains. Roberts’ skill at chess suggests another line of enquiry and leads Coburg to be introduced to some of the personnel of Bletchley Park, the work of which is one of the most fiercely guarded secrets of the war. As the investigation continues, the two detectives have to probe the secrets of several people, many of whom have personal matters to conceal, and the information they unearth enables them to solve another crime connected to the cathedral. While Coburg is working to solve the cathedral murder, his wife, Rosa, is given an exciting career opportunity. Rosa is a talented musician and singer who, for the first time, has been offered a place in a film. However, all does not go as smoothly as she had anticipated, and soon Rosa is experiencing a very different style of policing to that practised by her scrupulous husband. As well as fighting to ensure that his wife has a fair deal, Coburg has to tackle more murders that are connected with the original case. These are violent and disturbing even amidst the horrors of war, and threaten to damage the safety and reputation of one of England’s premier places of worship.

Murder at St. Paul’s Cathedral is the first in the Cathedral series featuring Coburg and Lampson; these characters have appeared in another series by this author but their backstories are cleverly inserted so that the book works perfectly as a stand-alone mystery. This is a superb start to the new series, magnificently atmospheric, with fascinating historical details and descriptions skilfully woven into the narrative. The characters are engaging, with fictional and real-life characters beautifully depicted, and the plot and sub-plots are compelling. Murder at St. Paul’s Cathedral is a page turner, which I wholeheartedly recommend.
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Reviewer: Carol Westron

Jim Eldridge was born in the Kings Cross/Euston area of north London in November 1944. He left school at 16 and did a variety of jobs, before training as a teacher. He taught during the 1970s in disadvantaged areas of Luton, while at the same time writing. He became a full-time writer in 1978. He is a radio, TV and movie scriptwriter with hundreds of radio and TV scripts broadcast in the UK and across the world in a career spanning over 30 years. He lives in Kent with his wife. 

http://www.jimeldridge.com/   

Carol Westron is a Golden Age expert who has written many articles on the subject and given papers at several conferences. She is the author of several series: contemporary detective stories and police procedurals, comedy crime and Victorian Murder Mysteries. Her most recent publications are Paddling in the Dead Sea and Delivering Lazarus, books 2 and 3 of the Galmouth Mysteries, the series which began with The Fragility of Poppies. 

www.carolwestron.com