Un esperto aviatore si schianta con uno degli aerei della scuola di volo dove lavora.
Uno sfortunato incidente, dovuto ad un errore umano? Un premeditato suicidio? Un sofisticato omicidio?
La morte di George Furnace non è che il punto di partenza di una complicata indagine che porterà a galla molto più di quanto inizialmente supposto dal dottor Marriot, vescovo australiano e neomembro dell'Aeroclub di Baston, il primo ad accorgersi che qualcosa non quadra.
Non è facile capire cosa sia successo, anche perché ogni qual volta qualcosa sembra confermare una delle ipotesi, ecco che qualcos'altro mette tutto in discussione...

Sebbene non sia difficile cominciare a sospettare di chi c'è dietro alla morte di Furnace, bisogna ammettere che Christopher St. John Sprigg riesce comunque a tenere il lettore in dubbio fino alla fine, perché è tutt'altro che facile capire come l'ingegnoso quadro criminale sia stato realizzato.
Piuttosto sorprendente anche l'inaspettato finale... in rosa!

Una lettura piacevole e poco impegnativa, con diversi spunti piuttosto originali, che pur non essendo uno dei capisaldi della narrativa poliziesca degli anni '30, vale comunque la pena riscoprire.

If you read Sprigg's bio on Goodreads, you will find a very interesting man who died way too young.

Certainly I would like to know more about him.

Reading this book, I would have sworn that Sprigg was a pilot. Reading his bio on Wikipedia Under his real name of Christopher Caudwell,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Caudwell I found out that he was knowledgeable about flight and wrote a couple of books about it.

& this book got off to a cracking start when an Australian bishop turns up at the Baston Air Club wanting flying lessons. But there are some strange goings on...

The book was terrific at the start, (& had some wonderful characters throughout, like Lady Crumbles the ruthless fundraiser!) it did lose a bit of momentum in the centre, but the ending tied up all the loose ends. & just for once I guessed the chief villain - only two pages before the reveal but still!

One of the better Golden Age books I have read by a lesser known writer.

https://wordpress.com/view/carolshessonovel.wordpress.com

Merged review:

If you read Sprigg's bio on Goodreads, you will find a very interesting man who died way too young.

Certainly I would like to know more about him.

Reading this book, I would have sworn that Sprigg was a pilot. Reading his bio on Wikipedia Under his real name of Christopher Caudwell,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Caudwell I found out that he was knowledgeable about flight and wrote a couple of books about it.

& this book got off to a cracking start when an Australian bishop turns up at the Baston Air Club wanting flying lessons. But there are some strange goings on...

The book was terrific at the start, (& had some wonderful characters throughout, like Lady Crumbles the ruthless fundraiser!) it did lose a bit of momentum in the centre, but the ending tied up all the loose ends. & just for once I guessed the chief villain - only two pages before the reveal but still!

One of the better Golden Age books I have read by a lesser known writer.

https://wordpress.com/view/carolshessonovel.wordpress.com

3.5 It's an efficient and fun 1930s romp, with all the encumbrances of the style of the period (yes, there really are characters called Lady Crumbles and Lady Laura Vanguard). These, coupled with a relative absence of any social observation, are perhaps surprising from a man who was on the point of adopting Marxism so comprehensively. Beyond being a reasonably adept writer, it might be easier to see Sprigg and Christopher Caudwell as basically different people.

One of the best classic whodunnits I've read. Cleverly put together and profoundly entertaining. A good mix between seriousness and lighthearted fun and a whimsical, fun cast. I am not surprised Dorothy Sayers gave it a rave review - it reminded me of some of her best work.

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

I received a copy of Death of an Airman from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

A particular delight! It is rare to find a Golden Age mystery with intriguing characters, a mystery that is a true puzzler, and a sly sense of humor; Death of an Airman provides all three in spades. The central crimes are intricately plotted and just confounding enough to keep the reader on edge while the characterizations provide a depth and interest that propels the story along - I found it to be a combination of the best type of Agatha Christie with the wit and pacing of a P.G. Wodehouse. Thoroughly enjoyable!

This is such a good mystery story. It stands along side Peter Wimsey and the other more well known Golden Age detective stories - it is clever, well put together and intriguing. I didn't get it all worked out until very late on - there's so much misdirection and so many twists and turns that it'll leave you breathless. I don't know how this has been forgotten for so long.

Un whodunit ameno, interesante y cierta originalidad de planteamiento, aunque no la suficiente como para brillar con luz propia.