Very interesting "procedural" mystery, with Inspector French on the trail of a gang that seems to be responsible for the suborning and/or murdering of a few box-office girls. The principal strength of the book is that nothing appears as a stretch or coincidence; it's all logical. Of course, Inspector French does cut a few procedural corners that would never be allowed today. But it's a pretty interesting (if slightly far-fetched) mystery. (To my mind, the English title for this book, "The Box Office Murders," is much more accurate.) ( )

Pleasantly surprised by this audiobook, for two reasons. #1: the audiobook reading by Phil Fox was well-done with no ambiguity on the varied character's dialogue. #2: details, details, detalis. I read a recommendation on a CrimeReads article "The Mostly Forgotten Irish Crime Novelist at the Center of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction" by Shane Mawe (a Trinity College librarian/researcher) about Crofts' work, commenting on how well he wrote and developed plots. Also, Crofts was singled-out in Raymond Chandler's "The Simple Act of Murder" essay, stating that Freeman Wills Crofts was the "soundest builder of them all.." so I'm glad that I followed their advice and downloaded this compelling mystery. I felt happily transported back to that "Golden Age." ( )

Not really bad but more a stereotypical thriller with a mysterious gang than the more mentally demanding type of case I associate with Inspector French. The purple sickle is a wrist tattoo associated with the gang, if I recall right. ( )