There was a point in this novel (about the 45% mark) where I started getting impatient. Halfway through a murder mystery and still no mysterious murder to detect. The first half of the novel recounts the implementation of a business scheme to run a gambling/cruise ship in international waters off the coast of the British Isles, intertwined with a story of budding love. The second half is Chief Inspector French's investigation of the murder that eventually happens during one of these cruises.
Luckily Crofts is a good writer and his characters and narrative hold the reader's attention even during the preliminary half of the novel. When the detecting finally gets underway Crofts shows his mastery of detail in matters of alibi, scheduling, evidence... For the most part the action takes place on the coast of Northern Ireland, which is precisely and accurately described. [Visit street-level views on Google Earth while reading and you'll see the action sites.]
The form is classic murder mystery: a man whom many people might have a motive to kill is murdered. Who--out of a handful with the opportunity--dunnit? French investigates and solves the puzzle. Good stuff. I think Croft's Inspector French mysteries deserve an airing on PBS (alongside Poirot and Marple). There's a certain "holistic" satisfaction in Croft's carefully constructed novels with their attention do the details of evidence and their realistic depictions of human character. They ought to be better known.
