John Creasey was an extremely prolific author, writing over 600 crime, mystery and thriller books under various pen names, and it is great to see some of his books being released on kindle. "Introducing the Toff" is the first in the series featuring the Hon Richard Rollison and was originally published in 1938, the 'Golden Age' of crime fiction. As such, the Hon Richard Rollison is very typical of that era of crime writing - the Toff is not linked to the police, but is independently wealthy and has a 'hatred of dullness' which leads him to travel the world and try to 'suppress crime'. This seems unrealistic now, but if you think about other 'gentlemen' detectives of the era - such as Lord Peter Wimsey, the Toff is a product of his time, so relax and prepare to be entertained!
This book has certainly got much to offer in the way of entertainment and excitement. The story starts in the East End of London, where criminals abound. There, the Toff is much feared and the mere mention of his name strikes terror. When the Toff comes across a murder on the Chelmsford Road, the Toff is involved in a shoot out. He discovers the body of a man in a wrecked car and a womans shoe lies on the road. Investigation leads him to Achmed Dragoli, an Egyptian criminal, and Garrotty - a wonderfully over the top Chicago 'big shot'. Mention of "the Black Circle" brings the Toff to realise that something big is planned. Along with the police, we are led into a plot involving kidnaps, car chases, drugs and, of course, a beautiful woman who needs to be rescued. There is virtual non stop action and the book comes to a suitably exciting conclusion. Great fun and highly recommended. If you like this, John Creasey has written many other series, such as Gideon of Scotland Yard, Dr Palfrey and The Baron. I look forward to discovering more of his work as they are released in kindle editions.
