- Paperback: 296 pages
- Publisher: House of Stratus; New edition edition (16 Oct 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1842324063
- ISBN-13: 978-1842324066
- Product Dimensions: 20.4 x 13.4 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,644,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Book Description
This collection of stories formed the basis of eighteen short plays entitled Inspector French's Cases. Half are presented as 'double' stories, in which the criminal first describes his actions and then French tells how he learnt the truth. French is the narrator of the 'single' stories.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
With one exception (“The Level Crossing”), Freeman Wills Crofts’ short stories are unremarkable. Even less impressive is this 1948 collection entitled “Murderers Make Mistakes”. It derives from a series of short radio plays with, to quote the author, “…about half presented in the form of Double Stories, in which the criminal first describes his actions and then Chief Inspector French tells us now he learned the truth”. Unfortunately, their brevity militates against their success. The fascination of Crofts’ full-length stories derives from his engineer’s eye for detail, the slow gathering of details that appear relevant, and the constant and relentless checking of alibis. Shorn of such details, these stories read like an author’s “ideas for plots I might use one day”. Moreover, identical means and motives for murder reappear over and over again in these stories.
So unappealing were these embryos in comparison to the author’s fully developed novels, I was in danger of being turned off this author’s works altogether.
All of which can be reduced to two words – not recommended.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Unappealing embryos.
11 Jan 2004
Format:Paperback
With one exception ("The Level Crossing"), Freeman Wills Crofts' short stories are unremarkable. Even less impressive is this 1948 collection entitled "Murderers Make Mistakes". It derives from a series of short radio plays with, to quote the author, "...about half presented in the form of Double Stories, in which the criminal first describes his actions and then Chief Inspector French tells us now he learned the truth". Unfortunately, their brevity militates against their success. The fascination of Crofts' full-length stories derives from his engineer's eye for detail, the slow gathering of details that appear relevant, and the constant and relentless checking of alibis. Without these features, these stories read like an author's "ideas for plots I might use one day". Moreover, identical means and motives for murder reappear over and over again in these stories.
So unappealing were these embryos in comparison to the author's fully developed novels, I was in danger of being turned off this author's works altogether.
All of which can be reduced to two words - not recommended.
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