LemonSky reviewed The Long Arm of the Law by Martin Edwards (British Library Crime Classics)
Review of 'The Long Arm of the Law' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
3 1/2 stars - An okay collection of short mystery stories, but not one of his better anthologies. Some of the more interesting stories:
"The Undoing of Mr Dawes" by [a:Gerald Verner|769941|Gerald Verner|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] - a fence meets his match in the clever police detective, Robert "The Rose-bud" Budd. The story is clever and Budd is a sensible, easygoing detective with a sense of humor.
"The Man Who Married Too Often" by [a:Roy Vickers|298020|Roy Vickers|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1459684702p2/298020.jpg] - a double murderer gets her comeuppance in an inverted mystery story with a satirical air and a delightfully ironic ending.
"Fingerprints" - [a:Freeman Wills Crofts|277192|Freeman Wills Crofts|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1273256772p2/277192.jpg] - short, simple, and to the point. One of the best stories, if not the best, in the volume.
"The Chief Witness" by [a:John Creasey|275065|John Creasey|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1284836389p2/275065.jpg] - a young boy proves to be an important witness in the murder of his mother. A remarkably sensitive story of the …
3 1/2 stars - An okay collection of short mystery stories, but not one of his better anthologies. Some of the more interesting stories:
"The Undoing of Mr Dawes" by [a:Gerald Verner|769941|Gerald Verner|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] - a fence meets his match in the clever police detective, Robert "The Rose-bud" Budd. The story is clever and Budd is a sensible, easygoing detective with a sense of humor.
"The Man Who Married Too Often" by [a:Roy Vickers|298020|Roy Vickers|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1459684702p2/298020.jpg] - a double murderer gets her comeuppance in an inverted mystery story with a satirical air and a delightfully ironic ending.
"Fingerprints" - [a:Freeman Wills Crofts|277192|Freeman Wills Crofts|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1273256772p2/277192.jpg] - short, simple, and to the point. One of the best stories, if not the best, in the volume.
"The Chief Witness" by [a:John Creasey|275065|John Creasey|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1284836389p2/275065.jpg] - a young boy proves to be an important witness in the murder of his mother. A remarkably sensitive story of the type you don't often see in the mystery genre.
"Old Mr Martin" by [a:Michael Gilbert|15451774|Michael Gilbert|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] - the hit-and-run death of the elderly manager of a sweet shop leads to the discovery of another crime. This story had a twist that I really did not see coming at all.
Note - "The Mystery of a Midsummer Night" by [a:George R. Sims|1027567|George R. Sims|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] is a retelling of the true story of Constance Kent. A better and more informative treatment of it by [a:John Rhode|280354|John Rhode|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1320143165p2/280354.jpg] in [b:The Anatomy of Murder|23018928|The Anatomy of Murder|The Detection Club|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1422905227s/23018928.jpg|2145455].