The Middle Of Things

By Patto TOP 500 REVIEWER on December 25 2012Format: Paperback Verified PurchaseThis is my favorite J. S. Fletcher mystery so far and I''m as big a fan of this prolific writer as his numerous avid readers were in the twenties. Fletcher turned out mysteries to the tune of three a year. But The Middle of Things is as witty clever and well written as if the author devoted years to it.Richard Viner a young gentleman of means and leisure takes his habitual late walk one night and encounters the body of a murdered man in a dark passageway. From that point on Viner finds himself in the middle of things. Accused of the murder is an old school mate of Viner''s who''s gone down in the world. Viner makes it his mission to find the real murderer.He is ably assisted by a bevy of solicitors and investigators -- and most of all by his maiden aunt Miss Bethia Penkridge. Miss Penkridge is a worthy woman who rings for tea in every crisis and this book is full of crises. She has a weakness for sensational novels and her habit of reading whodunits every night has sharpened her powers of deduction to a marvelous degree. These powers will come into play precisely when most needed.The plot offers us a cast of sinister and highly accomplished criminals a truly noble young nobleman and a stubborn policeman whose tunnel vision may hang an innocent man. The bookish Viner is an excellent protagonist almost as clever as his charming aunt. There are quite a few characters who have lived in Australia which adds an exotic flavor.The many threads of the complex plot come together in the end seamlessly with a romantic twist as a bonus. The Middle of Things is one of the great classics of Golden Age detective fiction. If you''re just discovering Fletcher this is a good book to begin with.