The Eye in the Museum
The Eye in the Museum is a detective novel from 1929 authored by British writer Alfred Walter Stewart, who released it under the pen name J.J. Connington. This work marks the debut of Superintendent Ross, one of two novels featuring this character, designed to succeed Stewart’s more famous figure, Chief Constable Sir Clinton Driffield. Ross shares similarities with Freeman Wills Crofts’s Inspector French, a notable detective of the era. The book’s title alludes both to a glass eye displayed within the museum and to a camera obscura positioned on the museum’s roof, both playing pivotal roles in unraveling the mystery.
Synopsis
The narrative unfolds in a quaint English town where a museum holds a modest assortment of artifacts. The plot initiates with the death of Mrs. Fenton, initially presumed to be from natural causes but soon uncovered as homicide. Mrs. Fenton was known for her heavy drinking and gambling habits, as well as for having numerous adversaries. She managed her niece’s inheritance until the niece reached twenty-five years old. Although suspicion falls on the niece, Superintendent Ross broadens his inquiry to include others who possess motive or opportunity, such as Mrs. Fenton’s former husband and her physician lover. The investigation only gains clarity following a subsequent murder.
Bibliography
- Evans, Curtis. Masters of the "Humdrum" Mystery: Cecil John Charles Street, Freeman Wills Crofts, Alfred Walter Stewart and the British Detective Novel, 1920-1961. McFarland, 2014.
- Herbert, Rosemary. Whodunit?: A Who's Who in Crime & Mystery Writing. Oxford University Press, 2003.
- Hubin, Allen J. Crime Fiction, 1749-1980: A Comprehensive Bibliography. Garland Publishing, 1984.
- Nym Mayhall, Laura E. & Prevost Elizabeth. British Murder Mysteries, 1880-1965: Facts and Fictions. Springer Nature, 2022.
- Reilly, John M. Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers. Springer, 2015.
External links
- Complete text of The Eye in the Museum at HathiTrust Digital Library