Book 11 – “Mystery in White” by J Jefferson Farjeon

The British Library have been reprinting crime novels from the past (mostly between the wars) some time. The covers of these books are always well done and they make a great display on the shelf. I have read a few of them and enjoyed the stories and I always pick one up if I see it in a charity shop. Mystery in White by J Jefferson Farjeon was originally published in 1937 and is a Christmas novel although it is quite suitable to be read at any time of year. I have never heard of the author before or read anything that he had published.

It is Christmas Eve and it is snowing heavily. A train travelling to Manchester is stuck in the snow and several passengers decide to get off and walk to a nearby station in the hope of catching an alternative train. The snow becomes heavier, they are lost and eventually they stumble on an isolated house which is unlocked, with the table set for tea but which is completely empty.

The passengers are a mixed bunch. There is a sister and brother, a chorus girl, a boring retired man, a psychic and a bookkeeper. As they begin to sort themselves out they are joined by another man who claims not to have been on the train although others say that they have seen him. Strange things happen. One room appears to be locked with noises coming from within but later it is unlocked and empty. There is a knife stained with blood on the kitchen floor. One person leaves them. There are reports of a body on the train. Someone trips over a body in the snow.

There’s lots of atmosphere in this book and the author presents lots of strange happenings, all of which are explained by the end of the book. The mixture of characters is well done and the point of view is switched around so that the reader gets differing opinions about what is happening. The solution to the mystery does make sense but it is fair to say that the reader isn’t given enough clues to work it out and so it is best just to read the novel and enjoy it.