In the 1930s crime novels were rarely written about working people. Josephine Bell’s The Port of London Murders attempts to show what life was like for those who lived and worked in or near the docks. The book’s main characters are all “ordinary” people and the story includes insights into housing, employment, family life, housing and health services at the time. The social background to the book is what brings it alive and makes it worth reading. This is a British Library Crime Classic reissue with a stunning cover.
The story features the entry into port of an overdue cargo vessel. Its late arrival sets off a series of events which leads to murder. The book starts with an accident by the water’s edge which brings together Harry and June, who both live locally. They become embroiled with the police who use them as unofficial detectives and people who will pass on information. The plot isn’t very complicated but it involves corruption, drug-smuggling and theft. Harry and June find themselves drawn together romantically but have also to find allies among those who live and work in the area. This book is perhaps more of a thriller than a standard crime mystery.
This book makes a change from the country house mysteries of the time and the titled detectives of which there are many. It’s easy to read, but the real value of the story is in the insight it gives the modern reader into what life was like living and working in a port area, in a major city, before WW2.
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