Inspector French and the Box Office Murders cover art

Inspector French and the Box Office Murders

Inspector French Mystery, Book 5

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Inspector French and the Box Office Murders

By: Freeman Wills Crofts
Narrated by: Phil Fox
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About this listen

From the Collins Crime Club archive, the fifth Inspector French novel by Freeman Wills Crofts, once dubbed ‘The King of Detective Story Writers’.

THE PUZZLE OF THE PURPLE SICKLE

The suicide of a sales clerk at the box office of a London cinema leaves another girl in fear for her life. Persuaded to seek help from Scotland Yard, Miss Darke confides in Inspector Joseph French about a gambling scam by a mysterious trio of crooks and that she believes her friend was murdered. When the girl fails to turn up the next day, and the police later find her body, French’s inquiries reveal that similar girls have also been murdered, all linked by their jobs and by a sinister stranger with a purple scar . . .

©1929 Estate of Freeman Wills Crofts (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers Crime Thrillers Detective Fiction Genre Fiction Movie, TV & Video Game Tie-Ins Mystery Police Procedural Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives Crime Thriller

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Critic reviews

‘Freeman Wills Crofts’ crimes are solved with dogged diligence and attention to detail . . . they seem to have improved with age.’ INDEPENDENT

“A detective novel by Mr. Wills Crofts is always an event to those who know … Mr. Crofts is among the few muscular writers of detective fiction. He has never let me down.”
HAROLD NICHOLSON, DAILY EXPRESS
All stars
Most relevant  
Insoector French is a fine character and the portrayal of police work is authentic.
The criminals and the plot are engaging and thought provoking.
Worth a listen

Dated but Intriguing crime thriller

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FWC wrote many novels with Inspector French as the principal investigator. This story rattles along, like one of the cars of a bygone age, with the mystification of the detective eventually replaced with light. A gang is responsible for the deaths of several cinema box office girls but what they're up to and why is nicely entangled. Worth listening to - like French asking his wife's opinion - and sufficiently complex and ingenious to rank nicely with Agatha Christie and Francis Durbridge.

Clever 1930's mystery

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I was new to Inspector French, but will be back for more. Very well performed.

A great listen

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I love these Inspector French books and this one did not disappoint. A tantalising puzzle.

Excellent

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I didn't like the story quite as much as the other Inspector French books but still an excellent performance with great characters and the usual Inspector French twists and turns.

Excellent Inspector French book

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