Death at the Helm - John Rhode

THE STORY: A fisherman and his son come across a small pleasure cruiser run aground a sandbar. Their shouts to whoever was piloting the boat were of no use and they sail out to see if they can rescue whoever is on board. No one is at the helm. But there are two passengers on board, a man and a woman, and both are dead. The boat is beginning to list and the fishermen leave to find someone to tow the boat off the sandbar and then call the police. Preliminary investigation finds that both were poisoned but identifying that poison and how it was administered will take quite a while. Suicide is considered until Jimmy Waghorn consults with Dr. Priestley who suggests that there are several possibilities other than suicide and murder should not be ruled out.

THE CHARACTERS:  Ted Farningham - brother to the dead man. A painter who has lots of information about his brother George and the mystery woman on board the boat.

Polly Farningham - Ted's wife who has a lot of opinions about who killed the two people. Knowing what she knows of George she absolutely refuses to believe in a suicide pact.

Hugh Quarrenden, K.C. - high profile trial lawyer who Waghorn soon learns has a wide knowledge about toxicology.  Husband to the dead woman. Stern, stoic, nearly emotionless he nevertheless loved his wife dearly. He knew of her affair and tolerated it seemingly. Is his stoicism a mask for a hatred that drove him to end the shame of infidelity by killing both people?

Collard - butler at Worsely House, the Quarrenden home.  Like all good servants he sees more than he will ever tell. Only when murder is introduced does Collard begin to talk about secrets Mrs. Quarrenden was none too good at hiding.

Sir Clarence Farningham - Father to George and Ted. Notably involved in the Purity Society, "pledged to unrelenting warfare against adultery in every aspect." He had no tolerance for his son's love affair. Possible motive for eliminating son and lover, ignominious sinners undeserving of living?

Sgt. Playfoot - the local policeman who makes the first investigation of the crime scene. Excellent detective skills. Collaborates with Jimmy Waghorn for the first half of the book.  A nicely done intelligent police sergeant for a change!

Jack Benover - Mrs. Quarrenden's devoted brother and George's co-worker at an international brokerage company. He and George were being considered for a promotion that would lead to a relocation to South America.

A variety of well drawn minor characters consisting of fishermen, shopkeepers, and two police forensic analysts. I particularly liked Isaac and his son, the fishermen who find the bodies; Mr. Wallis, one of the chemical analysts; and two shopkeepers in Little Huntley.

INNOVATIONS:  As Jacques Barzun comments in his Catalog of Crime entry for Death at the Helm (1941) this is one of the better Dr. Priestley mystery novels for clueing and detection.  Like many of the John Rhode novels the book is mostly a "howdunnit" with a large part of the story devoted to discovering the poison employed and exactly how it was ingested. There are two autopsies and multiple analyses of food and water taken from the grounded boat, the Lonicera. 

Interestingly in a side remark from one of the policemen, we learn that the boat is named after the Latin name for coral honeysuckle, one of the many bits of botanical trivia that flood the story. Botany features prominently, especially when Waghorn gets a tip that the poison most likely is a vegetable alkaloid. Mrs. Quarrenden picked several flowers while ashore in a short visit in a village called Little Huntley. These flowers were found in a broken vase that fell from the table where George and his paramour had tea prior to their deaths. Waghorn begins to suspect that somehow one of those plants might be poisonous and found its way into their food or drink.

Then there is the bottle of Hampden's Gin Blimp, a commercially prepared cocktail recently being marketed. Where did it come from? Quarrenden did not allow any alcohol in his home other than wine and sherry.  Cocktails and any alcoholic ingredients needed to prepare them were forbidden because he hated the idea of frivolous alcoholic concoctions and the new rage for drinking as entertainment. As the investigation continues the bottle seems to be the most likely method for introducing the poison. And yet the cork and cap were not tampered with. It's a quasi-impossible crime of sorts.

This was an engrossing story mostly for the intensive police work related to the poison. There is a bit too much of repeat visits to suspects who are encouraged to be more forthcoming. Several characters tend to hold back or deceive the police team.  Dr. Priestley appears in only three scenes in the latter portion of the novel in which he suggests how the murder was committed, including one in which he has Waghorn and Hanslet sample some whiskey that ends with quite a surprise for the policemen. In the end, as with many of the Rhode mystery novels I've read, the identity of the murderer is hardly surprising, but the manner in which the story wraps up does have a bit of a shocking finale.

EASY TO FIND? This one seems to be one of the most difficult titles to find among the Dr. Priestley detective novels. Only one copy is offered for sale online. I lucked out at a library sale this year back in the spring where I found a rebound copy of the 1941 US edition in pretty good condition. This title was not reprinted in paperback edition in the US and I don't know if there is one in the UK or Canada. A truly rare book, I'd say.  Perhaps try brick & mortar libraries or those online digital libraries I never bother looking at.