Excellent Intentions by Richard Hull

Who doesn’t love the British Library Crime Classics? I’m amassing them far faster than I can read them, but earlier this month I did read Excellent Intentions (1938) by Richard Hull, which is one of their more recent publications. I was beguiled by the description of it being an unusual twist on the detective novel. And the reason it’s a twist is because we start in the courtroom, with the accused in the dock…

“May it please your lordship – members of the jury.” Anstruther Blayton rose to his feet and, as was his habit, moved some papers that were near him in an unnecessary and fussy manner. At the age of fifty-two he was, he knew, comparatively young to have been selected by the Attorney-General to act as leader in a trial which was arousing a certain amount of public interest. Even though he had been known for some time as a leading K.C. on the circuit, it was his chance and he meant to make the most of it.

That’s the opening paragraph, throwing us right into the midst of the trial. But – crucially – we do not know who the accused is.

As the trial continues, the scenes described run parallel to it. So, as the brilliantly-named Anstruther Blayton talks us through the scene of the death, we then jump to seeing it – Mr Cargate, taking snuff on a train, and dying almost immediately. Cargate is that stereotypical murder victim from this genre – universally disliked, and rightly so. All manner of people are suspected, from his household staff to the inheritors to a group of people involved in (of all things) the stamp trade.

I don’t know if Hull was a philatelist or simply did a lot of research, but buckle up to learn a huge amount about stamps. Unless you already know it, in which case… well, I hope he got the details right. I could have done with perhaps less of this information, not least because I spent the whole time marvelling that anybody could care whether or not a particular stamp did or did not have a dot of ink in a particular place. But Hull does a good job of immersing us in this world.

Hull writes with wit, which always helps this sort of novel, and many of his characters are very vivid – particularly in the silent sparring within the courtroom. The actual plot seems like it might be rather flimsy, but don’t form your opinions until the final page… and perhaps not even then. A worthy addition to the BLCC series.

6 thoughts on “Excellent Intentions by Richard Hull

  • July 16, 2018 at 11:20 am
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    Ooh I am saving your review, as this could very well be the next book I read. Really looking forward to it.

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  • July 16, 2018 at 11:45 am
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    Nice! I need SPOILERS. I´ve just read it but I´m a bit confused with the ending (English isn´t my mother tongue). Is she declared guilty by the jury? What does the judge explain after that, in the last chapter? Thank you so much.

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  • July 16, 2018 at 7:28 pm
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    The covers of these BLCCs are always good, but this one is particularly attractive. All those lovely autumnal colours in the trees are so appealing! These books often turn up in one of the local charity shops — there must be one or two avid consumers of vintage crime in the locality — so I’ll keep an eye out for it. The initial set-up sounds particularly intriguing…

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  • July 16, 2018 at 8:06 pm
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    They’re great fun aren’t they? I’m amassing a load, including this one, but fortunately I was in my youth vaguely interested in stamps – so bits might make sense to me!

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  • July 16, 2018 at 10:00 pm
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    Aha! A member of my household enjoys crime stories, AND has a long-standing interest in stamp-collecting. I think his next present is settled…

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  • July 19, 2018 at 8:10 am
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    I’m trying to collect these too but they aren’t showing up in my used bookstore often enough! I may have to just place an order for a couple of new ones so that I can properly call it a collection. ;)

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