The Boathouse Riddle

{{Short description|1931 novel}} {{infobox book | name =The Boathouse Riddle | title_orig = | translator = | image = | caption = | author = J.J. Connington | illustrator = | cover_artist = | country = United Kingdom | language = English | series = Sir Clinton Driffield | genre = Detective | publisher =Gollancz | release_date = 1931 | english_release_date = | media_type = Print | pages = | isbn = | preceded_by = Nemesis at Raynham Parva | followed_by = The Sweepstake Murders }} '''''The Boathouse Riddle''''' is a 1931 detective novel by the British author Alfred Walter Stewart, published under his pseudonym J.J. Connington.<ref>Murphy p.152</ref> It is the sixth in his series of seventeen novels featuring the Golden Age Detective Chief Constable Sir Clinton Driffield.<ref>Reilly p.346</ref> The title is also written as '''''The Boat-House Riddle'''''.

Two years earlier with ''Nemesis at Raynham Parva'' had effectively seemed to have retired his lead character, in a style similar to Arthur Conan Doyle attempt to conclude the Sherlock Holmes series in ''The Final Problem''. An attempt to replace Sir Clinton with a new lead character, Superintendent Ross in two novels had been less successful and he returned as Chief Constable.<ref>Evans p.202-03</ref> Significantly for the formula of the series, Clinton's friend Wendover who had only appeared in two of the first five books featured in every novel of the series afterwards.<ref>Evans p.218</ref> ''The Boathouse Riddle'' received a positive review in ''A Catalogue of Crime'' by Jacques Barzun and Wendell Hertig Taylor.<ref>Evans p.257</ref>

==Synopsis== Overworked and needing a break, Sir Clinton accepts an invitation to stay at the country house of his friend Wendover. Wendover has a new boathouse and the two men are looking forwards to a few weeks quiet fishing. But the murder of a gamekeeper on the adjacent estate provides a series of puzzles that intrigue Sir Clinton who directs the local police force in their investigation.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Bibliography== * Barzun, Jacques & Taylor, Wendell Hertig. ''A Catalogue of Crime''. Harper & Row, 1989. * Evans, Curtis. ''Masters of the "Humdrum" Mystery: Cecil John Charles Street, Freeman Wills Crofts, Alfred Walter Stewart and the British Detective Novel, 1920-1961''. McFarland, 2014. * Hubin, Allen J. ''Crime Fiction, 1749-1980: A Comprehensive Bibliography''. Garland Publishing, 1984. *Murphy, Bruce F. ''The Encyclopedia of Murder and Mystery''. Springer, 1999. * Reilly, John M. ''Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers''. Springer, 2015.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boathouse Riddle}} Category:1931 British novels Category:1931 English-language novels Category:British mystery novels Category:Novels by Alfred Walter Stewart Category:Novels set in England Category:British detective novels Category:Victor Gollancz Ltd books Category:1930s mystery novels