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  • Inspector French and the Box Office Murders

  • Inspector French Mystery, Book 5
  • By: Freeman Wills Crofts
  • Narrated by: Phil Fox
  • Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (71 ratings)

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Inspector French and the Box Office Murders

By: Freeman Wills Crofts
Narrated by: Phil Fox
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Summary

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
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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

What listeners say about Inspector French and the Box Office Murders

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Dated but Intriguing crime thriller

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

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Clever 1930's mystery

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.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A great listen

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

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent

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

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent Inspector French book

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.

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