Blood Red by John Creasey (originally published as Red Eye for the Baron, under the pseudonym "Anthony Morton," 1958; published under the present title, 1960)
The super-prolific John Creasey published nearly 600 books under more than twenty names. Although he is best known for his mystery and crimes thrillers, he also published in other fields, including western, romance, children's, sports, and nonfiction. In the mystery/crime/thriller fields Creasey created thirteen series characters, as well as adding to the long-running Sexton Blake series. His most popular character (in terms of books published was The Toff (80 books), followed by Chief Superintendent Roger West (68 books), with John Mannering, the Baron, coming in at a close third with 62 books.
The Baron, originally a gentleman thief known as Blue Mask, started out as a cross between Raffles and Simon Templar, the Saint; Mannering made his debut nearly two decades before Hitchcock filmed To Catch a Thief, with Cary Grant starring as John Robie, otherwise that may have been consider one of the sources for the character. Originally from a privileged family who had lost their fortune, Mannering not only performed daring robberies, but he also developed a connoisseur's appreciation of fine gems. Mannering's literary career as Blue Mask was short-lived; by the ninth book in the series he was known as the Baron, and the previous eight novels were retrofitted in alignment. Mannering fell in love with Lorna, a talented and wealthy portrait painter, they married, and Mannering gave up crime and settled into the antiquities business, operating the prestigious Quinn's, which soon grew into an international concern. But crime still managed to find its way to the Baron's doorstep, enough crime to fill the 62 books in the series.
Although Creasey remains one of my favorite authors, he cannot be considered a great writer. His books are fast reads, quickly paced, highly imaginative, filled with danger and thrills, and you can often drive a truck lorry (he's British, don't you know) through the plots. Usually, though, you are reading though so fast that you do not realize that last bit. But then there's Blood Red.
This is a book of excesses, chock full of things that make you go, huh?
Theodorus Wray is a very, very rich man, perhaps one of the ten wealthiest men in the world. a Britisher by birth, he emigrated to Australia when young, made a fortune, went to America, and made an even bigger fortune. Everything that Wray touches, every business he invests in, turns to gold. When we meet him, he is juggling at least a dozen major international deals at one time. He keeps all his knowledge in his head; no plans are ever written down. Wray is cocky and self-assured, used to getting his own way. He bulldozes his way through any obstacle, usually in a plain-spoken and rustic manner as befitting his Australian and Texan background. (Creasey often goes over the top with his American characters; this time he added an Australian stereotype to the mix.) He is forty-four years old and has never been in love -- until two weeks ago.
The girl who has him smitten is Rosamund Morrell, a young country beauty who is innocence personified. Theo saw her at a party, fell instantly in love, and soon they were engaged. Rosamund, for her part, is also dreadfully in love with Theo. But Rosamund has a secret in her past. When she first came to London a few years ago at age eighteen, she met the charming Micky Odell, not realizing that he was a thief and a conman and the man Scotland Yard most wanted to put behind bars. Odell would pressure young girls to cozy up to older rich men and wheedle gifts from them -- usually in the form of precious gems. Odell would then take the loot and sell it. He worked this con game so well that, if any legal consequences came about, they would only fall on the young girls. Just once he used Rosamund for this grift; she was young and did not realize what she was doing, and Rosamund's sister was in legal trouble and Odell promised that he would make things right for her. (The whole scam and set-up did not sound right to me, but what do I know?) Anyway, Rosamund is keeping her past a secret because 1) she does not want to ruin her relationship with Theo, and 2) she is afraid that she would liable for arrest.
Odell discovers that Rosamund and Theo are an item, and knowing the Theo is very, very rich, decides to cut himself into half of Theo's fortune by using Rosamund. (Again, this whole scheme doesn't make sense to me, but what do I know?) Rosamund refuses and Odell gets very angry and makes threats. Odell is not above violence.
What, you may ask, does John Mannering have to do with all this. Well, he's right there from page one. One of the valuable antiquities Quinn's has for sale is an ancient Babylonian diamond ring, approximate value 40,000 pounds, but most likely worth over 100,000 pounds on the collectors' market. The ring, with a little in of red in the diamond, is known as the Red Eye of Love. has a storied background in both legend and history. It can give the woman who wears it a power over men, and over the ages men have fallen to its spell. Theo comes bursting into Quinn's and demands to buy the ring on the spot, offering 75.000 pounds. His fiance, he said, deserves a ring almost as beautiful as she is. Theo is followed into the shop by Rosamund, who is highly embarrassed. She does not want the ring and, if Theo buys it, she will not wear it. She leaves, but Theo is determined that she will accept the ring. Theo then phones Lorna and gets her to agree to paint a portrait on Rosamund. The ring is purchased, and Rosamund ends up staying at the Mannering home, in part to protect her from Odell.
Odell tries to pressure Rosamund and Theo, who has a quick temper and is prone to violence. finds out and beats the living crap out of Odell. Luckily Mannering was present and prevented Theo from killing Odell.
Then Odell is found murdered in Rosamund's apartment and Theo is the only viable suspect.
The problem with murder mysteries is that there have to be suspects and the cast of characters is mighty slim here, none of which appear to have any motives. There's Theo's loyal bodyguard, Theo's new accounting assistant who is a genius with numbers, there's Odell's new wife, and there's a business rival who had left for South America days before the murder. The only person with a motive is Theo, and Mannering finds himself seriously considering him as the culprit. If there were more suspects -- more logical ones, anyway -- Mannering felt he might be tempted to blame everyone non the train (a tacit nod to Dame Agatha, there).
And then there is the Red Eye of Love. Does it hold sway over Rosamund, or does Rosamund hold sway over it?
All in all, this book is a muddled mess. Yet, despite its many flaws. it's a quick and somewhat entertaining read, albeit many notches below the typical Baron novel from Creasey.
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