The Case of the Missing Bridegroom

THE GRELL MYSTERY.
By Frank Froest (1858-1930).
Edward J. Clode.
1913. 387 pages.
Online HERE, HERE, and HERE.

The author was a decorated retired policeman, which may explain why the Yard "appears to good advantage" in this yarn. Full review:

When a man disappears on his wedding eve, when he later is found murdered, and when it is discovered that the corpse is not his after all, though it is reposing in his bedroom, one has the foundation for a very pretty tangle. All this, and more, happens in "The Grell Mystery."

The author has displayed much ingenuity in the workings of the plot, though some of his conclusions are a trifle far-fetched.

Scotland Yard, the source of more and better stories of mystery than have ever found their way into print, appears to good advantage. There is, as usual, a very wonderful inspector, who finally unsnarls the skein, and a young peeress who is described as the "most beautiful woman in three kingdoms," adds pleasantly to the excitement.

One of the chief difficulties in a tale of this kind is to strike the proper pitch of intensity and to hold it from start to finish. Mr. Froest has come nearer to doing this than most of those who deal in the same wares. — "Current Fiction," THE NATION (May 20, 1915; scroll to page 568, top left)

Another, more recent, review:

It is a very well written novel with a challenging mystery and a very smart detective! . . . If you like more character or issue driven stories this might not be for you. — Peggy Ann, PEGGY ANN'S POST (November 24, 2012)

Resources:
- For brief accounts of the author's real-life adventures as a policeman, see Wikipedia ("Frank Froest").
- Froest wrote two other thrillers with George Dilnot, about whom see the GAD Wiki.

Category: Detective fiction