--- product_id: 15163790 title: "Murder in Piccadilly (British Library Crime Classics)" price: "5630 som" currency: KGS in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.kg/products/15163790-murder-in-piccadilly-british-library-crime-classics store_origin: KG region: Kyrgyzstan --- # Murder in Piccadilly (British Library Crime Classics) **Price:** 5630 som **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Murder in Piccadilly (British Library Crime Classics) - **How much does it cost?** 5630 som with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.kg](https://www.desertcart.kg/products/15163790-murder-in-piccadilly-british-library-crime-classics) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description desertcart.com: Murder in Piccadilly (British Library Crime Classics): 9781464203732: Kingston, Charles, Edwards, Martin: Books Review: Mysteries have changed... - "Murder in Piccadilly: A British Library Crime Classic", by Charles Kingston, is a reprint of a mystery, originally published in 1936, by Poisoned Pen Press. The book is set in London, 1936, and the reader has to realise that styles of mystery writing have changed in the intervening 70 years. Not necessarily improved...but changed. This is not "your" mystery, but more likely your grandmother's. Poisoned Pen Press is republishing a series of these mysteries; "Piccadilly" is the second, so far. "Murder in Piccadilly" is a fun read that is as much a study of mid-1930's society as it is a "who done it". Only one murder occurs, and, though done by a stiletto, is surprisingly bloodless. Much bloodier, in a way, are the conversations among the characters. "Bobbie" Cheldon is a 24 year old man who is waiting for his wealthy uncle to die and leave him his fortune and his estate. Unfortunately, Uncle Massy isn't THAT old, and besides being snobbish, crotchety, and cheap, is likely to live for a while yet. Bobbie is getting tired of waiting for his fortune to be made for him and is unwilling to work for a living. Like many young men without a life's path, he is weak and easily led. And led he is by Nancy Curzon, a 19 year old dancer from Whitechapel. Nancy has appeared in Bobbie's life and is only willing to remain with him if he's rich. Bobbie, who must be the stupidest person in Christendom, is unable or unwilling to see Nancy's true nature. Everyone around him, though, can see it just fine. Okay, so Uncle Massy must die - and he does - for the book to continue. The Scotland Yard detective, Chief Inspector Wake, begins his investigation by asking that old Latin question - "cui bono" - and his investigation brings him directly to Bobbie, the heir. Wake's sized up Bobbie pretty well and knows that he is too weak minded to actually do the deed, so Wake concentrates on Nancy and other characters in her world. Because, even if Bobbie is the direct heir - 10,000BP a year! - others also stand to benefit. Wake and his men investigate and even find the killer, but then a twist at the ending leaves everything - and everyone - at a bit of a loss. It's a clever book, well told. The best thing about this book - and I presume the others in the series - is that it is written contemporaneously. Everything we're reading about actually existed at the time. This is what a a slice of London society looked like. As I like reading historical novels - mysteries, included - it was great fun to read "Murder in Piccadilly" and I'm giving it a 5 star review, within its own genre. IF you're not interested in historical fiction, then you might not like "Murder in Piccadilly" as much as I did. (I was given this book by Poisoned Pen Press, in exchange for an HONEST review, which I have given. I am honest about liking the genre, but telling others who may not, not to buy the book. How much more "honest" can I get?) Review: A mystery with a mysterious author - Perhaps the biggest mystery involved in Charles Kingston’s “Murder in Piccadilly” isn’t even in the book. Who exactly was Charles Kingston? Historians of the Golden Age of the crime and detective novel know that Kingston;’s real name was Charles Kingston O’Mahoney. He has written one historical work, “The Viceroys of Ireland,” before he turned to crime writing. He wrote some 23 mystery novels from 1925 to 1945, He was born in 1884. Dorothy Sayers appears to have been a fanh, or at least gave him a good review. And that’s about all anyone knows of Charles Kingston. “Murder in Piccadilly,” published in 1936, was the first of seven novels involving Chief Inspector Wake of Scotland Yard. There’s nothing flashy or eccentric about Chief Inspector Wake – he gets the hob done and the criminal brought to justice by simple and plodding hard work. He knews the terrain he’s investigating, and he knows the people who inhabit it. And he’s relentless. In this first Chief Inspector Wake novel, what I investigated is technically not a mystery. We know how Massy Cheldon came to be killed – with a knife to the heart in the Piccadilly underground station, We know why he was murdered – he had a lot of money, and the heir didn’t want to wait for the old man to die of natural causes. We know all the people involved in the crime. But Chief Inspector Wake doesn’t know what we know, and he is determined to find out what actually happened. So “Murder in Piccadilly” is less a mystery and more of a “will the detective catch the perpetrators” kind of story. Kingston is particularly strong in his characterizations. The crook con artist living offered a borrowed pound here and there; the night club dancer; the weak, spoiled heir who allows himself to be manipulated by all the wrong sorts; and even the capable, competent if rather dull police detective. The reader can easily see the characters because Kingston is so good in describing both their physical looks and their thoughts and actions. The novel is one of the mysteries from the Golden Age (and earlier) being republished by the British Library in its Crime Classics series. Kingston’s novels have been long out of print; this novel, in fact, is the only one available without having to visit used bookstores. “Murder in Piccadilly" is another good example of the kind of books popular in the decades of the 1920s through the 1940s when mysteries and crime novels were enjoyed by large numbers of people in Britain and North America. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #2,149,006 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #5,380 in Historical Mystery #8,520 in Traditional Detective Mysteries (Books) #11,770 in Classic Literature & Fiction | | Customer Reviews | 3.8 out of 5 stars 280 Reviews | ## Images ![Murder in Piccadilly (British Library Crime Classics) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61ATUUtU4TL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mysteries have changed... *by G***L on May 6, 2015* "Murder in Piccadilly: A British Library Crime Classic", by Charles Kingston, is a reprint of a mystery, originally published in 1936, by Poisoned Pen Press. The book is set in London, 1936, and the reader has to realise that styles of mystery writing have changed in the intervening 70 years. Not necessarily improved...but changed. This is not "your" mystery, but more likely your grandmother's. Poisoned Pen Press is republishing a series of these mysteries; "Piccadilly" is the second, so far. "Murder in Piccadilly" is a fun read that is as much a study of mid-1930's society as it is a "who done it". Only one murder occurs, and, though done by a stiletto, is surprisingly bloodless. Much bloodier, in a way, are the conversations among the characters. "Bobbie" Cheldon is a 24 year old man who is waiting for his wealthy uncle to die and leave him his fortune and his estate. Unfortunately, Uncle Massy isn't THAT old, and besides being snobbish, crotchety, and cheap, is likely to live for a while yet. Bobbie is getting tired of waiting for his fortune to be made for him and is unwilling to work for a living. Like many young men without a life's path, he is weak and easily led. And led he is by Nancy Curzon, a 19 year old dancer from Whitechapel. Nancy has appeared in Bobbie's life and is only willing to remain with him if he's rich. Bobbie, who must be the stupidest person in Christendom, is unable or unwilling to see Nancy's true nature. Everyone around him, though, can see it just fine. Okay, so Uncle Massy must die - and he does - for the book to continue. The Scotland Yard detective, Chief Inspector Wake, begins his investigation by asking that old Latin question - "cui bono" - and his investigation brings him directly to Bobbie, the heir. Wake's sized up Bobbie pretty well and knows that he is too weak minded to actually do the deed, so Wake concentrates on Nancy and other characters in her world. Because, even if Bobbie is the direct heir - 10,000BP a year! - others also stand to benefit. Wake and his men investigate and even find the killer, but then a twist at the ending leaves everything - and everyone - at a bit of a loss. It's a clever book, well told. The best thing about this book - and I presume the others in the series - is that it is written contemporaneously. Everything we're reading about actually existed at the time. This is what a a slice of London society looked like. As I like reading historical novels - mysteries, included - it was great fun to read "Murder in Piccadilly" and I'm giving it a 5 star review, within its own genre. IF you're not interested in historical fiction, then you might not like "Murder in Piccadilly" as much as I did. (I was given this book by Poisoned Pen Press, in exchange for an HONEST review, which I have given. I am honest about liking the genre, but telling others who may not, not to buy the book. How much more "honest" can I get?) ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A mystery with a mysterious author *by G***G on February 5, 2016* Perhaps the biggest mystery involved in Charles Kingston’s “Murder in Piccadilly” isn’t even in the book. Who exactly was Charles Kingston? Historians of the Golden Age of the crime and detective novel know that Kingston;’s real name was Charles Kingston O’Mahoney. He has written one historical work, “The Viceroys of Ireland,” before he turned to crime writing. He wrote some 23 mystery novels from 1925 to 1945, He was born in 1884. Dorothy Sayers appears to have been a fanh, or at least gave him a good review. And that’s about all anyone knows of Charles Kingston. “Murder in Piccadilly,” published in 1936, was the first of seven novels involving Chief Inspector Wake of Scotland Yard. There’s nothing flashy or eccentric about Chief Inspector Wake – he gets the hob done and the criminal brought to justice by simple and plodding hard work. He knews the terrain he’s investigating, and he knows the people who inhabit it. And he’s relentless. In this first Chief Inspector Wake novel, what I investigated is technically not a mystery. We know how Massy Cheldon came to be killed – with a knife to the heart in the Piccadilly underground station, We know why he was murdered – he had a lot of money, and the heir didn’t want to wait for the old man to die of natural causes. We know all the people involved in the crime. But Chief Inspector Wake doesn’t know what we know, and he is determined to find out what actually happened. So “Murder in Piccadilly” is less a mystery and more of a “will the detective catch the perpetrators” kind of story. Kingston is particularly strong in his characterizations. The crook con artist living offered a borrowed pound here and there; the night club dancer; the weak, spoiled heir who allows himself to be manipulated by all the wrong sorts; and even the capable, competent if rather dull police detective. The reader can easily see the characters because Kingston is so good in describing both their physical looks and their thoughts and actions. The novel is one of the mysteries from the Golden Age (and earlier) being republished by the British Library in its Crime Classics series. Kingston’s novels have been long out of print; this novel, in fact, is the only one available without having to visit used bookstores. “Murder in Piccadilly" is another good example of the kind of books popular in the decades of the 1920s through the 1940s when mysteries and crime novels were enjoyed by large numbers of people in Britain and North America. ### ⭐⭐⭐ A murder mystery involving a substantial inheritance *by R***B on July 15, 2021* A clever plot revolves around a greedy and spoiled young man who is manipulated by a cunning gangster to ‘speed up’ his hoped for inheritance. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.kg/products/15163790-murder-in-piccadilly-british-library-crime-classics](https://www.desertcart.kg/products/15163790-murder-in-piccadilly-british-library-crime-classics) --- *Product available on Desertcart Kyrgyzstan* *Store origin: KG* *Last updated: 2026-05-03*