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British spy, Tommy Hambledon, has returned to England just in time to investigate the murder of an informant, who was to have supplied valuable information regarding the sabotage of British ships. British spy Tommy Hambledon has returned to England after a successful stay in Germany. Before he has the chance to complete the integration process, Hambledon is asked to assist junior intelligence officer Jimmy Bellair. Bellair has an informant, Donald Macgregor, willing to provide details about the sabotage occurring at Portsmouth Harbor; however, he will only talk to someone at the top. In order to protect the informant's identity, they are to hold their meeting at the Café D'Albertini on New Year's Eve. Unfortunately Macgregor is killed just outside the café while the New Year is welcomed in with singing, shouting, laughter and the church bells. Everyone in the café is a suspect as no one is able to provide a solid alibi during the display. Therefore Bellair and Hambledon must befriend these partygoers in order to determine Macgregor's killer and discover the conspiracy he was to have exposed. These suspects include Bettine Gascon, a teacher and a self-centered airhead; her dinner companion Stafford Wikins, the man Bettine promises to marry if she does not find someone more appealing first; Rodney Siddall, a well-known hairdresser; and Elsie Roberts, who is nicknamed the Wax Doll. These suspects, in fact all of the partygoers, have secrets they wish to keep. Without seeming to be unhelpful, no one is completely honest about themselves or the reasons they went to Café D'Albertini rather than another restaurant. Bellair's approach to this investigation is hands on as he wines and dines Bettine and goes drinking with several of the male suspects. This approach causes him to receive several injuries but does not provide clarification regarding Macgregor's murder. He does make some bad decisions; yet he does not become caught up in the suspects' lives as Bellair does. By combining the seemingly separate inquiry of Bellair with his own inquiry, Hambledon is able to discover the killer's identity and end the sabotage at the harbor. I found it difficult to get into this book. THEY TELL NO TALES begins with descriptions of the main characters as well as a glimpse at what makes them tick. While this was helpful from a plot standpoint, it did result in a disjointed narrative. After the murder of Donald Macgregor, the narrative moves more smoothly and becomes easier to follow. But the murder does not occur until a third of the way into the book. By delaying the point where the narrative becomes cohesive, Coles risked the chance of losing a lot of readers. There is enough humor and entertainment that readers, who stick with THEY TELL NO TALES, are rewarded. For readers willing to accept slower moving mysteries and readers who enjoy character based mysteries, THEY TELL NO TALES will be enjoyable. THEY TELL NO TALES was originally published in 1941. Rue Morgue Press has been republishing numerous older mysteries that have gone out of print but are never completely forgotten by the mystery aficionado. While I did not enjoy THEY TELL NO TALES as much as I had hoped, I am glad that Rue Morgue chose bring it out once more. Regardless of my personal reading tastes, it is always important to see how the mystery genre has changed from its earlier days.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, February 2009
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