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John Watson
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The Mystery of the Downs Kindle Edition

by Arthur Rees (Author), John Watson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 213 ratings
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The storm had descended swiftly, sweeping in suddenly from the sea, driving across the downs to the hills at high speed, blotting out the faint rays of a crescent moon and hiding the country-side beneath a pall of blackness, which was forked at intervals by flashes of lightning. The darkness was so impenetrable, and the fury of the storm so fierce, that Harry Marsland pulled his hat well over his eyes and bent over his horse's neck to shield his face from the driving rain, trusting to the animal's sagacity and sure-footedness to take him safely down the cliff road in the darkness, where a slip might plunge them into the breakers which he could hear roaring at the foot of the cliffs.
Hardly had Marsland done so when his horse swerved violently right across the road—fortunately to the side opposite the edge of the cliffs—slipped and almost fell, but recovered itself and then stood still, snorting and trembling with fear.
He patted and spoke to the horse, wondering what had frightened it. He had seen or heard nothing, but the darkness of the night and the roar of the gale would have prevented him, even if his face had not been almost buried in his horse's neck. However, the rain, beating with sharp persistence on his face and through his clothes, reminded him that he was some miles from shelter on a lonely country road, with only a vague idea of his whereabouts. So, with a few more soothing words, he urged his horse onward again. The animal responded willingly enough, but as soon as it moved Marsland discovered to his dismay that it was lame in the off hind leg. The rider was quick to realize that it must have sprained itself in swerving.
He slipped out of his saddle and endeavoured to feel the extent of the horse's injury, but the animal had not entirely recovered from its fright, and snorted as his master touched it. Marsland desisted, and gently pulled at the bridle...
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  1. Print length
    294 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Ozymandias Press
  5. Publication date
    March 28, 2018
  6. File size
    381 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arthur J. Rees (Arthur John 1872-1942) was born in Australia and worked as a newspaperman before moving to England in his twenties. He wrote numerous mystery novels starting with The Merry Marauders in 1913. He collaborated with John R. Watson on two books, The Hampstead Mystery (1916) and The Mystery of the Downs (1918). Other works include The Shrieking Pit (1919), The Hand in the Dark (1920) and The Moon Rock (1922). His last book, The Single Clue was published shortly before his death in 1940.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07BRVFK7K
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ozymandias Press (March 28, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 28, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 381 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 294 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1547274832
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 213 ratings

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John Watson

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Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
3.7 out of 5
213 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Patto
5.0 out of 5 stars A gem of early Golden Age detective fiction
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2014
Verified Purchase
Arthur Rees was fond of locating his mysteries in remote seaside villages. Here the setting is the coastal downs surrounding a fishing village. The landscape is full of dangerous roads skirting treacherous cliffs. The scene of the crime is a gloomy old farmhouse, partly ruined by weather, that has been inhabited by generations of eccentrics. One old recluse hid his money somewhere on the property, and it was never found. His grandson, also reclusive, is found murdered in the farmhouse at the onset of the story.

The narration opens with a violent rainstorm that portends the violence to come. Our sympathies are immediately engaged by the agreeable young man caught in the downpour who is destined to find the body of the murdered man.

The Mystery of the Downs, first published in 1918, is very much a product of its times. World War I is just ending, and several characters have been wounded at the front. One of the minor characters is a medium, reflecting the current fascination with Spiritualism.

An important plot element revolves around a mysterious cryptogram. I found the actual working out of the cryptogram rather tedious reading, but people found of complex puzzles may enjoy it. Otherwise, the plot is quite lively and particularly rich in misleading leads and surprising twists and reversals.

Amusing rivalries arise from the plethora of detectives – local police officers, a hot shot from Scotland Yard, and a famous criminologist who just happens to be visiting in the area.

I was delighted with this book – the vintage flavor, the ominous atmosphere, the appealing characters. And this is not a scanned book, but a real book well edited. As always with Resurrected Press editions, there is an excellent, concise Foreword that places the book in historic context and gives background on the authors.
8 people found this helpful
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Brent Parmenter
4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Classic of its Genre, Read and Enjoy
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2015
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This is a classic English countryside mystery with a very interesting set of circumstances that pit two intelligent detectives at variance with each other as to the meaning of the evidence uncovered by both of them separately pertaining to the crime, which of course, is murder most foul. However, the reader of modern mysteries will be delighted to see that this tale is intriguing and mystifying right up to the last page and is very skillfully narrated throughout its entirety so as to captivate the attention of armchair detectives everywhere and hold them in suspense. I enjoyed it immensely and I have been a fan and avid reader of many, of not most, of today's foremost novelists in this category for several years. I recommend this to you with no misgivings at all. Enjoy.
3 people found this helpful
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Gail Epp
4.0 out of 5 stars unique plot and enjoyed to the last page
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2018
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Unusual setting, unique plot and enjoyed to the last page.
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Robert Haynes
2.0 out of 5 stars Not the best ending
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2019
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Why did the author end this book like was done.
Just not the way to end a nice book, only an author that does not care for the readers !!
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2017
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Arthur Rees excellent as usual. !!! Really interesting story. Great "Who done it"
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

avid reader
4.0 out of 5 stars A gem of its age
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 23, 2020
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Written in 1918, this is obviously showing signs of its age and the social mores of the time in which it was written. If you can lay aside modern prejudices and accept it fo what it is, then you'll have great fun with all the red herrings and double-bluffs. And even the cryptograms.
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Stax135
5.0 out of 5 stars Good detective story.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 11, 2019
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If you like early detective stories in the 1920's this is for you.
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Mrs. Bruce
3.0 out of 5 stars Rather dated and repetitive in places
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 9, 2018
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I found this book very dated - unlike, say "The 39 Steps" or the Sherlock Holmes stories. It was written in
1918 when "the gentry" were to be respected (if not liked!) and p.c. hadn't been invented!
One policeman referred to a female character as "that ugly dwarf" (which she was!).

Captain Harry Marsland is recovering from war wounds - mental and physical. In a storm he enters a farmhouse
and discovers a young lady and later a body. A Scotland Yard detective, Gillet, welcomes help from Crewe (think
Sherlock Holmes). Crrewe is staying with Harry's uncle and is a famous London private investigator that not only
have the police heard of but so have most of the characters in the book, despite living far from London!

Apart from trying to solve the murder, there was also the mystery of where the dead man's grandfather had
stashed all his money before he died. He had left a crytograph which Crewe managed to solve. I just wish he
hadn't taken pages and pages of really boring figures/numbers to solve it! I skipped these in the end.

It reminded me of Agatha Christie's books (which were written much later) where the police went over details and
various scenarios of what could have happened at the scene of the crime. This became repetitive. There were
also lots of red herrings.

This was an o.k. read but not as good as some old classics.
4 people found this helpful
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EV
3.0 out of 5 stars Of its time but not place.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 26, 2018
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It seems a little odd to criticize an author whose book was written around the time of the first World War, but aspects of this mystery irritated me while I was reading it. The plot is complex and full of twists and turns and which seem to make sense, but why was it based on the south coast and particularly, the South Downs if the writer didn't know the area. I wasn't surprised to find th a Rees was actually Australian. Surnames he uses for the various characters sound much too northern and he describes sand dunes on the beaches and sandstone cliffs, none of which are to be found within easy reach of Lewes - the only town mentioned which he hasn't fabricated. The kindle book is free and is an interesting read for its historical viewpoint as well as the mystery.
2 people found this helpful
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Judith Gibson
2.0 out of 5 stars Not my cup of tea
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 6, 2019
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A bit long winded for me
One person found this helpful
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