Just Finished Reading: The Progress of a Crime by Julian Symons (FP: 1960) [286pp] 

They came back, just as they promised. The bonfire had barely started, and the fireworks were unlit when the bikes roared up, and they started making noise. It wasn’t long before the shouts of abuse rang out and the Teddy Boys started throwing fireworks at anyone within range. Yet again James Corby stepped into the fray and told them to leave. This time they didn’t simply turn away but produced knives. In seconds blood was spilt, the gang ran, and the roar of bike engines had faded. Corby was on the ground, injured, bleeding and all too soon quite dead. Young journalist Hugh Bennet had witnessed some of the incident and, briefly, became the star of his paper with the news of a brutal slaying (briefly) making national headlines. But what did he actually see? Could he even identify the ruffian who pushed a young girl to the ground? Could he swear, hand on heart, which members of the gang actually had knives and used them, and would his testimony stand up in court? 

Although billed (at least on the front cover) as a ‘Fireworks Night Mystery’ there’s precious little mystery involved. There’s the question of which boy pulled his knife and which one (or two?) used it but that was as far as any mystery went. What this interesting crime drama actually turned out to be was rather more complex than that. Partially it was a police procedural where the local cops (assisted by Scotland Yard) figured out who the gang was and built a case against those who they suspected did the deed. Partially it was a pretty good court drama where the defence and prosecution battled it out for innocence or conviction. Interestingly, the death penalty was mentioned a few times (we still had it back then) and how it didn’t apply (usually) to those under 18. Partially it was a look at how the media influenced public opinion on a case to ‘make copy’ and sell papers. Partially it was a coming-of-age story as the cub reporter at the heart of things learns some hard lessons and has to make some difficult choices, and partially a look at the emerging ‘youth culture’ and the breakdown of traditional values especially amongst the Working Class. That’s quite a lot more than a mere mystery! 

Although this wasn’t the gripping, mind bending, head scratcher of a murder mystery that I usually enjoy (actually love) it definitely kept me reading as a slice of cultural history. The characterisation was pretty good – I liked the cynical old newspaper hands who ‘advised’ the cub reporter and I felt sorry for the father of one of the gang members as he struggled to think of where he went SO wrong. If you’re after a hardcore mystery thriller this isn’t really the book for you, but if you want to witness a slice of late-1950's British crime and culture I think you’d enjoy it. Recommended.