The Hampstead Mystery

There are the stumbling police force, the shrewd gentleman private eye, the beautiful and mysterious woman, and all the rest of the stock characters of this style of fiction.  The plot, while a little bit of a stretch, isn't wholly implausible. The characters, however, never seemed to become truly alive. While Rees shows himself a good observer of human nature, he fails to use that knowledge to make his characters engaging. They remain flat and interesting only through what facts they bring to light.