Death in Captivity by Michael Gilbert
A man is discovered dead in an escape tunnel located below an Italian POW camp. Did he accidentally fall to the ground and die, or was this murder? The investigation is taken on by Captain Henry “Cuckoo” Goyles, an expert tunneler and amateur investigator.
As the Second World War approaches its conclusion and the British captives prepare to depart into the Italian countryside, a thrilling tale of escape from the camp is weaved into this traditional locked-room mystery with a small group of suspects.
Death in Captivity by Michael Gilbert
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Michael Gilbert’s personal experience as a prisoner of war during the Second World War served as the basis for this in a very direct manner. He was a member of the armed forces, caught in Italy, and held at a POW facility. While he was there, he came to the realization that creating a believable circle around your suspects was the most challenging aspect of writing mystery novels in the 1920s and 1930s. It must be one of only, say, these eight people for such a book to be good; it cannot have been a random homicidal maniac who entered the building, committed the crime, and then fled. That would not be intriguing.
He came to see that the prisoner of war camp is a particularly excellent and rare illustration of the closed circle. Entry and exit are strictly regulated. He chose to work with the fact that nobody can enter or exit since that is the whole point. Although he composed it after the conflict, it nonetheless captures his own experiences.
The fact that it is situated in an odd location and is based on his extraordinary experiences during the war adds more context to the excellent mystery. It’s a cute little account of something you might not often get to read personally.
