Dr. Morelle & the Drummer Girl by Ernest Dudley

We never have any doubt that she will be rescued. In Dr Morelle and the Drummer girl Miss Frayle is captured, tied up and lodged in a hidden room. Nor are they really thrillers, because there is a notable absence of tension. They are far from the Agatha Christie school of whodunnit, with Morelle often spotting key evidence that he slips into his pocket without Miss Frayle or the reader being able to catch a glimpse of what it is. Yet his heart is in the right place and he can be relied on to solve the crime, save the innocent and see the guilty brought to justice.

He’s a dark, brooding presence (the author, Ernest Dudley, rather over-uses ‘saturnine’ when describing him). He’s arrogant and rude and continually belittles his assistant, the mousey Miss Frayle. Partly it’s that Dr Morelle is a wonderfully inappropriate hero. I’m a big fan of old-school detective stories (though I personally favour the 1930s when Simon Templar – the Saint – was at his buccaneering best) and I find these strangely fascinating. Endeavour Media (my own publishers) are republishing the Dr Morelle books from the 1940s and 50s and I’m going to write about these. Our goal is to entertain, educate give you a glimpse into the past.It’s Tuesday, so time for another Tuesday book blog.

The shows do not necessarily reflect the views, standards, or beliefs of Golden State Media Concepts or the GSMC Podcast Network. Remember that times have changed and some shows might not reflect the standards of today’s politically correct society.

***PLEASE NOTE*** GSMC Podcast Network presents these shows as historical content and have brought them to you unedited. Let Golden State Media Concepts take you on a ride through the classic age of radio, with this compiled collection of episodes from a wide variety of old programs. The GSMC Classics collection is the embodiment of the best of the golden age of radio. GSMC Classics presents some of the greatest classic radio broadcasts, classic novels, dramas, comedies, mysteries, and theatrical presentations from a bygone era. Morelle is played by English film actor Cecil Parker, and is alternately helped and hindered in his investigations by his secretary Miss Frayle, played by film actress Sheila Sim. Morelle is a criminal psychologist who helps the police solve murders. Morelle is a radio drama from 1957, broadcast on the BBC.

Dr. Morelle & the Drummer Girl by Ernest Dudley