The Six Syndicate Murder by Geoffrey Osbourne

The Six Syndicate Murder is a mystery set in a Police Training College where the suspects are all police officers. Not just that, the victim, who was killed and stuffed into an antique chest, was a high ranking police officer.

Inspector Blade is called to the scene of crime. Blade and the victim, Ashington, did not get along well. Julie was dating Ashington before she left him to marry Blade. Their son, Richard, might have very well been Ashington’s son and not Blade’s. Ashington was no saint, either. He had risen in his career through blackmail. Keeping this in mind, it’s for sure the enemy list is long. But who would have hated him so much to have stuffed his body in an antique chest.

I have mixed opinions about this book. While the mystery and sleuthing were good, I cannot say the same about character portrayal. A murder in the middle of a busy police academy sounds almost impossible. But as an officer of law, the killer surely knows how to not leave behind any evidence.

As the investigations continue, there are a lot of ‘jumping into conclusions’. Maybe this happens in real life, I do not know. Solving the case also needs some amount of ‘trusting the gut’. But in this case, almost all the investigators knew for ‘sure’ that a certain somebody committed the crime. It was a little annoying to read how the investigators assume things only to be proved wrong a little later.

The mystery behind the murder was impressive. The victims of Ashington’s blackmail had a valid reason to kill him. We also have the angle of affairs, harassment and more.

The three officers who play a major role in this story are Blade, Dorothy and John. We are also given a gist (or more) of their personal lives. Frankly, I believe this information was unnecessary inclusion – their relationship looked fake and too mushy for my taste. Also, a little overly dramatic. Ugh!

The Six Syndicate Murder is neither a thriller nor a cozy mystery. While the suspense keeps you guessing till the end, the characters tend to be a little annoying at times. Overall, this was an okay read.

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