Mid-Atlantic 1947. Inspired by the real life case of William Herbert Wallace who was convicted of murdering his wife, The Mouthless Dead by Anthony Quinn moves in time between the Great War, 1931 when the crime is committed and post-Second World War when we hear the account of Detective Inspector Key. Wallace, a convicted murderer who was found guilty of murdering his wife Julia in 1931, is freed on appeal leaving the murder officially unsolved. The backstory is told by the fictional Key, who worked on the fringes of the case and knew Wallace simply by belonging to the same chess club. Key believes the evidence presented at trial did not prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt. In 1947, fifteen years after the trial Key, now retired, is bound for New York on a transatlantic cruise. He is writing his memoir of the Wallace trial and reconsiders the evidence.
This is a novel of two halves for me. Novels based on true-life stories are by necessity a blending of fact and fiction by the author, particularly critical for real-crime cases. In the first half, The Mouthless Dead switches between descriptions of the crime, trial and subsequent appeal using dry factual language close to that of police reports and trial documents, plus the third person viewpoint of Key. This makes for a slow, often impersonal story interleaved with wonderful moments of painfully acute observation familiar in Quinn novels. After a bloody time in the trenches, Key struggles to return to the mundanity of everyday life. Police work helps him. ‘A vital flame had been doused in him, never to be relit’ until eventually ‘the colour seemed to return to the trees, food tasted of something again.’
The story takes off in the second half when Quinn throws off fact and lets his imagination free. On board, Key makes the acquaintance of two fellow passengers, both younger than him. Lydia Tarrant is travelling with her controlling mother, and Teddy Absolom, who is a budding film producer. Both are captivated by the fact he is writing his memoir about such a famous case and Teddy hits upon the idea of the trio writing a screenplay. Initially flattered, their questions become more troubling for Key to answer without divulging confidential information from the investigation. Key is an interesting man but we never get to the bottom of what makes him tick, his viewpoint is all third person and he can be opaque.
The mystery of the Wallace case, at the time it was called ‘the perfect murder,’ is fascinating. As Raymond Chandler said ‘Wallace couldn’t have done it, and neither could anyone else.’ This is an atmospheric novel, particularly in 1930s Liverpool and aboard the Cunard liner; Quinn is always so good at writing the Thirties, especially set in his hometown Liverpool.
Not among my favourite Quinn novels, that’s Curtain Call and Freya.

Read my reviews of these other novels by Anthony Quinn:-
CURTAIN CALL
FREYA
HALF OF THE HUMAN RACE
MOLLY & THE CAPTAIN
OUR FRIENDS IN BERLIN
THE MILLIONAIRE WALTZ
THE RESCUE MAN
THE STREETS

If you like this, try:-
‘Munich Wolf’ by Rory Clements #1SEBASTIANWOLFF
‘The Pure in Heart’ by Susan Hill #2SIMONSERRAILLER
‘A Fatal Crossing’ by Tom Hindle

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COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:-