''The Floating Admiral'' is a collaborative detective novel written by fourteen members of the

Detection Club The Detection Club was formed in 1930 by a group of British mystery writers, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ronald Knox, Freeman Wills Crofts, Arthur Morrison, Hugh Walpole, John Rhode, Jessie Rickard, Baroness Emma Orczy, R. Aus ...

in 1931. The twelve chapters of the story were each written by a different author, in the following sequence: Canon

Victor Whitechurch Victor Lorenzo Whitechurch (b. Norham, Northumberland 12 March 1868 – d. Buxton, Derbyshire 26 May 1933) was a Church of England clergyman and author. He wrote many novels on different themes. He is probably best known for his detective stori ...

G. D. H. Cole George Douglas Howard Cole (25 September 1889 – 14 January 1959) was an English political theorist, economist, and historian. As a believer in common ownership of the means of production, he theorised guild socialism (production organised ...

and

Margaret Cole Dame Margaret Isabel Cole (née Postgate family, Postgate; 6 May 1893 – 7 May 1980) was an English socialism, socialist politician, writer and poet. She wrote several detective stories jointly with her husband, G. D. H. Cole. She went on to h ...

Henry Wade Henry Menasco Wade (November 11, 1914 – March 1, 2001) was an American lawyer who served as district attorney of Dallas County from 1951 to 1987. He participated in two notable U.S. court cases of the 20th century: the prosecution of Jack Rub ...

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

John Rhode Cecil John Charles Street (3 May 1884 – 8 December 1964), who was known to his colleagues, family and friends as John Street, began his military career as an artillery officer in the British Army. During the course of World War I, he became a ...

Milward Kennedy Milward Rodon Kennedy Burge (21 June 1894 – 20 January 1968) was an English civil servant, journalist, crime writer and literary critic. He was educated at Winchester College and New College, Oxford. He served with British Military Inte ...

Dorothy L. Sayers Dorothy Leigh Sayers (; 13 June 1893 – 17 December 1957) was an English crime writer and poet. She was also a student of classical and modern languages. She is best known for her mysteries, a series of novels and short stories set between th ...

Ronald Knox Ronald Arbuthnott Knox (17 February 1888 – 24 August 1957) was an Catholic Church in England and Wales, English Catholic priest, Catholic theology, theologian, author, and radio broadcaster. Educated at Eton College, Eton and Balliol Colleg ...

Freeman Wills Crofts Freeman Wills Crofts FRSA (1 June 1879 – 11 April 1957) was an Irish mystery author, best remembered for the character of Inspector Joseph French. A railway engineer by training, Crofts introduced railway themes into many of his stories, whi ...

, Edgar Jepson,

Clemence Dane Clemence Dane CBE is the pseudonym of Winifred Ashton (21 February 1888 – 28 March 1965), an English novelist and playwright. Life and career After completing her education, Dane went to Switzerland to work as a French tutor, but returned ...

and

Anthony Berkeley Anthony Berkeley Cox (5 July 1893 – 9 March 1971) was an English crime writer. He wrote under several pen-names, including Francis Iles, Anthony Berkeley and A. Monmouth Platts. Early life and education Anthony Berkeley Cox was born 5 July ...

. G. K. Chesterton contributed a Prologue, which was written after the novel had been completed.Charles Osborne, ''The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie'', London, 1982. In a literary game of consequences, each author would write one chapter, leaving G.K. Chesterton to write a typically paradoxical prologue and Anthony Berkeley to tie up all the loose ends. In addition, each of the authors provided their own solution in a sealed envelope, all of which appeared at the end of the book. As Sayers explained in the introduction to the book, "Each writer must construct his instalment with a definite solution in view—that is, he must not introduce new complications merely 'to make it more difficult' ... ch writer was bound to deal faithfully with ''all'' the difficulties left for his consideration by his predecessors."

Literary significance and criticism

''A Catalogue of Crime'' of 1971 describes the book as follows:

Plot summary

On a drifted boat, the body of Admiral Penistone is found. Last night, he had dinner with his niece in the house of the vicar. Afterwards he used his own boat to navigate over the river to his home. However, the boat on which the admiral is found is not his property, but is owned by the vicar. The admiral was stabbed by a knife or a dagger, but there is no blood on the floor. Furthermore, the mooring line has been cut.

List of characters

*Neddy Ware: a local of the village who owns a boat. He discovered the body of the Admiral, of whose crew Ware once was a part. He is known to generally be peace-loving but can have a temper and a sailor's vocabulary when roused. *Constable Hempstead: a local police officer who was on night duty around the time of the death and spotted a mysterious figure in a car. *Inspector Rudge: the inspector working on the case of Admiral Penistone's murder. *Reverend (Mr) Mount: the vicar of the village, on whose boat the body of Admiral Penistone is found. His hat is found near the body. He has two sons and a runaway wife who left him for another man. *Alec Mount: one of Reverend Mount's two sons, a sixteen-year-old. *Peter Mount: one of Reverend Mount's two sons, a fourteen-year-old. *Sir Wilfrid Denny: a friend of Admiral Penistone and a retired civil servant who is fond of his garden. He had ties with the Admiral in China and, strangely, rushed off to London on the morning of the discovery of the Admiral's body. *Elma Holland (née Fitzgerald): a young woman, about thirty or a few years above that age. She wasn't beautiful, as judged by Rudge, but if she made herself up she could have been pretty. She is the niece of the Admiral and engaged to Arthur Holland. She has been in the area for a month and is of independent means. *Arthur Holland: a young, handsome man with a slightly sunburnt face who is engaged to Elma. He is a tradesman who works with materials such as rubber, silk and jute, trading the items for China. He stayed at the Lord Marshall hotel in nearby Whynnmouth at the time of the murder. He secretly marries Elma. *Mrs Davis: the local gossip and the proprietress of the Lord Marshall at Whynnmouth, who provides Rudge with invaluable details (mostly scandalous in nature). *Mr Daker: a solicitor and a friend of Mr Fitzgerald (Mr Fitzgerald is the father of Elma and Admiral Penistone's brother-in-law): a dryly cautious man with a strong family feeling. *Walter Fitzgerald: Elma's brother, an attractive young man who forged a document while working in China. He has been missing for a period of time and if he comes forward he will be arrested for the forgery - if he doesn't he will lose his father's inheritance.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Floating Admiral, The 1931 British novels British mystery novels Collaborative novels Hodder & Stoughton books