The Crispin Chronicles

The Glimpses of the Moon

The final case, perhaps, of Gervase Fen; certainly the last one chronicled by Mr Crispin, who died in 1978, only a year after the events related in 'The Glimpes' unfolded.

Julian Symons, historian of crime writing, has stated this to be a disappointing case. In one sense, perhaps, he is correct. Fen played but a small part in the undoing of the killer. True, that small part was what put the floundering police right, but even so…

True, too, that Fen is an aged man at this point, albeit one who climbs trees and whose basic vitality is undiminished.

But that is in itself important, especially when coupled with Crispin's undiminished eye for the bizarre. And Crispin clearly did his homework to piece together this narrative, variously examining from the viewpoints of Fen, the police and the protagonists. In all, he gave us a spendid, lively account of the case.

In essence, what happened was: