The Custard Corpses

A delicious 1940s mystery

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Pub Date 25 Mar 2021 | Archive Date 13 Apr 2021

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Description

A delicious 1940s mystery.

Birmingham, England, 1943.

While the whine of the air raid sirens might no longer be rousing him from bed every night, a two-decade-old unsolved murder case will ensure that Chief Inspector Mason of Erdington Police Station is about to suffer more sleepless nights.

Young Robert McFarlane’s body was found outside the local church hall on 30th September 1923. But, his cause of death was drowning, and he’d been missing for three days before his body was found. No one was ever arrested for the crime. No answers could ever be given to the grieving family. The unsolved case has haunted Mason ever since.

But, the chance discovery of another victim, with worrying parallels, sets Mason, and his constable, O’Rourke, on a journey that will take them back over twenty-five years, the chance to finally solve the case, while all around them the uncertainty of war continues, impossible to ignore.

A delicious 1940s mystery.

Birmingham, England, 1943.

While the whine of the air raid sirens might no longer be rousing him from bed every night, a two-decade-old unsolved murder case will ensure...


A Note From the Publisher

Meet the Author

M J Porter writes historical fiction set before 1066. Usually. This is M J's first foray into the historical mystery genre and the twentieth century. M J writes A LOT, you've been warned.

Find MJ @coloursofunison or at www.mjporterauthor.com or at www.mjporterauthor.blog where M J blog's about books and films and sometimes, writing!

Meet the Author

M J Porter writes historical fiction set before 1066. Usually. This is M J's first foray into the historical mystery genre and the twentieth century. M J writes A LOT...


Advance Praise

""I was up until 2.30am reading the book because I couldn't wait to see how it ended."" 

"Great little read. I have had the pleasure to read other books by MJ Porter. This is beyond the normal genre and way outside the normal historical timeline. But after saying that I feel compelled to say, absolutely smashed it. I loved it. The opening prologue gripped me, then I couldn’t put it down."


"

""I was up until 2.30am reading the book because I couldn't wait to see how it ended."" 

"Great little read. I have had the pleasure to read other books by MJ Porter. This is beyond the normal genre...


Available Editions

ISBN 9781914332906
PRICE £2.99 (GBP)

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Average rating from 32 members


Featured Reviews

Solving a 20-year-cold murder case in 1943 Birmingham, England knowing today's modern investigation techniques could lead a reader to pass on this story. Oh, but don't! MJ Porter created a masterful plot full of suspense and twists that kept me up reading late into the night.

When 7-year-old Robert McFarlane's body was discovered clean, clothed & left to be readily found on dry land in 1923, an autopsy determined he died from drowning. Every year the family sends reminders to the press and police that the case is still unsolved. No other clues were found for 20 years until the family finds a similar notice in the press from a small town far from Birmingham. Chief Inspector Mason starts digging and doesn't stop until they've found a dozen similar unsolved mysteries surrounding the death of children throughout Britain.

A great read for mystery fans. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. I devoured this book and now wouldn't mind a small bowl of British custard.

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Custard powder was rationed in WW2 & you were usually given one packet every couple of months, with the Shopkeeper marking off your ration book.

This was a first by this author for me & also the first wartime mystery I've read. I usually tend to steer clear of books by authors like Agatha Christie as I don't think I'll get on with them after reading so many modern thrillers & mysteries, but after reading this I think I might give one a try!

This has a fabulous plot, is suspenseful, tense & totally unputdownable. Full of unexpected twists & turns, this was an absolute gem of a book & I'm so glad I was given the opportunity to read it before publication. I'm on the understanding that this is the authors first foray into writing a mystery, let's hope this isn't the last. Loved the way 'custard' becomes so relevant to the case.

Birmingham 1943, the country is at war...

Twenty years ago the body of a young lad Robert McFarlane was discovered, on the anniversary of his death, police are trying to get closure for the boys family & when they are passed some new information, the race is on to find the boys' killer!

Many thanks to Netgalley for my ARC in return for my honest review.

𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 5 ⭐ 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

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Don't start this one before you go to bed, you'll be up all night wanting to read"just one more chapter." Great read not to be missed

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You know when you get so immersed in a book you don't want it to end yet are itching to get to the end to see what happens? This book falls into that category. Suspenseful and twisty, the story is set in 1943 Birmingham, England, during WWII. The war factors into it but it is not the focus. There is a different focus.

Young Robert McFarlane's body was found twenty years ago in 1923. On the anniversary of his death Chief Inspector Mason and Constable O'Rourke catch a sliver of hope and excitement in pursuing the case which has been bothering several people for so long. Family needed closure. Once they dig, they really dig. And find out far more than they had ever dreamed. Joined briefly by Constable Hamish from Scotland they draw piece after piece together. The crimes take them hither and thither to unexpected places. Drowned on dry land? How? And the similarities don't end there. I like the professional camaraderie between Mason and O'Rourke and the layers of mysteries just got more and more tense! Interestingly, the details are gritty yet the book is not a gritty one if that makes sense.

Man, I loved this unmissable book! It was impossible to walk away from. I literally caught myself holding my breath a few times. There are so many interesting bits I'm dying to mention but won't! All mystery readers definitely need to read this. I cannot possibly recommend it enough and am salivating at the mention of the next.

My sincere thank you to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this fabulous, FABULOUS book! What a treat.

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My thanks to Books Go Social and NetGalley for a review copy of this one.

The Custard Corpses is a historical mystery/police procedural set in the 1940s and involving a cold case. Our story opens with Chief Inspector Sam Mason—not serving in the war due to an injury—who is visited by Rebecca McFarlane whose brother Robert had been found dead in mysterious circumstances 20 years earlier when he was only 7. The case was from a time when Mason was a rookie. In charge was his Chief Inspector Fullerton who had left no stone unturned, but had still been unable to solve it; this had preyed on his mind till his death after he retired. Rebecca has been seeking updates regularly but on this visit has brought with her a newspaper report she chanced upon, of another cold case. The case dates back to three years after her brother’s and the details are very similar. Mason is surprised because the station had sent out notices regarding Robert’s case but had received no reports of similar cases. But the lead is promising and he is determined to follow it up. He feels especially strongly about the matter because of Fullerton’s efforts as well as since the victim was known to his son. Tracking his new lead in Weston, he soon finds that not only is this other case similar, but there were also others. We follow Mason and his constable O’Rourke (for a time joined by a Scottish constable, Hamish) as they painstakingly gather information, compare details, and attempt to work out who was responsible for these dastardly crimes.

This was a bit of a mixed read for me as there were aspects, particularly the plot and the way Mason and O’Rourke piece together the puzzle that I really enjoyed but other elements that were not as satisfactory. When I started the book, the prologue (which definitely leads one to expect something creepy) captured my attention but at the same time I found the writing—in places the expressions used and language felt a touch too modern for time period (like ‘sicko’ for instance)—was taking away from my enjoyment a little.

But once we get into the thick of things, as details begin to come to light, more cases are revealed, I was once again completely absorbed. It was interesting that it is not Mason but his wife who finds the most important clue. I really enjoyed the process of investigation, with Mason and O’Rourke making various charts, comparing drawings and following clues. The murders themselves were rather unsettling so the case has a pretty creepy feel as well. Another aspect I enjoyed was the ‘Custard’ connection about which it won’t be fair to write any details but I will say, it was well done, creative and different.

While the investigation and build up, and even the whodunit were enjoyable, I felt at the end that the explanation, the ‘why’ as well as part of the connection between the events of the prologue and what we learn later were not as satisfactory, which made it feel a little flat for me.

But still overall, this was enjoyable read, especially for the plot and the interesting title and how that works out in the story. 3.75 stars!

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Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, MJ Publishing for this Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to review “The Custard Corpses.” All opinions are my own.

Chief Inspector Sam Mason from the Erdington police force delves into an unsolved murder case from 25 years past to solve a present day one in “The Custard Corpses,” set in 1943. The title doesn’t have much to do with the actual dessert confection, the whys and wherefores of that become apparent soon enough.

The death of a child has brought up memories from the past, since an anniversary story has brought out the long dead child’s sister – who also alerts Inspector Mason to a similar case in another part of Britain. How this got overlooked he doesn’t know, but it sets off a chain of events that will soon prove to all and sundry they have a serial killer on their hands. He’s never forgotten what happened, thinks every year if something was overlooked, if there could be something new to investigate. And all of a sudden, there is.

Alongside the investigation, which the author handles with a deft hand in very engrossing fashion we get a look at the emotions and feelings that accompany a wartime Britain, including recollections from the first war. The author has Mason very involved in showing how that shapes his present day.

What’s interesting is how the advertising for a company that produces custard powder is the key to solving the case. And it’s Mason’s wife that produces a clue that brings about the link that starts to pull everything together. That was cleverly done.

There are very emotional scenes in this book, when they (Inspector Mason and his female constable) find the source of the images that are the basis for the staged murder sites. They have found their killer. The case is finally resolved, bringing closure to many families. Too bad that there wasn’t more cooperation amongst the police forces; it’s obvious that the murderer could have been found out much sooner, possibly. Our author, M. J. Porter doesn’t mince words when pointing this out.

“The Custard Corpses” is engrossing, a bit slow paced in places, but it does have to cover a lot of ground. My only strong criticism is that I do believe that Constable Higham is given a bit more responsibility than a female police officer would have had at the time.

There’s an author’s note that explains more about the real-life settings and situations used in the book that makes for interesting reading itself. I’d be happy to follow more of Inspector Mason’s exploits.

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This was a really well written novel. The writing and characters really evoked the war era and the tenacity of Sam and his team was great to read about. It was not a long story and I raced through it to find out the truth behind the murders. Really enjoyable. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy of this book.

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Such an unexpected gem of a read. Wonderfully written in a suitably retro style fitting perfectly with the 1940s storyline. Absolutely loved it, start to finish. Hope there will be a series of books to follow.

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Young Robert McFarlane’s body was found outside the local church hall on 30th September 1923. But, his cause of death was drowning, and he’d been missing for three days before his body was found. No one was ever arrested for the crime. No answers could ever be given to the grieving family. The unsolved case has haunted Mason ever since.

But, the chance discovery of another victim, with worrying parallels, sets Mason, and his constable, O’Rourke, on a journey that will take them back over twenty-five years, the chance to finally solve the case, while all around them is uncertainty, impossible to ignore.

Another thrilling murder mystery. Very crisp, fast paced story telling, with sufficient emotional hold throughout. The ending was bittersweet but it had to be so. Will definitely read more books by the author.

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An irresistible English whodunit cleverly plotted and perfectly set within a richly detailed time period makes the Custard Corpses an engrossing and highly entertaining read. Following Mason and O’Rourke as they investigate and try to untangle the various intricate links between the murders kept me guessing and in the edge of me seat. M J Porter has written a marvellous piece of historical fiction and an unputdownable murder mystery full of highly colourful and unforgettable characters. An amazing and unexpected literary discovery that should be enjoyed without any moderation👍👍

Many thanks to Netgalley and BookGoSocial for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful novel prior to its release date

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Beautifully Evocative....
Beautifully evocative historical murder mystery. 1940’s set, featuring Chief Inspector Mason who is determined to solve a cold case that has been hounding him for some twenty five years. With a vivid sense of place and credible characters this is an engaging and thoroughly enjoyable read.

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Sometimes a book comes along with very little by way of advanced publicity or hype, and it hits the sweet spot right away. One such is The Custard Corpses by MJ Porter. Strangely-named it might be but the reason for the title becomes more obvious - and appropriate - the more one reads. A few sentences in, and I was hooked. It ticks several of my favourite boxes - WW2 historical, police procedural, likeable and thoroughly decent English copper, the West Midlands and a plot which is inventive without being implausible.

We are in the Birmingham district of Erdington. It is 1943 and Great War veteran Sam Mason is a uniformed Chief Inspector at the local nick. He is not yet on the downward slope heading for retirement, but he is like Tennyson's Ulysses:

"Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

He is a man given to reflection, and a case from his early career still troubles him. On 30th September
1923, a boy's body was found near the local church hall. Robert McFarlane had been missing for three
days, his widowed mother frantic with anxiety. Mason remembers the corpse vividly. It was almost as if the lad was just sleeping. The cause of death? Totally improbably the boy drowned. But where? And why was his body so artfully posed, waiting to be found? Mason and his then boss, Chief Inspector Fullerton, had never solved the crime, and Mrs McFarlane died without knowing the whys and wherefores of her son's death.


When  Mason learns that there had been a similar case, a couple of years later, he is close to despair that it hadn't come to light earlier. He realises that the fault was theirs. They hadn't circulated the strange details of Robert's death as widely as they should. Attempting to make amends, albeit two decades too late, he has a circular drawn up, and sent to the police forces across England, Scotland and Wales. To his dismay, a succession of unsolved killings come to light; the dead youngsters are of different ages, but there is one bizarre common factor - the bodies have been posed as if in some kind of sporting action.

Mason is given permission to devote his energies to this macabre series of killings, and with the resourceful Constable O'Rourke, he sets up an incident room, and begins to receive case notes and crime scene photographs from places as far apart as Inverness, Weston, Conway and Berwick. One evening, after he has taken images and documents home with him, his wife Annie makes a startling discovery. Like nearly two million other readers across the country, she is a great fan of the magazine Picture Post, and while thumbing through a recent copy she notices that the sporting youngster drawn in an advertisement for a well-known brand of custard is posed in a way that has a chilling resemblance to the way one of the victims that Sam is investigating.

At this point, the investigation sprouts wings and launches into the air, and in a journey that takes them across England, Mason and O'Rourke eventually uncover a tale of horror and obsession that chills their blood.

MJ Porter has written a  series of historical and fantasy novels, mostly set in what we call The Dark Ages - Vikings, Goths and those sorts of chaps. That doesn't tend to be 'my thing' but, my goodness, he is a good writer. The Custard Corpses goes straight onto my early shortlist for Book of The Year, and I do hope that he can tear himself away from his tales of ravens, rape, swords and general pillage to bring us another novel featuring Sam Mason. The Custard Corpses is out now.

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Set in 1940s Brum, amidst air raids and general unease, our Chief Inspector Mason has a murder of a young boy on his hands. It bears remarkable similarities to a 20 year-old unsolved case that's haunted Mason through his career. Mason and his sidekick O'Rourke work well together teasing out similarities, chasing leads and finding a series of similar cases from other parts of the country - no HOLMES in those days, each police force working effectively in isolation. The atmosphere felt right for the times although Mason was able to get petrol easily enough given that these were cold cases, albeit related to an ongoing investigation. The joy of waiting for responses - something for which we have little tolerance or understanding these days. The story never dragged though. Well-written and well characterised people this was a distinctly enjoyable read although I doubt I'll see custard in quite the same light again! Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

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A quirky whodunnit didn't think I would enjoy it but wow air raids you felt you were in the story line. The title of the book doesn't make sense until you start reading the story

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A well written, entertaining and gripping historical mystery, the first I read in a series and hope there will be more.
Excellent character development, a vivid historical background and a solid mystery that kept me guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

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This was a fabulous read,.Right from the beginning it had me hooked and this was read incredibly fast as I wanted to find out the ending. Would definitely recommend this book.

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Wow! I was hooked from the opening paragraph to the last line.

Set during World War II, a cold case murder is reopened when a possible link is found miles away from Erdington, in Weston. How can they solve murders going back twenty-five year? How are the murders linked? And will there be any other victims?

I enjoyed the interplay between the main characters and felt the relationships were natural. I was quickly invested in their journey and hoped they would be able to solve these crimes as they crossed the UK. I especially like the positive portrayal of the female police, O'Rourke, as policing was seen as a 'man's job' in the forties, and many female police characters in other books have them playing a more subservient role. The story kept me guessing, and I was convinced that one of the police officers may have been involved.

This is the first book I have read by MJ Porter, and it won't be the last. Highly recommend.

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A great mystery which is supported by excellent scene setting and character development. For me, it also showed how modern crime solving techniques have changed over time, but the heartbreak of losing a loved one has remained constant. I loved how the authors made 1943 so clear and real. Such an enjoyable mystery!

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*Many thanks to MJ Porter, BooksGoSocial, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
An entertaining read, despite the WW2 background, that offers a good cold case mystery, well-depicted characters and the feel of what life was like in 1943 in Birmingham. Hope to read more books by the author.

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Really good stuff. A well-crafted mystery with great characters. It's not always a fast-moving plot, but it is engaging, and it has a good ending. Recommended for historical fiction fans. I'll have to circle back to some of MJ's other books.

I really appreciate the review copy!!

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"Sam took hold of the book, surprised by its heft, only to realize it was the knowledge inside that weighed him and not the book at all." This quote from The Custard Corpses reflects how this book is so much more than an historical police procedural. Set in 1943 Birmingham, England and with brief glimpses of other U.K. locations, the author tells the story of the investigation of a cold case from 20 years prior. The main character, Chief Inspector Sam Mason, follows a string of new leads, each built on one coincidence after another to unfurl several additional unsolved murders in other communities that appear to be all connected to the same killer. How many children were victims, who is the killer, what was the motive, why was each victim "posed" in death, and did a killer get away with murder? The investigation lead by Sam is set against the backdrop of life just after the worst of the Blitz during WWII. People in these communities are trying to conduct daily living as normally as possible while food rationing, the fear of new air raids, and concern for loved ones fighting in the war loom around them. To bring up old wounds from unsolved murders only seems to add weight to the already gloomy feeling. However, the possibility of uncovering the truth, and thus offering closure to the families of the victims drives Sam to see the investigation through to its conclusion. This was a very engaging, well-written story that I thoroughly enjoyed! I thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

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Gripping but also totally creepy
The sister of a murdered boy comes to the police station every year on the date of his death to see if there has been any developments in his case, now 20 years later there seems like there could be a link with another murder elsewhere in the country and it will take all of Chief Inspector Sam Mason and Constable O’Rourke’s skills to solve the case
Sam and O’Rourke are a brilliant team and work together really well. They see patterns and as they get further into the investigation their working relationship gets much stronger but they also allow others to have an input and it’s Sam’s wife who makes a key connection thanks to the input of a Scottish officer
This story is fast paced and kept me on my toes with twists and turns at every corner making it impossible to put down. Seeing how the case unfolded was fascinating and I know that I wouldn’t have been able to figure it out, but I was very invested in knowing what would happen next
I’m not going to lie, the crimes in this book are really high on the creepy scale and it has freaked me out quite a bit which I think reflects the writing style and the nature of the story. I haven’t been this unnerved by a book in a long time and may need to sleep with the light on tonight
It’s so compelling and I think this book would appeal to those who enjoy detective stories with brilliant characters and a story that will pull you in and not let you go

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Sam and O’Rourke’s task was a tedious one, back and forth on the train they travel, seeking clues that would aid them in their quest of solving a complex murder that was over twenty years old. O’Rourke couldn’t hide her tears as she watched the dead numbers rose, as more and more of the gruesome and morbid details began to come to light. The book cover was deceptive, you know, I thought it was going to be one of those dreary reads. It was nothing of the sort. Instead, it turned out to be an intriguing, interesting, and captivating read.

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I loved that this was a 1940s mystery, it felt like a true story, The plot is really well done and the characters were really great,

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Didn't feel too in depth but definitely a fun and solid read. I love old time murder mystery and this did not disappoint! The characters and plot definitely make it worth picking up!

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I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. Another great read from a great author, always entertaining but also keeps you thinking. I highly recommend.

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