Murder in the Telephone Exchange

April 7, 2014
First published in 1948, this welcome reissue of Australian author Wright’s first mystery features Maggie Byrnes, a “telephonist” at the Melbourne Exchange, who gets swept up into the investigation of the murder of a much disliked supervisor. Who would want to bash in the head of nosy Sarah Compton? Maggie doesn’t accept the suicide of one of her coworkers as a confession, irritating both John Clarkson, a senior traffic officer who worries about her safety, and Detective-Sergeant Matheson, who fears the same. The period charm is most noticeable in the loving descriptions of the very latest technology available at the Melbourne Exchange. The downside is the routine sexism and racism. For example, the elevator operator can’t be guilty because “he’s one of the whitest men in the building.” Still, the story creates an engaging porthole into the past, with lively characters and inventive plotting.

April 1, 2014
A best-seller when it was first published in 1948 in Australia: A telephone operator turns sleuth when a colleague is murdered. Maggie Byrnes and her co-workers are not really surprised when someone bashes in Sarah Compton's head with a piece of equipment known as a buttinsky, because Sarah, widely disliked for her nosy, interfering ways, was something of a buttinsky herself. But it's still nerve-wracking to know that a murderer is loose in the telephone exchange. The exchange, a hive of activity, quiets down a bit during the night, when the mostly female staff has more time for gossip, jealousy and backbiting. Maggie thinks the police would be very interested in her inside knowledge should she ever decide to share it with them. She and her best friend, Mac, are both romantically interested in supervisor John "Clark" Clarkson. So Maggie's not sure whether it's jealousy or Mac's desire to beat her to the mystery's solution that suddenly turns their friendship cold. Though Maggie gets surprising latitude from DI Coleman and DS Matheson of the Melbourne police, they both warn her of the dangers of hiding information. Maggie's sleuthing turns up a great deal of information that people would prefer remain hidden. When a co-worker commits suicide, Maggie feels guilty but can't give up the hunt. When Mac becomes the next victim, however, Maggie is devastated, especially since what she knows adds her to the killer's list. A classic English-style mystery with a perky heroine reminiscent of Georgette Heyer's clever sleuths, packed with detail and menace.

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