F. Van Wyck Mason’s The Sulu Sea Murders

The Sulu Sea Murders was the seventh of F. Van Wyck Mason’s thirty-one Hugh North spy thrillers. It was published in 1933. While these novels are usually considered to be spy fiction it should be pointed out that many of the early books in this series are as much murder mysteries as spy thrillers, and quite a few are in fact pure murder mysteries. Such is the case with The Sulu Sea Murders. It’s a murder mystery but the exotic setting adds interest.

Hugh North is an officer in the US Army’s intelligence division, G-2, but in the early books he works for the Department of Criminal Investigations. He is essentially a military policeman. He holds the rank of captain (by the time the series ended in 1968 he had been promoted to colonel).

The Sulu Sea Murders opens with the murder of a pearl diver in the Philippines. All that is known of the murderer is that he is a member of the American garrison on the nearby island of Sanga Sanga. Hugh North is sent to Sanga Sanga to investigate.

The American garrison is quartered in Fort Winfield, a very old castle built by the Spanish. It’s a rabbit warren. There are parts of the castle that the Americans have never even attempted to explore - it would to be too easy to become hopelessly lost.

There’s one thing North is pretty sure of - pearls are involved somewhere in this case. It soon becomes obvious that the atmosphere at Fort Winfield is not merely tense, it’s explosive. There are professional jealousies among the officers. The commanding officer, Major Flood, is hated by all.

There are three women each of whom seems to be at the centre of romantic and sexual intrigues. One is Flood’s French-born wife. Theirs is clearly not a happy marriage. Then there’s Captain O’Hare’s wife, universally referred to as Anytime Annie. There’s also Manuela, the beautiful young daughter of the local Spanish grandee. All three women are engaged in flirtations or affairs.

Those pearls also suggest that greed is going to play a part in this tale.

There are countless motives for murder, and there are several murders in quick succession. In two cases the identity of the killer seems obvious but Hugh North is not satisfied. He doesn’t like jumping to obvious conclusions.

Hugh North is very much a scientific detective. Forensic science provides some of the vital clues that will eventually lead to a solution of the case. North doesn’t rely too much on flashes of intuition. He is patient and methodical.

The old Spanish fortress plays a major role in the story. As does a shipwreck. There’s also the curious and colourful profession practised by one of the chief murder suspects before he enlisted in the army. There are conflicted loyalties and there are double-crosses.

The climate becomes almost a character in the story. The stifling heat raises tensions ever higher and there’s a hurricane on the way. The approaching hurricane plays a key role in the plot, adding a crucial time element.

This book is very much in the vein of the puzzle-plot mysteries of the golden age of detective fiction and I think it qualifies as a fair-play mystery. This one has a pleasingly intricate plot that comes together neatly at the end.

I am personally a huge fan of mysteries, thrillers, horror tales and melodramas in tropical settings. You get that feel of overheated passions and the loosening of moral restraints which always leads to entertaining emotional mayhem. It always works for me and it works in this book.

The Sulu Sea Murders is thoroughly enjoyable and is highly recommended.

I’ve reviewed several of F. Van Wyck Mason’s other Hugh North novels - The Shanghai Bund Murders, The Fort Terror Murders, The Singapore Exile Murders, The Branded Spy Murders and The Budapest Parade Murders.

I’ve also reviewed his The Castle Island Case which doesn’t feature Hugh North but is a fascinating illustrated murder mystery with photographic clues.