Man Overboard!
Encyclopedia
Man Overboard! is a detective novel by Freeman Wills Crofts
, first published in 1936. It is the fifteenth novel in the Inspector French series. The book is set largely in Northern Ireland
, and re-uses two of the characters from the earlier novel Sir John Magill's Last Journey (1930) which was set in the same country. As a MacGuffin
, the novel centres around a supposedly newly discovered (though possibly fraudulent) reversible chemical process that converts petrol into an inert form which is much safer for transport and storage. The potential commercial value of this discovery leads to intrigue, theft and murder, with everything finally solved by Inspector French after his usual dogged legwork and some flashes of inspiration.
Freeman Wills Crofts
Freeman Wills Crofts was an Irish mystery author, one of the 'Big Four' of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.-Birth and education:Crofts was born at 26 Waterloo Road, Dublin, Ireland...
, first published in 1936. It is the fifteenth novel in the Inspector French series. The book is set largely in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, and re-uses two of the characters from the earlier novel Sir John Magill's Last Journey (1930) which was set in the same country. As a MacGuffin
MacGuffin
A MacGuffin is "a plot element that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction". The defining aspect of a MacGuffin is that the major players in the story are willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to obtain it, regardless of what the MacGuffin actually is...
, the novel centres around a supposedly newly discovered (though possibly fraudulent) reversible chemical process that converts petrol into an inert form which is much safer for transport and storage. The potential commercial value of this discovery leads to intrigue, theft and murder, with everything finally solved by Inspector French after his usual dogged legwork and some flashes of inspiration.