After 12 years, Gus Shanley is free after a successful appeal; but Murdoch believes Shanley was guilty of the murder of his friend, a friend who he believed had made advances towards his then wife. But Shanley's freedom is not due to any error of Murdoch's; he was freed on a possible mistake by Dr. Ogden. The Crown is still interested in retrying the case but has assigned a new detective to review the facts, Detective Watts, who chooses Crabtree as his assistant.
The case revolves around the question of the thallium being used as the poison in cocoa being correctly identified. After 12 years, some witnesses against Shanley are no longer available, not to mention The Crown's chief witness against Shanley, Miss Geraldine Hanover, is a bit of a ditz, and Murdoch wonders if she was ever a reliable witness. And new handwriting experts have their own doubts. Even Julia is having second thoughts and believes she might have made a crucial error. Only Murdoch is positive that Shanley is guilty; but he is not immediately impressed with Detective Watts and his methods or lack of them.
Shanley balks at having the original evidence, the cocoa, immediately examined using the new technique of spectroscopic analysis, and it is locked up pending approval. Unfortunately, the evidence gets stolen before it can be tested.
While Shanley says to the press he bears Murdoch no ill will; we know being put away for 12 years or 144 months or 4,380 days, that Shanley is currently doing his best to upset Murdoch. When he succeeds in having Murduch lose his temper in front of the press, Shanley sues Murdoch for harassment; and even Watts describes Murdoch as a man incapable of following the rules, and is perhaps engaged in a vendetta against Shanley.
It seems the only one pleased to see Shanley is his son Philip. His ex-wife is now remarried to Samuel Ramsay and it's clear he is no fan of Shanley's. When he is found dead, Shanley becomes a suspect. A search of his room reveals nothing, but upon a second search the murder weapon, an ice pick, is discovered by George; but the papers report it was discovered by Murdoch's "top-chum." Is this evidence of a conspiracy to frame Shanley? We know better, of course, and eventually the guilty are caught and punished; and Murdoch and Dr. Ogden proved right all along. But the resolution is tragic and costly and even the bumbling laughs provided along the way by Detective Watts cannot lighten the load.
A rather sad mystery this time. We are left with a smile though as Detective Watts concedes Murdoch and his wife have been proved the excellent team we know, but that Dr. Ogden is not pretty which leaves a nonplussed Murdoch asking Inspector Brackenreid if he should feel insulted. Only we know the answer. I am sure we will meet Detective Watts again; he is too good a character for only one appearance.
The case revolves around the question of the thallium being used as the poison in cocoa being correctly identified. After 12 years, some witnesses against Shanley are no longer available, not to mention The Crown's chief witness against Shanley, Miss Geraldine Hanover, is a bit of a ditz, and Murdoch wonders if she was ever a reliable witness. And new handwriting experts have their own doubts. Even Julia is having second thoughts and believes she might have made a crucial error. Only Murdoch is positive that Shanley is guilty; but he is not immediately impressed with Detective Watts and his methods or lack of them.
Shanley balks at having the original evidence, the cocoa, immediately examined using the new technique of spectroscopic analysis, and it is locked up pending approval. Unfortunately, the evidence gets stolen before it can be tested.
While Shanley says to the press he bears Murdoch no ill will; we know being put away for 12 years or 144 months or 4,380 days, that Shanley is currently doing his best to upset Murdoch. When he succeeds in having Murduch lose his temper in front of the press, Shanley sues Murdoch for harassment; and even Watts describes Murdoch as a man incapable of following the rules, and is perhaps engaged in a vendetta against Shanley.
It seems the only one pleased to see Shanley is his son Philip. His ex-wife is now remarried to Samuel Ramsay and it's clear he is no fan of Shanley's. When he is found dead, Shanley becomes a suspect. A search of his room reveals nothing, but upon a second search the murder weapon, an ice pick, is discovered by George; but the papers report it was discovered by Murdoch's "top-chum." Is this evidence of a conspiracy to frame Shanley? We know better, of course, and eventually the guilty are caught and punished; and Murdoch and Dr. Ogden proved right all along. But the resolution is tragic and costly and even the bumbling laughs provided along the way by Detective Watts cannot lighten the load.
A rather sad mystery this time. We are left with a smile though as Detective Watts concedes Murdoch and his wife have been proved the excellent team we know, but that Dr. Ogden is not pretty which leaves a nonplussed Murdoch asking Inspector Brackenreid if he should feel insulted. Only we know the answer. I am sure we will meet Detective Watts again; he is too good a character for only one appearance.
