Edmund Crispin, a new writer, follows the Innes trail, but does not disdain an authentic plot. The Case of the Gilded Fly occurs among the members of an Oxford Repertory Theatre under war conditions. The leading lady is shot in an undergraduate's rooms; and the case is solved by the Professor of English Literature. The author puts enthusiasm into his dialogue and some life into his characters, but betrays his inexperience by the demands he makes on his villain. The poor creature is neatly chosen for the work; but it is hardly fair to have to help out the solution as well as commit the crime. The motive, I'm afraid, is unworthy of such a thoughtful person.

Ralph Partridge, "Detection: 'The Case of the Gilded Fly'," in The New Statesman & Nation (© 1944 The Statesman & Nation Publishing Co. Ltd.), Vol. XXVIII, No. 702, August 5, 1944, p. 94.