The Echo Murders – 1945 | 75 mins | Crime | B&W

Plot Synopsis

A meagre “Sexton Blake” programmer based around the jingoistic poor-man’s Sherlock Holmes, and character from many radio plays, novels and comic strips. Whilst the film is exciting and well-paced, the plot is confusing and often takes giant leaps forward fully the characters motives. The dependable David Farrar seems to be grateful to have the work and Dennis Price is criminally underused – spending much of the film behind bars.

James Duncan (Julien Mitchell), a tin mine owner in Tregoweth is being blackmailed into selling his mine due to a murder he committed years earlier, to increase the pressure his mine is also being sabotaged. The blackmailer is Duncan’s private secretary, Rainsford (Dennis Arundell), who is demanding both the mine and the hand of his daughter in marriage in return for his silence.

Duncan sends a plea for help to amateur sleuth Sexton Blake (David Farrar), but by the time the detective reaches the coast, Duncan has been found shot dead, and his works manager, Dick Warren (Dennis Price) is arrested for the crime. Meanwhile, Rainsford is found murdered and suspicion falls on Beales, leader of the Lotus Society, a small group devoted to making the world better through health and strength. The society is really a Nazi spy-ring, intent on making a landing point for an anticipated German invasion.