In 1867, Karl Marx published Das Kapital. Whatever your opinions of various economic and political systems, it’s hard to deny that Marx’s criticism of capitalism has had a profound impact on world events. The plight of workers, the issues of workers’ rights, and the gulf between wealthy business leaders and those who work for them have been woven into many books, including novels. That includes crime fiction.
Agatha Christie takes the topic up in more than one of her stories. In One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, for instance, Hercule Poirot investigates the murder of his dentist, Henry Morley. The victim was an inoffensive man who had no financial problems, so the Home Office and the police start to wonder whether his wealthy patient Alistair Blunt might have been the intended victim. Blunt is a successful banker with a great deal of power and a conservative approach to finances and other issues. As such, he’s made plenty of enemies, especially among more radical individuals. One of those individuals is Haward Raikes, who happens to be dating Blunt’s niece, Jane Olivera. Since Raikes is a person of interest, Poirot looks into his background, and we get to know him a bit. He’s determined to create a world where wealth is shared, and where staunch conservatives don’t stand in the way of what he sees as progress. Whether you agree with his view or not, Christie arguably uses him to share that perspective. You’re quite right, fans of Death on the Nile.
In Ngaio Marsh’s The Nursing Home Murder, we are introduced to Home Secretary Sir Derek O’Callaghan, MP. He’s about to introduce a controversial anti-anarchy bill targeting communist and other leftist groups in the country. As you can imagine, that’s made him enemies among several of those groups. One day, he’s making a speech when he suddenly collapses from appendicitis. His good friend, Sir John Phillips, has O’Callaghan sent to his private hospital for surgery and recovery. The operation is a success, but, not many hours later, O’Callaghan dies of what turns out to be hyoscine poisoning. O’Callaghan’s widow calls on Sir Roderick Alleyn to find out who killed her husband, and Alleyn gets to work. He finds that several people had a motive for murder, including those who resented O’Callaghan’s views.
There’s an interesting look at workers’ rights and workers’ concerns in Jonothan Cullinane’s Red Herring. The novel takes place in 1951 Auckland, where the dock workers – the wharfies – are getting ready to go on strike. The government wants this dispute to be settled as soon as possible. The anti-communist sentiment of the early 1950s is strong, and many people are worried that the wharfies are run by communists. With this in the background, Auckland PI Johnny Molloy gets a new case. It seems that Francis ‘Frank’ O’Phelan, AKA Frank O’Flynn, was reported as washed overboard and killed in the Bering Sea. At first, it looks like a straightforward case, and O’Phelan’s insurance company has paid out. But small pieces of evidence suggest there might be something more going on. Then, a picture surfaces of a man who may be O’Phelan, with some of the wharfies. Could they be hiding him? Is he one of them? Molloy’s sympathies are with the wharfies, and he doesn’t want to cause them trouble. But he has a commission, so he starts to ask questions. And as he searches for answers, the conflict between the wharfies and the government gets more and more dangerous. Molloy finds himself in a perilous situation as he tries to get to the truth.
William Ryan’s Captain Alexei Korolev series takes place mostly in Moscow in the years just before World War II. Korolev is a police detective who serves at a time when the political Powers That Be want to show that there is no crime in the Soviet Union. Marx’s and Lenin’s theories have changed the sociopolitical and economic landscapes, and Korolev has had to adapt. At first, he was a supporter of communism, but he has seen that under Stalin, many people have ‘disappeared’ or at least lost everything. The Stalinist government also has made it difficult to do police work, since the goal is to show that the Soviet Union is a peoples’ paradise. It’s an interesting look at how Marx’s theories were implemented, and what happened during those first few decades. Fans of Qiu Xiaolong’s Chief Inspector Chen Cao will know that there are also some interesting reflections on workers and those who employ them, especially when those who are in power seem to have every luxury, even in a communist society.
Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö created a ten-novel series featuring Stockholm police detective Martin Beck and his team. Beginning with Rosanna, the authors often wove their leftist beliefs into the plots. Many of the antagonists in the novels are entrenched powerful industrialists and wealthy capitalists. If they’re not actually murderers, they cover for one another. Interestingly, the views of some of the regular characters (e.g. Lennart Kollberg) are decidedly Marxist. Throughout the series, we see how capitalism has impacted Sweden, and how the police are sometimes forced into the position of going against their own people.
Karl Marx’s work has been in circulation for more than 155 years. It’s shifted paradigms in several societies and is still a topic of a lot of discussion. Little wonder it’s found its way into crime fiction.
*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from John Lennon’s Working Class Hero.
Crime Writer Margot Kinberg 
Fascinating post Margot and such an interesting range of choices. The best of crime fiction can often act as social commentary, and interesting you should pick that Christie – I found a recent re-read very telling, and she was very good at offering both sides of the coin. As for the Martin Beck books, they really follow Sweden through an interesting period of change – as well as being excellent reads!
LikeLike
I’ve always thought that about the Martin Beck series, too, KBR! And although it’s clear that the authors had a strong viewpoint and even agenda, the stories are so good that it never feels like preaching (at least to me). As for Christie, I agree she did offer both sides of stories, and even makes you feel for characters in doing so. That takes talent!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fascinating post Margot!
But wait … I’ve got a story about political views!
Reminds me of an author who took offensive because the person did not share my main characters political view. I received a huge email explaining how I was wrong. The person refused to write a blurb and didn’t speak to me for sometime (a few years). I was flabbergasted to find that an author could take offensive at anything to be honest. 🙂
But two sentences in a crime thriller novel sent this person into an an absolute hissy fit because I was wrong. (In their opinion) But, I wasn’t. Character’s are allowed to be anything when it comes to absolutely everything.
It’s perfectly fine for characters to have opposing views to the author or vice-versa or to have the same political view as long as they are true to their characters.
I come from a team of 5-million. And we proved we can work as a team of 5-million to keep each other safe and still keep our individuality. 😉
LikeLike
I love that last sentence, Cat! There’s no reason that people can’t work together like that. I’m sorry to hear you had so much backlash from a fellow author. What a story! More than anyone, authors should know that characters don’t always share their creators’ views. I know mine don’t always share my opinion. That goes for politics as well as things like pizza toppings, music choices, and so on. And two sentences? Yeesh! That’s quite a reaction for just two sentences. It shows you, though, doesn’t it, how people can get so worked up about politics. And even if you shared your character’s view, it shouldn’t matter. I know people I disagree with; doesn’t mean I troll them!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly. It’s quite interesting when people behave with such vitriol over an opinion that doesn’t agree with theirs.
What a great character someone like that would make …
LikeLike
Ooh, now that’s a great idea for a character, Cat. I’m going to have to let that churn around in my head and come up with one…
LikeLiked by 1 person
They may have caused problems throughout the last century (like the minor matter of two world wars!) but there’s no doubt the twin ideologies of fascism and communism have given us some great novels! I liked the way Christie showed the Red scare in the first Tommy and Tuppence book too, when the Russian Revolution was still happening and there was a real chance of revolution in other European countries, including Britain. And of course all the wonderful post-war spy fiction wouldn’t have happened without communism and the Soviet threat.
LikeLike
Oh, yes, FictionFan, there is the matter of those wars….. As you say, some excellent novels have come out of those ideologies, and they’ve certainly left their marks! I’m glad you mentioned the Beresfords, too. The ‘Red scare’ is woven into their stories, and yet Christie doesn’t take away from Tommy and Tuppence as characters. That takes skill! You’re right, too, about the spy fiction of the last eighty years or so – there are some truly fine novels that were inspired by the threat of communism.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So now you’re a mind reader, Margot. As I approached the end of the first paragraph about One, Two, Buckle my Shoe I was thinking that there a was a chap in Death on the Nile who was very much a socialist. LOL!
The William Ryan series sounds interesting, I will look that up.
LikeLike
I guess we Agatha Christie readers think in similar ways, Cath! And yes, Mr. Ferguson certainly has a lot of strong socialist opinions!!
As for the William Ryan series, I do recommend it. Ryan has done his research well, and really does an effective job of depicting the era as it played out in the then-Soviet Union. There are also (I think) well-crafted mysteries there, too. If you do decide to read the books, I hope you’ll enjoy them.
LikeLike
This is a great post Margot. I’m not a capitalist, but I’m definitely not a Marxist either. I don’t know where I am on the political spectrum. I always find it fascinating when writers weave their ideologies into their novels. Whether it’s crime fiction or otherwise. I think these are the debates that occupy literary criticism classes in colleges. These days a lot of identity politics is woven into novels. I finished Tom Perotta’s Mrs Fletcher today, and though the book keeps you hooked and you wonder what the characters are going to do next, the political statement is present. Whether this is a good thing, I don’t know. But I do know that if we’re dealing with oppressive regimes that persecute people, and a writer wants to portray that, an observational stance isn’t enough. You have to confront the regime in such circumstances.
LikeLike
Thank you, OP. My guess is, plenty of people don’t strictly identify as capitalist or Marxist. Rather, it’s a spectrum, as you say. You’ve really made a powerful point about oppressive regimes and writers. Some things must be confronted, and writers, journalists, and so on need to speak up. The fact is, that’s why I am so opposed to banning books and muzzling the press. The consequences of silencing those voices are just too great. As for weaving politics into novels. I think you have a point that it works best if the main focus of a novel is the plot and the characters, rather than the political statements. Those statements are, I think, most effective when they fall out naturally from what the characters do and where the plot goes. Thanks for mentioning Tom Perotta’s work. I’ll admit I’ve not read that one, but I can see how politics would play a role there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I found Red Square by Edward Topol and Fridrikh Neznansky a very interesting book. Leonid Brezhnev is a character. His family has profited greatly from corruption in the USSR. What struck me the most was how the book, published in 1982, has Russian leadership, as they did later in the decade, partially open up the economy to free enterprise in an effort to save communist regime.
LikeLike
Oh, yes, Bill, I remember your fine review of Red Square. What an interesting look at Brezhnev and the changes in Russian politics and economics at the time. It’s also a good reminder that the people who implemented communism were people with histories and families, etc..
LikeLike