# The Box Office Murders — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for The Box Office Murders by Freeman Wills Crofts.

- [I: The Purple Sickle](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/i-the-purple-sickle.md): Inspector Joseph French is introduced while working on a routine case at Scotland Yard. He receives a phone call from Mr. Arrowsmith, a criminal lawyer, who sends a young woman named Thurza Darke to share a troubling sto
- [II: French Makes an Assignation](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/ii-french-makes-an-assignation.md): French investigates the disappearance of Thurza Darke after she fails to meet him for a planned assignation. He learns of her death and presses for a postmortem, which reveals she drowned in fresh water despite being fou
- [III: The Inquest](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/iii-the-inquest.md): The inquest into Thurza Darke's death reveals that she was drowned in fresh water before her body was placed in the sea, confirming murder. Inspector French decides to withhold some details to lull the conspirators into 
- [IV: French Makes a Start](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/iv-french-makes-a-start.md): Inspector French begins his investigation into Thurza Darke's murder, interviewing witnesses at her boarding house and the Milan cinema, where he learns of a mysterious visitor—likely Gwen Lestrange—who met Darke on the 
- [VI: The Supreme Appeal Court](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/vi-the-supreme-appeal-court.md): French faces a period of stagnation after initial progress. He investigates boarding houses to find depressed cinema cashiers, narrowing his focus to three women: Lillian Burgess, Molly Moran, and Esther Isaacs. New repo
- [VII: Fair Passengers](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/vii-fair-passengers.md): Inspector French and his team begin shadowing three box office girls—Lillian Burgess, Molly Moran, and Esther Isaacs—suspected of involvement in the Portsmouth murder. French follows Molly Moran and witnesses her being p
- [The Grey Car's Round](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/viii-the-grey-car-s-round.md): French spends a day shadowing Curtice Welland, who plays golf and returns home without incident. He gathers local intelligence about Welland's quiet, solitary life. Later, French shifts focus to three women employed in b
- [IX: French Makes a Second Assignation](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/ix-french-makes-a-second-assignation.md): Inspector French visits Molly Moran at her boarding house, revealing his identity as a Scotland Yard detective. Her terrified reaction confirms his suspicions. They meet in Charing Cross Gardens, where she claims she is 
- [X: Mr. Cracksman French](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/x-mr-cracksman-french.md): Inspector French conducts a reconnaissance of Welland's garage in Tate's Lane, then returns to Scotland Yard to plan a nighttime burglary with Sergeant Ormsby. They break into the garage, and French discovers a secret co
- [XI: The Happy Paterfamilias](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/xi-the-happy-paterfamilias.md): French, after concluding that Welland is involved in drug trafficking through cinema box offices, sets up a surveillance operation behind a screen to watch Molly Moran. After a long, fruitless watch, he sees nothing and 
- [XII: The Car’s Freight](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/xii-the-car-s-freight.md): Inspector French meets Molly Moran again and persuades her to confess her involvement with the gambling gang. She reveals that she was recruited by Curtice Welland (posing as a cousin) and Style (the bookmaker) after bei
- [XIII: The Transport of Supplies](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/xiii-the-transport-of-supplies.md): Inspector French obtains genuine half crowns from the Mint and exchanges them for Welland's coins from Molly Moran. He examines the coins and finds them to be genuine, not counterfeit. French struggles to understand the 
- [The Property Adjoining](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/xiv-the-property-adjoining.md): French mobilizes the CID to arrest the gang and search for the missing Molly Moran, then investigates the silversmiths' premises where he discovers bags of half crowns dated 1921.
- [XV: Mr. Cullimore Expounds](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/xv-mr-cullimore-expounds.md): Inspector French is deeply worried about Molly Moran's disappearance, blaming himself for not having her shadowed. He receives reports that Style has not been seen at banks, Curtice Welland has also vanished, and the oth
- [XVI: In the Net](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/xvi-in-the-net.md): Molly Moran, having confessed her involvement to Inspector French, is torn between relief and terror. Despite French's warning to avoid certain locations, she is drawn to Waterloo and is kidnapped by Style and Gwen Lestr
- [XVII: The Shadows Loom Nearer](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/xvii-the-shadows-loom-nearer.md): Molly Moran, imprisoned in a dilapidated room, struggles with terror and hope as she contemplates her fate at the hands of Style and Gwen. She attempts to escape by fashioning a screwdriver from a penny and tongs to open
- [XVIII: When Greek Meets Greek](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/xviii-when-greek-meets-greek.md): Inspector French receives a tip from Mr. Edward Boland that paper darts with a plea for help have been found near a big house in Elmford, indicating Molly Moran is held captive. French mobilizes a team, surrounds Mr. Tre
- [Conclusion](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/xix-conclusion.md): The final chapter reveals the full details of the coining scheme masterminded by Jim Sibley, his wife Gwen Lestrange (Mrs. James Sibley), Curtice Welland, and Style. French's investigation uncovers the gang's operations,
- [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/endnotes.md): The endnotes reference two Inspector French novels: The Starvel Hollow Tragedy (1927) and The Sea Mystery (1928), highlighting the ingenuity and brutality of the crimes French solves.
- [List of Illustrations](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_box_office_murders_se/chapters/list-of-illustrations.md): This chapter contains schematic diagrams: a cross-section of a petrol tank with a hidden triangular compartment accessed via a hinge, and a cross-section of two garages connected by an underground pipe linking their insp

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