Man Overboard!
novel by Freeman Wills Crofts
Man Overboard! (also known as Cold-Blooded Murder) is a detective novel by Freeman Wills Crofts, first published in 1936. It is the fifteenth novel in the Inspector French series. The book is set largely in Northern Ireland, and re-uses two of the characters from the earlier novel Sir John Magill's Last Journey (1930) which was set in the same country. As a MacGuffin, the novel centres on a supposedly newly discovered (though possibly fraudulent) reversible chemical process that converts petrol into an inert form which is much safer for transport and storage. The potential commercial value of this discovery leads to intrigue, theft and murder, with everything finally solved by Inspector French after his usual dogged legwork and some flashes of inspiration.
The public source identifies “Man Overboard!” as novel by Freeman Wills Crofts. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Overboard, novel and Freeman.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Man Overboard!”, the useful work is to connect “novel by Freeman Wills Crofts” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6746240. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1936 and 1930.
Rights, attribution and provenance may remain disputed even when a general reference summary presents a stable account. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Man Overboard!”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Man Overboard! primary sources, Man Overboard! archive and Overboard research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Man Overboard!”?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Man Overboard!” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.