When the time comes for you to retire, Hugo, if you want a quiet life, don't settle down in the country. Bury yourself in London or any really large city, and you can live like a hermit, but avoid the outskirts of a village. I am dazed by the ceaseless whirl of activities in which almost everyone in and round Ravenskirk is involved.Sara Monteith makes an ideal correspondent for Hugo Jamieson, brother of her lost love Ivo, killed in the war before they could marry. Her neighbours in the lovely Border village of Ravenskirk don't know that Sara has moved here because it's where Ivo and Hugo grew up, but they welcome her warmly. Soon, she's drawn into the active village social scene of tea parties, gardening, carol-singing, and Coronation festivities, dodging the judgments of stern Miss Bonaly, defending her helper Madge Marchbanks, an unwed mother, befriending kind, practical Elizabeth Drysdale and charming Mrs. Currie and her daughter Sylvia (the latter first met halfway through Sara's drawing room window), and having an embarrassing first encounter with rugged Major Whitburn. Add in her nephew Arthur, neglected by an indifferent father, Arthur's dog Pam, and even Hugo himself returning unexpectedly from overseas, and Sara's life is a 'ceaseless whirl' indeed!Molly Clavering was for many years the neighbour and friend of bestselling author D.E. Stevenson (in just such a village as Ravenskirk), and they may well have influenced one another's writing. First published in 1955, Dear Hugo is one of the funniest of her spirited, joyful comedies of Scottish village life. This new edition includes an introduction by Elizabeth Crawford.
Miss Dorothea Balfour was nearer seventy than sixty, but there was something childlike about her . . . She felt rather like a child, a lost, bewildered child, and she was doing what Belle had always objected to so strongly: staring out of the window at 'those rather odd persons next-door' . . .Shy, uncertain Miss Balfour is still finding her way after the sudden death of her domineering sister Belle, who-following a failed marriage many years ago-had returned home and made a career of brow-beating her meeker sibling (her memorable final words were 'Don't be a fool Dottie'). But Dorothea soon begins exploring her newfound freedom, observing and then becoming happily enmeshed in the doings of her neighbours, the widowed Mrs. Lenox and her five unusual and charming children, with whom Belle had always forbidden contact. Domestic challenges, romantic difficulties, and efforts to aid a painter's abandoned family-all are facilitated by Dorothea's calm intelligence. And before long she has drama of her own, from her spontaneous rescue of an endangered child to her encounter with Belle's long-lost husband, from whom she learns some surprising secrets.Molly Clavering was for many years herself a near neighbour and friend of bestselling author D.E. Stevenson, and they may well have influenced one another's writing. Originally published in 1956 and set vividly in postwar Edinburgh, Near Neighbours is one of Clavering's most cheerful and amusing tales. This new edition includes an introduction by Elizabeth Crawford.
"e;I believe those men were murdered just as clearly as if they had been stabbed to the heart with a knife. The only sign that they bore was a dull red mark . . . behind the ears."e;Six men meet at the vicarage of St Crayle one evening to tell each other ghost stories. In particular, it is Martin Burke's tale, one of a homicidal chimera in India, that chills his audience to the bone. Burke believes that the events in the story might be a demonstration of pure evil.This is soon revealed to be a prophecy of sorts, when one of the men disappears that very night, walking home across Constanton Moor. His body is found a week later, without a mark on him, save a look of sheer terror on his face - and a dull red mark behind his ear.Cold Evil was first published in 1938. This new edition features an introduction by Steve Barge.
"e;Tell me, Doctor, could the wound have been made by the antlers of an angry stag?"e;With Scotland Yard overstretched, Anthony Bathurst is recruited to investigate the death of seventy-three year old Robert Forsyth in the village of Upchalke. Forsyth had been brutally attacked in his home and stabbed through the chest with an unknown weapon.As suspicions form that Forsyth was not who he claimed to be, Bathurst is troubled by a particular detail of the case. Why was a model of a stag, carved from ebony, carefully placed next to the corpse - and then smashed to pieces?The Ebony Stag was first published in 1938. This new edition features an introduction by Steve Barge.
The moment they entered, Anthony pointed to the floor and to a hand that protruded from beneath the bed.Dr. Traquair is determined that either he or his wife should die. He decides to allow her to cut a deck of cards to see who will shoot whom - highest card wins.As the winner of this deadly duel, Traquair takes flight, desperate to elude capture for his crime. Super-sleuth Anthony Bathurst takes up the chase, but it seems that, this time, he may be matching wits with someone just as crafty as he is. And when more corpses turn up, it looks as though the adversary might be far more ruthless than even Bathurst could have anticipated.Black Edged was first published in 1939. This new edition features an introduction by Steve Barge.
"e;Before she could finish what she wanted to say, she just gasped once or twice and died there in my arms."e;Nothing seems amiss at the Hillier family dinner party but the very next morning Jacqueline Hillier is found dying in her car. Her clothes are dirty and torn, her face bruised, but it was an overdose of chloral hydrate which took her life. Nobody knows where she might have gone . . . and nobody knows why, after her funeral, her grave is covered in violets.Anthony Bathurst, a guest at the local hostelry, is intrigued by the case, officially ruled as a suicide. Acting unofficially, outside of the police investigation, his resources are limited, yet he will need to move swiftly-Death is far from done with the Hillier family.The Case of the Faithful Heart was first published in 1939. This new edition features an introduction by Steve Barge.
"e;I cannot tell you of your future - because there is no future for you."e;Three remarkable things happen to Aubrey Coventry in one day. First, he is contacted by Wall Street financier Silas Montgomery with a lucrative business proposition - although Montgomery insists on meeting him at two a.m. the following day. Second, at a village garden party, a fortune teller cannot read his future, as he does not have one. And thirdly, a shabbily-dressed man reacts with a vicious snarl when simply asked for a light.The fortune teller is proven correct when Coventry is found dead in his office the next morning. Private Detective Anthony Bathurst finds himself on the trail of the snarling man, reported to have been following Coventry in the night. To unmask the culprit, however, Bathurst is going to need help from some very special friends . . .The Case of the Painted Ladies was first published in 1940. This new edition features an introduction by Steve Barge.
"e;I don't like any of it. He's either being prevented from going home by force . . . or else he'll never go home again."e;'Lefty' Donovan, a boxer, leaves home after receiving a mysterious offer that seems too good to be true-and is never seen again. His wife, Flora, approaches Anthony Bathurst to look for her husband, but he fears the worst, especially when he discovers another fighter who had vanished in identical circumstances weeks earlier.As time ticks down to a crucial bout, a body is found, suffering from terrible clawed lacerations, with a mysterious footprint nearby. The work of a mythical beast? The truth is that Bathurst finds himself up against an enemy even more monstrous . . .They Never Came Back was first published in 1940. This new edition features an introduction by Steve Barge.
"e;Murder? Is that how you see it? Well-I don't! Justifiable homicide more like it!"e;Hubert Grant is a fairly unpleasant man. He also thinks he is happily married.Dorothy Grant despises her husband but finds consolation in the handsome Laurence Weston. In order for the lovers to be happy, however, the intolerable Hubert needs to be cut out of the picture. Permanently.Dorothy and Laurence start plotting. But the best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley and by the end of the scheming, there will be more than one body. Enter detective extraordinaire Anthony Bathurst . . .Such Bright Disguises was first published in 1941. This new edition features an introduction by Steve Barge.
"e;Do not doubt me, my friends; you shall all be dead before morning."e;New Orleans, 1930. Eight guests are invited to a party at a luxurious penthouse apartment, yet on arrival it turns out that no one knows who their mysterious host actually is. The latter does not openly appear, but instead communicates with the guests by radio broadcast. What he has to tell his guests is chilling: that every hour, one of them will die. Despite putting the guests on their guard, the Host's prophecy starts to come horribly true, each demise occurring in bizarre fashion. As the dwindling band of survivors grows increasingly tense, their confessions to each other might explain why they have been chosen for this macabre evening-and invoke the nightmarish thought that the mysterious Host is one of them. The burning question becomes: will any of the party survive, including the Host . . . ?The Invisible Host (1930) established one of the best-loved and most durable forms in classic mystery fiction. It was famously to reappear in Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (1939). How much Christie's novel is indebted to its predecessor is open to conjecture (and the subject is discussed in our new introduction, by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans). Whatever the verdict, readers will delight in The Invisible Host, an innovative and most unusual mystery from the golden age of crime fiction. It was adapted into a play, and a Hollywood movie as The Ninth Guest (1934).
It was indeed very difficult for the Laventie children not to be a little priggish.Ann Laventie, the youngest of three children in a long line of anti-social Sussex gentry, doesn't quite fit the mould of her intellectual, elegant, ultra-modern siblings Dick, an artist, and Elizabeth, a high-brow writer. Their father is scholarly and just wealthy enough to focus all his attention on reading and other highbrow pursuits. Ann, on the other hand, worries about being plump, is what might be called a 'people person,' and appreciates the simpler pleasures. As the young Laventies spend more and more of their time in the glitter of London, their differences grow more pronounced, and when Ann returns home with an unsuitably ordinary fiance, this dazzling, witty battle of the brows reaches its exhilarating climax.Rhododendron Pie, one of Margery Sharp's rarest and most sought-after novels, was her debut, reportedly written in one month while Sharp worked as a typist and shared a flat in Paddington with two other girls. But it already shows all the charm, humour, and sophistication that characterizes Sharp's beloved later work. First published in 1930, it has, inexplicably, never been reprinted. Until now. This new edition features an introduction by twentieth-century women's historian Elizabeth Crawford.'A first novel of quite unusual charm, pointedly and gracefully written, and whimsically human' Yorkshire Post
He also made himself a weekly allowance of five shillings for cigarettes, stationery, amusements, shoe-repairs, razor-blades, laundry, toothpaste, hospitality and 'bus fares; and having thus cut his coat to his cloth, wore it in great content.The only thing he had not allowed for (and this in an author must surely be considered strange) was Love.Upon the death of his distant, unaffectionate father, Alistair French, a young store clerk, takes his small inheritance and escapes from the humdrum to a flat in London in order to Write. He and his friend Henry take cheap lodgings in a Paddington boarding-house whose denizens include the spirited, starstruck Winnie Parker, her full-throated mother, who shares Winnie's passion for films if not her admiration for Garbo ("e;'Olds 'erself like a sack of potatoes"e;), and (generally) an army of Winnie's admirers.But Alistair, faced with the many distractions of Bloomsbury and Bohemia, has considerable trouble getting any writing done. And then there's the biggest distraction of all-a lovely young actress named Cressida who is, to Alistair's chagrin, determined to marry only a man who can further her career. First published in 1932 and out of print for more than 80 years, Fanfare for Tin Trumpets is one of Margery Sharp's most irresistibly cheerful confections. This new edition features an introduction by twentieth-century women's historian Elizabeth Crawford.'We can only hope that this charming piece of impertinence will be widely read for its fine sympathy with youth in all its shapes' Angela Thirkell
She announced herself, rather self-consciously, as Mrs. Henry Smith, and he replied that Mrs. Cornwallis was expecting her. To Caroline, following him through a wide shabby hall, the whole episode was beginning to feel like a nightmare. She was intensely conscious of herself-of her dress, her voice, the way she placed her feet. She felt like a cook-general going to be interviewed."e;Mrs. Henry Smith,"e; said the butler contemptuously.In Four Gardens, the most emotional and nostalgic of Margery Sharp's brilliant novels, we meet the lovable Caroline Smith (nee Chase) and glimpse the stages of her life through the gardens in which she digs. There's the lavish abandoned one in which she has no right to dig; the tiny one in which she has no time to dig; the extravagant one, complete with stubborn gardener, in which she's not allowed to dig; and one final garden, hers and hers alone, in which she finds quiet, wise contentment. As we follow Caroline through the vicissitudes of life, we meet her adoring husband Henry, her shockingly modern children Leon and Lily, and friends and neighbours from the self-righteous Ellen Taylor to the posh but hilariously down-to-earth Lady Tregarthan.First published in 1935 and out of print for more than half a century, Four Gardens has long been a favorite of Margery Sharp fans and is one of six early Sharp novels now available from Furrowed Middlebrow and Dean Street Press.'The Jane Austen touch, springing from a detached, quiet power of observation, a delicious, satirical way of relishing affectation, and a respect for sensible, genuine people.' New York Times
Lisbeth Campion was engaged, as usual, in resisting advances.Arthur Alfred Partridge, a middle-aged widower with a drab job and a frustrated sense of adventure, gets more than he bargained for when he encounters the irresistible Lisbeth Campion, whose troubles go well beyond her plethora of suitors. She's particularly concerned about her wastrel brother Ronny, fresh from six months in prison for peddling cocaine (he thought it was baking powder, really he did!), with whom her stern, upright Army fiance, expected back from India soon, has forbidden her further contact.In a gloriously implausible but deliciously entertaining sequence of events, Mr Partridge gets swept up in Lisbeth's unusual efforts to get Ronny safely squared. In the meantime, these three eccentric souls set up makeshift housekeeping in London and work at odd jobs (some very odd indeed) to make ends meet. Harlequin House, first published in 1939 and out of print for more than 60 years, has all the glitter and wit readers expect from the incomparable Margery Sharp. This new edition features an introduction by twentieth-century women's historian Elizabeth Crawford.
"e;It's in my mind to put an end to this heathen wickedness that's stalking abroad through Gillenham. It's in my mind to terrify that evil man from his morrow's sinful doings."e;"e;We'll be going to Old Manor, then?"e;"e;Not yet,"e; said Mrs. Pye grimly. "e;We go first to the village. To rouse the women . . ."e;Professor Pounce arrives in the idyllic village of Gillenham, along with his sister-in-law, his nephew Nicholas, and Carmen, his voluptuous assistant, in single-minded pursuit of the Stone of Chastity, a stepping stone in the local stream reputed to trip up impure women. His interest is cold-bloodedly scientific, but his researches, including putting the village women to the test and documenting the results, are taken rather more personally by some, including the Vicar's wife, who enlists the Boy Scouts to help suppress his efforts, and stern Mrs. Pye, possessed with the soul of an inquisitor. Ultimately, it's young Nicholas who must try to assuage the villagers' outrage, all the while coping with the repercussions of his own amorous impulses.The Stone of Chastity, first published in 1940 and inexplicably out of print for decades, is perhaps the deftest (and daftest) of Margery Sharp's many dazzling, witty social comedies.'Miss Margery Sharp's witticisms lift the otherwise flat and unprofitable life of the village of Gillenham to the level of a bubbling champagne-glass full of laughter' New York Times
Sentimental, affectionate, uncritical, Mrs. Bracken so easily attached herself to persons, places, and even objects that after no more than two days in an hotel she had a favourite waiter, a favourite ornament, a favourite view. She had adored her husband, and was very fond of her French pepper-mill.World War II has ended and widowed Isabel Brocken, kind-hearted and generous if perhaps just a bit foolish, is back in her old family home on the outskirts of London, accompanied by her friend Jacky, just out of the ATS, and her newly-demobilized nephew Humphrey. They're soon joined by Isabel's surly brother-in-law Simon, who has decidedly mixed feelings about her but whose own home is under repair for bomb damage. Into this uneasy mix comes Tilly Cuff, a poor relation to whom Isabel has been inspired-by a rare church venture and a particularly inspiring sermon-to make amends for having, many years before, sabotaged her one chance at romance.When Tilly proves manipulative and even 'malevolent', the happiness of Isabel's household is threatened. And where the story goes from there is pure unexpected delight. In The Foolish Gentlewoman, Margery Sharp provides us a thoughtful, funny, and terrifically entertaining slice of British life in the immediate aftermath of war.'Miss Margery Sharp has a sure-fire way of telling a story and a genius for writing dialogue - crisp, in the comic vein, yet able to carry the shadow of deeper feeling.' Elizabeth Bowen
Nevertheless, within three weeks from that very day she was seated in the train; leaving London, leaving her life in England with every detail arranged and every foreseeable mishap foreseen and guarded against-and pinned on her coat was a bunch of gentians given to her in loving farewell by her husband-and she was on her way to the Alps.Worn down by postwar London life, forty-something Lucy Cottrell finds herself accepting a surprise invitation to spend the summer at a Swiss chalet, accompanied by the very practical and undemonstrative Freda Blandish, whom she barely knows. The two are charged with inventorying the contents of the chalet, but distractions soon abound, first from Freda's slightly woebegone daughter Astra and her hoity-toity friend Kay, then from Lucy's godson Bertram and his friend Peter. Utta, the housekeeper, determined to prevent any changes to the chalet she loves, and a challenging paying guest add complications, as do clashing personalities, misunderstandings, and budding romance-not to mention a bit of Alpine climbing.Packed with good humour, lush scenery, and irresistible charm, The Swiss Summer, first published in 1951, is one of Stella Gibbons' most delightful novels. This new edition features an introduction by twentieth-century women's historian Elizabeth Crawford.'For holiday reading it would be hard to find anything better.' Guardian
James's gesture with the key was cautious because he was not always sure of who or what he would find in the hall when he got in. It might be someone in tears, or someone asleep while they filled up time waiting to catch a train, or someone drunk.James Muir has reason to be cautious about entering his own home. His wife Daisy just can't resist solving everyone else's problems. There's Delia Huxtable, a young unwed mother, and her daughter Evelyn ('my illegit'), Molly Raymond, who falls far too easily in love, Tibbs, an Eastern European refugee, and Daisy's old school friend Don ('The Hulk') and his family, for whom Daisy commandeers her neighbour Mrs Cavendish's top floor. All watched over, reluctantly, by Daisy's father, a retired Army man, her elderly cousins Ella and Marcia (the latter a Dame thanks to her World War I service), and the long-suffering James-not to mention her young son James Too ('That white thing? I thought it was a parcel. She drags that child around too much.')But when Mrs Cavendish decides to enslave Don's wife to replace her lost servants and Molly turns her affections on James, Daisy is forced to re-think her priorities. First published in 1959 and reprinted here for the first time, A Pink Front Door is one of Stella Gibbons' most delightful and perceptive social comedies. This new edition features an introduction by twentieth-century women's historian Elizabeth Crawford.'As usual Stella Gibbons tells a good story, combining a sharp eye for absurdities with pity for poor humans' Birmingham Post
Terence danced, alas, only fairly well. She tried to hide the fact from herself.Una Beaumont, nineteen years old and desperate to leave the small Cornish town of Tregulla to try her luck on the London stage, finds her hopes dashed by her mother's sudden death and its financial implications. She broods about, working with her father on their small flower farm, but her boredom melts with the arrival of a womanizing artist, Terrence Willows, and his charming sister Emmeline (who spends her time 'footling about'). On hand to witness the resulting sparks are Una's childhood friend Barnabas, his brother Hugo, recovering from a car crash, their military father, who loathes tourists, and an array of other colourful locals. Soon, Terrence's dancing ability is the least of the facts Una is hiding from herself...First published in 1962 and out of print for decades, The Weather at Tregulla is a funny, touching tale of ill-advised young love against the glorious backdrop of the Cornish coast. This new edition features an introduction by twentieth-century women's historian Elizabeth Crawford.'The characters are wonderfully well drawn, with a clear-eyed unsentimental sympathy of which Miss Gibbons has the secret' Sphere
I suppose I was lonelier than I knew.It's the 1960s, and Maude Barrington, now in her seventies, has kept life firmly at bay since the deaths of her three brothers in World War I. But when an unexpected visitor convinces Maude to visit old friends in France (and an old nemesis, who persistently calls her "e;the snow-woman"e;), she is brought face to face with the long-suppressed emotions, sorrows, and misunderstandings of the past. Upon her return to London, she finds her frozen life invaded by a young mother and her son (born on great aunt Dorothea's sofa, no less) who have been more or less adopted by her long-time maid Millie. And Maude finds the snow of years of bitterness beginning to melt away.In The Snow-Woman, first published in 1969 and out of print for decades, Stella Gibbons has created one of her most complex and poignant, yet still very funny, tales-of aging, coming to terms, and rediscovering life. This new edition features an introduction by twentieth-century women's historian Elizabeth Crawford.'Stella Gibbons sees people as they really are but she observes them so lovingly as well as acutely that one loves them too' Elizabeth Goudge
...for the first time in her life, she was living as she had always unknowingly wanted to live: in freedom and solitude, with an animal for close companion. Her new life had acted upon her like a strong and delicious drug.Ivy Gover, a curmudgeonly middle-aged charwoman with some slightly witchy talents, inherits a rural cottage in Buckinghamshire and takes up residence near the tiny village of Little Warby. Having settled in with a rescued dog and a pet pigeon, she manages, despite her anti-social instincts, to have surprising effects on her new neighbours, including Angela Mordaunt, a spinster still mourning her dead beau, Coral and Pearl Cartaret, ditzy sisters who have just opened a tea shop, the local vicar, and wealthy Lord Gowerville, whose devotion she earns by healing his beloved dog. But her biggest challenge will likely be the 12-year-old runaway who shows up at her door...Blending vivid characters and a deep knowledge of human nature, this is also a funny and poignant tale of the challenges and freedoms of old age and solitude. The Woods in Winter was first published in 1970 and was the last novel Stella Gibbons wrote for publication. This new edition features an introduction by twentieth-century women's historian Elizabeth Crawford.'Stella Gibbons sees people as they really are but she observes them so lovingly as well as acutely that one loves them too' Elizabeth Goudge
Burden, who had served in the war, and had considerable experience of death in its violent forms, took a pace forward. He saw at once that Mr. Wynter was beyond mortal aid.Gregory Wynter is shot dead through the window of his dressing room. There is no apparent motive for the crime, and it seems impossible for the murderer to have escaped before the police arrive. The dead man's brother, Austin, enlists the help of Christopher and Vivienne Perrins, a brother-and-sister team of private investigators.In this classic puzzler, the Perrins piece together the complex relationships within the Wynter household and beyond. What they discover leads surprisingly to romance, not to mention the unravelling of an "e;impossible"e; murder which also involves a box of poisoned chocolates . . .Murder at Monk's Barn was originally published in 1931. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Tony Medawar.
"e;Would it interest you to discover the identity of the man who boarded the bus at Piccadilly Circus with Lola Martinaes at about ten o'clock last Friday evening?"e;A woman is found sleeping on a London bus-so deeply asleep, in fact, that she cannot be woken. After being taken to hospital, the woman dies. She is identified as Lola Martinaes, a native of Montedoro-a Central American country whose volatile politics might lead to a world war.There is no apparent evidence of foul play in Lola's death. But the story nonetheless catches the attention of Christopher Perrin, private investigator, especially after he makes the acquaintance of Senor Vincente de Lanate, a Montedorian diplomat. Senor Vincente is certain Lola was murdered and asks Perrin to investigate. More suspicious deaths and disappearances ensue, the sinister circumstances suggesting an international conspiracy. Christopher Perrin soon finds himself playing for the highest stake of all - his life.The Figure of Eight was originally published in 1931. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Tony Medawar."e;A complicated plot, well-developed and well-written."e; Times Literary Supplement
Herr Berndt leant forward in his chair. "e;Have you ever noticed how if one speaks about a thing, one usually hears about it again within a few days?"e;Christopher Perrin, investigator, is on the track of Duggie the Locksmith, suspected of being behind a major robbery. When he is caught in Belgium, Perrin is astonished and puzzled to see in the crowd a certain Maurus Kaulin, "e;one of the most skilful forgers in existence,"e; whose path Perrin has crossed before.Pike confesses to the robbery, but his journey to Belgium remains unexplained. Perrin, with the help of his old friend, Johann Berndt, formerly Vienna's chief of police, starts to trace what looks suspiciously like an international criminal network. An alluring Hungarian countess, an influential financier and a young Englishwoman become swept up in Perrin's remorseless hunt for the truth, which takes him across Europe before discovering the key to the mystery lies closer to home. Two will die, and Christopher Perrin will risk his life-and his heart.The End of the Chase was originally published in 1932. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Tony Medawar.
"e;Terrible disaster at the House of Commons."e;Christopher Perrin, investigator, is drawing up a confidential report for a distinguished client, when he is interrupted by Miss Millicent Rushburton, daughter of leading politician Sir Ethelred Rushburton.Miss Rushburton is trying to trace her father's secretary, Cuthbert Solway, who has vanished following a visit to a Harley Street specialist. Perrin contacts his old friend Inspector Philpott, who discovers the missing secretary dead in the grounds of Oldwick Manor. The local doctor examines the body but initially is unable to find any cause of death. Equally baffling is Sir Ethelred's dismissive attitude towards the police investigation.A post mortem concludes that Solway died of an exotic parasitic disease. An astounding development follows and, arguably, one of the most sensational murders in any detective novel of the Golden Age.The Prime Minister's Pencil was originally published in 1933. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Tony Medawar.
'For God's sake don't get the idea that you're Miss Marple. It could quite conceivably lead to your being whacked on the head.'The narrator of this classic mystery is fashionable young actress, Tessa Crichton-obliged to turn private detective when murder strikes in the rural stronghold of Roakes Common. Leading hate-figures in the community are Mr. and Mrs. Cornford - the nouveaux riches of the local Manor House - suspected by some of malicious dog killing.Tessa however has other things on her mind when she goes to stay with her cousin Toby and his wife Matilda. There's her blossoming career, for one thing, not to mention coping with her eccentric cousins. Also the favourable impression made by a young man she meets under odd circumstances in the local pub. If it wasn't for that dead body turning up in a ditch . . .The murder mystery will lead Tessa to perilous danger, but she solves it herself, witty, blithe and soignee to the last. The story is distinguished by memorable characterisation and a sharp ear for dialogue, adding to the satisfaction of a traditional cunningly-clued detective story.Death in the Grand Manor was originally published in 1970. This new edition features an introduction and afterword by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.'A charming whodunit . . . full of unforced buoyance . . . a remedy for existentialist gloom.' Edmund Crispin'It provides a modern version of the classical type of detective story. I was much taken with the cheerful young narrator . . . and I think most readers will feel the same way. Warmly recommended.' Francis Iles'Entrancingly fresh and lively whodunit . . . Excellent dialogue.' Observer
'Stabbed?' she repeated, in horror. 'Was he really?''I'm afraid so. From behind. He was sitting at his desk.'The soignee actress Tessa Crichton would rather be shopping and generally luxuriating in the pleasure of being newly married. However, she is soon embroiled in a plot involving an old acquaintance (murdered) and a friend (blackmailed). Being as shrewd as she is mischievous she begins to draw various conclusions, not all of them correct.Many of the encounters in the story take place during Tessa's visits to a London department store, the top floor being a bar open to any customer who spends over twenty-five pounds. Here lies part of the secret which is bedevilling Robin, Tessa's husband, at Scotland Yard - who hates blackmailers more than any other criminals. But will Tessa get a bit too knowing, and will her own life then be at stake?Murder in Married Life was originally published in 1971. This new edition features an introduction and afterword by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.'Miss Morice has an acute ear for dialogue and a pretty, slightly acid, wit. Every page is amusing - and there are not many books of which that could be said.' Tablet'Relaxing, polished entertainment of high order.' Daily Telegraph
'You'll be the death of me one of these days. I'm telling you.''I'll be the death of myself first,' I replied.The soignee young actress Tessa Crichton is in dazzling form when Robin, her husband and Scotland Yard detective, suggests sleuthing in the Sussex village of Burleigh. The area has recently seen a number of art thefts, but the stakes are raised considerably when murder most foul occurs at a local party . . .Tessa of course cannot resist a mystery. Her investigations run parallel with her husband's, and although she is soon on the right track, there will be bizarre and dangerous consequences.Strange and brilliant characters, odd birds of paradise, are among the suspects in this cleverly-plotted whodunit. Here are character, action, humour - and a very high likelihood of being deceived (despite fair clues) about the identity of the murderer.Death of a Gay Dog was originally published in 1971. This new edition features an introduction and afterword by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.'An ingenious plot and good entertainment value - the type of whodunit that can safely be read late at night without fear of nightmares.' Woman's Journal'Certain to the add to the reputation of Tessa . . . entertainingly and cheerfully written.' Manchester Evening News
'What if he'd done it in reverse? Supposing the murder had already been committed by the time you saw him?'The elegant actress Tessa Crichton is starring in a film to be made in Paris. Her husband Robin (otherwise Detective Inspector Price of Scotland Yard) and her cousin Ellen travel with her but the trip is off to a peculiar start when Tessa's jewel case disappears - and mysteriously turns up again; no jewellery missing. She and Robin go racing at Longchamps, attend an evening of Indian folk music, and get invited to lunch by a chance acquaintance. Their social activities seem perfectly innocent and enjoyable - before murder is committed and Tessa finds herself in possession of some very dangerous knowledge.Anne Morice's talents for characterisation and humour are well displayed in a classical whodunnit with elements of espionage and kidnapping.Murder on French Leave was originally published in 1972. This new edition features an introduction and afterword by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.'Anne Morice has a gift for creating intelligent, affection-generating characters, set in light and entertaining atmospheres.' Spectator'Relaxing, polished entertainment of high order.' Daily Telegraph
That man is fortunate who has the world against him.Israel Rank has many advantages and qualities which should enable an ordinary man to get through life quite successfully. But he's not content to be an ordinary man. He's a distant heir to the Gascoyne earldom, and he will not rest until he inherits it, lock, stock and barrel. One tiny problem: he must kill everyone in line before him, without getting caught. The result is an evergreen classic of blackly comic crime fiction.First published in 1907 as ';Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal', the novel is probably best known as inspiration for the classic Ealing comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets, frequently voted one of the greatest British films ever. The novel itself remains a remarkably fresh satire that reverses conventional morality a sympathetic comedy about a serial killer.';A superb thriller, but also a disturbing study in human nature. The narrative pace never slackens, thanks to the spareness and elegance of Horniman's prose . . . (the novel is) over all too quickly.' Simon Heffer
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