I have just downloaded in my Kindle two books in the series, probably for the wrong reason, both came very cheap and I couldn’t resist the temptation. Perfect summer reading, I presume.
The Reverend Dodd, vicar of the quiet Cornish village of Boscawen, spends his evenings reading detective stories by the fireside – but heaven forbid that the shadow of any real crime should ever fall across his seaside parish. But the vicar’s peace is shattered one stormy night when Julius Tregarthan, a secretive and ill-tempered magistrate, is found at his house in Boscawen with a bullet through his head.
The local police inspector is baffled by the complete absence of clues. Suspicion seems to fall on Tregarthan’s niece, Ruth – but surely that young woman lacks the motive to shoot her uncle dead in cold blood? Luckily for Inspector Bigswell, the Reverend Dodd is on hand, and ready to put his keen understanding of the criminal mind to the test. This classic mystery novel of the golden age of British crime fiction is set against the vividly described backdrop of a fishing village on Cornwall’s Atlantic coast. It is now republished for the first time since the 1930s, with a new introduction by Martin Edwards. Also available as a Kindle ebook. This is the seventh book in our British Library Crime Classics series.
About the author
John Bude was the pseudonym of Ernest Elmore (1901–1957), an author of the golden age of crime fiction. All of his 30 novels are now very rare. Elmore was a co-founder of the Crime Writers’ Association, and worked in the theatre as a producer and director. (Source: British Library Crime Classics)
From the introduction by Martin Edwards
`The appearance of this British Library edition of The Cornish Coast Murder will be welcomed not only by collectors who have despaired of ever possessing a copy of their own, but also by crime fiction readers generally. Few will be familiar with Bude’s name and work, but the pleasure given by this lively and well-crafted story is likely to tempt many to explore his later work as well. They will not be disappointed.`
Two brothers, John and William Rother, live together at Chalklands Farm in the beautiful Sussex Downs. Their peaceful rural life is shattered when John Rother disappears and his abandoned car is found. Has he been kidnapped? Or is his disappearance more sinister – connected, perhaps, to his growing rather too friendly with his brother’s wife?
Superintendent Meredith is called to investigate – and begins to suspect the worst when human bones are discovered on Chalklands farmland. His patient, careful detective method begins slowly to untangle the clues as suspicion shifts from one character to the next.
This classic detective novel from the 1930s is now republished for the first time, with an introduction by the award-winning crime writer Martin Edwards. This is the 12th book in the British Library Crime Classics series. It is also available as a Kindle ebook here
About the author
John Bude was the pseudonym of Ernest Elmore (1901 – 1957), an author of the golden age of crime fiction. Elmore was a co-founder of the Crime Writers’ Association, and worked in the theatre as a producer and director. His first two books, The Cornish Coast Murder and The Lake District Murder, were republished as British Library Crime Classics to great acclaim in 2014. (Source: British Library Crime Classics)
A Crime is Afoot 