'Mr J. J. Connington is a name revered by all specialists on detective fiction' Spectator When Sir Clinton Driffield travels to the village of Raynham Parva to visit his sister, he little imagines that his latest case will involve his own family. His niece has married an Argentinian, and the village is soon filled with exotic incomers, one of whom appears to have been a foreign agent. This unusual case presents Sir Clinton with three interlocking mysteries, which lead to a startling conclusion.

In 1972, in an attempt to elevate the stature of the "crime novel," influential crime writer and critic Julian Symons cast numerous Golden Age detective fiction writers into literary perdition as "Humdrums," condemning their focus on puzzle plots over stylish writing and explorations of character, setting and theme. This volume explores the works of three prominent British "Humdrums"--Cecil John Charles Street, Freeman Wills Crofts, and Alfred Walter Stewart--revealing their work to be more complex, as puzzles and as social documents, than Symons allowed. By championing the intrinsic merit of these mystery writers, the study demonstrates that reintegrating the "Humdrums" into mystery genre studies provides a fuller understanding of the Golden Age of detective fiction and its aftermath.

Bruce Murphy's Encyclopedia of Murder and Mystery is a comprehensive guide to the genre of the murder mystery that catalogues thousands of items in a broad range of categories: authors, titles, plots, characters, weapons, methods of killing, movie and theatrical adaptations. What distinguishes this encyclopedia from the others in the field is its critical stance.

The Constable was content to call it a suicide pact. All the evidence was there. The bodies of John Barratt and Mrs Callis were discovered in a lovers' nook among some bracken. Beside them was a pistol with Barratt's fingerprints on it, and torn up letters in the handwriting of Barratt and Mrs Callis were scattered around. Arrangements for the elopement had apparently been complete. Why had their plans fallen through? Why had they turned their backs on the railway station with tickets to London in their pockets? Sir Clinton Driffield is not so sure that the obvious solution is the right one ...

When two corpses are found in a small English village, all who have a go at solving the crime are completely baffled, and spur the local Chief Constable to investigating. Local gossip, blackmail and a family feud form the ingredients that point towards the perpetrator ... 'A top-notch murder yarn that is guaranteed to leave its readers baffled until the 11th hour' Boston Herald

There was blood on the drawing-room floor and Hazel Deerhurst had disappeared wearing slippers over walking shoes, two pairs of stockings and a bright silk kimono. First investigations shed interesting light on Hazel. A mysterious machine is found at her home, some paintings and a cryptic telegram. She was also secretary to a man whose secrets involved the future of the empire. Is she victim or villainess? 'JJ Connington stories are always attractive' TheSunday Times

It was at the hidden stone wall in the spinney that Johnnie Brandon, rabbit shooting with a party of guests, was instantly killed by a shotgun charge. That day he had attained his majority, but the night before he had been discovered in a compromising situation with the wife of the man who had been his mentor. The inquest ruled 'accidental death' but Inspector Hinton was soon to discover that it was murder that was the motive ...

The terms of her father's will tie Joyce to her Aunt Evelyn until she is 25 - or Evelyn will inherit the entire estate. But Joyce wants to marry Leslie, and the money she will eventually inherit would be a considerable help to him in his career. Aunt Evelyn is a violent drunk, and one evening Joyce speculates to Leslie that if she fended of one of her aunt's violent attacks and her aunt died of 'one of her heart attacks' she could hardly be held accountable - could she? Leslie isn't really sure. And the next day Aunt Evelyn dies suddenly.

Grim Vengeance, first published in 1929, is the fifth book in author J. J. Connington’s series featuring chief-constable Sir Clinton Driffield. From the dustjacket of the first edition: “Two murders at night, both the victims foreigners; and when Sir Clinton Driffield, visiting his sister, is forced to suspect the South American whom his niece has just married, he finds himself faced with a problem in morals and psychology. Finally, a third murder takes place, this one in the house of Sir Clinton’s sister, and in broad daylight. Suspicion naturally falls on a young man who is found standing beside the body with a pistol in his hand; but Sir Clinton clears him, only to find that his own niece is the next suspect. In the course of the narrative, all the evidence known to the police (and even a little more) is supplied to the reader as it comes to light; but it is safe to say that the final development of the plot will be wholly unexpected. To quote the London Times: ‘Mr. Connington has established his name in the front rank of detective story writers, and this novel is one of his finest achievements.’” J. J. Connington is a pen-name of Alfred Walter Stewart (1880-1947).