Four Novels by Miles Burton

Miles Burton is one of the psuedonyms of prolific GAD writer, Cecil John Charles Street, more famously known by another of his pseudonyms, John Rhode. This year I made a calculated effort to read the Burton novels. THE SECRET OF HIGH ELDERSHAM (1930): The first appearance of Burton's detective, Desmond Merrion, the novel begins well …

Short Notes: The Boat by L.P. Hartley

At the beginning of the second world war, Timothy Casson, returns from Italy - where he has spent much of his adult life and where he finds himself more at home than in England - and settles at Upton-on-Swirrel. A freelance-journalist, Casson chooses his home because it has a boat-house where he keeps his boat …

Forgotten Book: Cat of Many Tails by Ellery Queen

One day, there was a curious news item. A large family sleeping on the roof of their home was suddenly awakened, hearing the screams of one. Apparently that person had been rudely awakened from her sleep when she felt something sharp digging into her arm. She had cried out in pain and terror. There was …

Forgotten Books: Death Knocks Three Times by Anthony Gilbert

John Sherren returned to London in a very thoughtful state of mind. Six months ago, he was reflecting, he had possessed three relatives, all a generation ahead of him, all in reasonably sound health; all, he believed, with a little money, or even quite a lot of money, and all incurably unmarried. And during the …