John Bude

The Lake District Murder opens with the discovery of a faceless body in an isolated garage, then follows Inspector Meredith through a complex investigation where every clue seems to lead only to another puzzle. Was this a bizarre suicide, or something more sinister? Why was the dead man apparently making plans to flee the country? And what does all this have to do with the newly discovered shady business dealings of the garage? All becomes clear in time, but not before John Bude has led readers through a rousing investigation, full of unexpected twists and turns, set against the stunning backdrop of the Lake District. This newest installment in the British Library Crime Classics series takes readers to the Lake District for a perfect example of the cozy mystery, sure to charm all fans of the genre.

The Lake District Murder

Martin Edwards

The Reverend Dodd, vicar of the quiet Cornish village of Boscawen, spends his evenings reading detective stories by the fireside - but the peace is shattered one stormy night when Julius Tregarthan, a secretive and ill-tempered magistrate, is found with a bullet through his head!

The Cornish Coast Murder

'Already it looked as if the police were up against a carefully planned and cleverly executed murder, and, what was more, a murder without a corpse!'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.

A British Library Crime Classic

The Sussex Downs Murder

Regency Square in Cheltenham is home to some diverse inhabitants. One summer's evening, the square's rivalries and allegiances are disrupted by a sudden and unusual death - an arrow to the head, shot through an open window at no. 6. Unfortunately for the murderer, crime writer Aldous Barnet, staying with his sister at no. 8, had just sent an invitation to his friend Superintendent Meredith to visit him. Three days after his arrival, Meredith finds himself investigating the shocking murder two doors down and finds that six of the square's inhabitants are keen members of the Wellington Archery Club...

The Cheltenham Square Murder

A Telegram from Le Touquet

When a counterfeit currency racket comes to light on the French Riviera, Detective Inspector Meredith is sent speeding southwards - out of the London murk to the warmth and glitter of the Mediterranean. Along with Inspector Blampignon - an amiable policeman from Nice - Meredith must trace the whereabouts of Chalky Cobbett, crook and forger. Soon their interest centres on the Villa Paloma, the residence of Nesta Hedderwick, an eccentric Englishwoman, and her bohemian house guest - among them her niece, an artist, and a playboy. Before long, it becomes evident that more than one of the occupants of the Villa Palmona has something to hide, and the stage is set for murder.

Death on the Riviera

British Library Crime Classics Series 4 Books Bundle Collection (Death on the Riviera,Murder at the Manor

British Library Crime Classics Collection 6 Book Set

»Es sah ganz so aus, als hätte die Polizei es mit einem sorgfältig geplanten und raffiniert ausgeführten Mord zu tun, und mehr noch, mit einem Mord ohne Leiche!« Während der Herzog und die Herzogin von Sussex regelmäßig für Wirbel in der königlichen Familie sorgen, geht in der gleichnamigen Grafschaft an der englischen Südküste alles einen gemütlichen Gang. Prominent ragen die weißen Kalksteinfelsen, das Wahrzeichen der hügeligen Kreidelandschaft, über dem Meer auf. Doch dann passiert ausgerechnet hier ein Mord und fordert das Ermittlungsgeschick von Superintendent Meredith heraus ... Im beschaulichen Sussex, an der Südküste Englands, widmen sich die ungleichen Brüder John und William Rother dem traditionellen Kalkabbau. Ihr friedliches Farmleben wird jedoch empfindlich gestört, als John Rother bei einer Urlaubsreise plötzlich verschwindet und sein verlassenes, blutbeflecktes Auto inmitten einiger Ginsterbüsche gefunden wird. Wurde er gekidnappt? Superintendent Meredith wird gerufen, um Licht ins Dunkel zu bringen, doch die Indizien sind mager. Erst als Anatomieprofessor Blenkings die Bühne betritt, kommt Schwung in die Angelegenheit, denn dessen Bauarbeiter entdecken bei der letzten Kalksteinlieferung einen menschlichen Knochen. Schnell wird klar, dass just diese Kalksteinlieferung von der Chalkland Farm stammt. Superintendent Meredith führt die Spuren passgenau zusammen und zieht den Kreis um die Verdächtigen immer enger.

Kriminalroman

Mord in Sussex

A shooting in a locked artist's studio. Four suspects; at least two of whom are engaged in an affair. An exuberant and energetic case for Major Boddy.

Death Knows No Calendar

Two of John Bude's finest Golden Age mysteries return to the limelight.In Death in White Pyjamas a theatre-owner, a 'slightly sinister' producer, a burgeoning playwright and a cast of ego-driven actors have gathered at a country home to read through the promising script for Pigs in Porcelain. But before the production reaches the stage, one of their number is found murdered in the grounds wearing what seems to be somebody else's white pyjamas. Enter Inspector Harting and Sergeant Dane to unravel this curious plot. And in Death Knows No Calendar detective fiction enthusiast Major Tom Boddy is investigating a deadly shooting with no shooter in a locked artist's studio. There are four colourful suspects to scrutinise, and not one but two 'impossible' elements of the crime to solve.

And, Death Knows No Calendar

Death in White Pyjamas

In the seeming tranquility of Regency Square in Cheltenham live the diverse inhabitants of its ten houses. One summer's evening, the square's rivalries and allegiances are disrupted by a sudden and unusual death - an arrow to the head, shot through an open window at no. 6. Unfortunately for the murderer, an invitation to visit had just been sent by the crime writer Aldous Barnet, staying with his sister at no. 8, to his friend Superintendent Meredith. Three days after his arrival, Meredith finds himself investigating the shocking murder two doors down. Six of the square's inhabitants are keen members of the Wellington Archery Club, but if Meredith thought that the case was going to be easy to solve, he was wrong ... The Cheltenham Square Murder is a classic example of how John Bude builds a drama within a very specific location. Here the Regency splendour of Cheltenham provides the perfect setting for a story in which appearances are certainly deceiving.

'Luke flung the light of his torch full onto the face of the immobile figure. Then he had the shock of his life. The man had no face! Where his face should have been was a sort of inhuman, uniform blank!' When a body is found at an isolated garage, Inspector Meredith is drawn into a complex investigation where every clue leads to another puzzle: was this a suicide, or something more sinister? Why was the dead man planning to flee the country? This classic mystery is set amidst the stunning scenery of a small village in the Lake District.

Welworth Garden City in the 1940s is a forward-thinking town where free spirits find a home - vegetarians, socialists, and an array of exotic religious groups. Chief among these are the Children of Osiris, led by the eccentric High Prophet, Eustace K. Mildmann. The cult is a seething hotbed of petty resentment, jealousy and dark secrets - which eventually lead to murder. The stage is set for one of Inspector Meredith's most bizarre and exacting cases.

Death Makes a Prophet

Luke flung the light of his torch full onto the face of the immobile figure. Then he had the shock of his life. The man had no face! Where his face should have been was a sort of inhuman, uniform blank!' When a body is found at an isolated garage, Inspector Meredith is drawn into a complex investigation where every clue leads to another puzzle: ...

The Lake District Murder (16pt Large Print Edition)

Here are the ingredients of the plot. SCENE : Sam Richardson's country house. CHARACTERS - Sam himself, a kindly business man, more amiable than artistic. Basil Barnes, his producer, tall, slender, sleek-haired and slightly sinister. Willy Farnham, a grand old character actor, always hard up, Angela Walsh, a brilliant young Ingenue from the Provinces. Deirdre Lehaye, tall, dark, icy, and so dead sure of herself that most men were scared to approach her. Clara Maddison, the company's most tried and trying actress. Rudolph Millar, her nephew, a rising young playwright. That's the set-up. Deirdre Lehaye is murdered. Who did it? And why was she in white pyjamas?

When a counterfeit currency racket comes to light on the French Riviera, Detective Inspector Meredith is sent speeding southwards - out of the London murk to the warmth and glitter of the Mediterranean. Along with Inspector Blampignon - an amiable policeman from Nice - Meredith must trace the whereabouts of Chalky Cobbett, crook and forger. Soon their interest centres on the Villa Paloma, the residence of Nesta Hedderwick, an eccentric Englishwoman, and her bohemian house guests - among them her niece, an artist, and a playboy. Before long, it becomes evident that more than one of the occupants of the Villa Paloma has something to hide, and the stage is set for murder. This classic crime novel from 1952 evokes all the sunlit glamour of life on the Riviera, and combines deft plotting with a dash of humour. This is the first edition to have been published in more than sixty years and follows the rediscovery of Bude's long-neglected detective writing by the British Library.

Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder "There are occasional splashes of witty dialogue and luscious descriptions of the French Riviera; also, every suspect has at least one guilty secret." —Publishers Weekly When a counterfeit currency racket comes to light on the French Riviera, Detective Inspector Meredith is sent speeding southwards—out of the London murk to the warmth and glitter of the Mediterranean. Along with Inspector Blampignon—an amiable policeman from Nice—Meredith must trace the whereabouts of Chalky Cobbett, crook and forger. Soon their interest centres on the Villa Paloma, the residence of Nesta Hedderwick, an eccentric Englishwoman, and her bohemian house guests—among them her niece, an artist, and a playboy. Before long, it becomes evident that more than one of the occupants of the Villa Paloma has something to hide, and the stage is set for murder. This classic crime novel from 1952 evokes all the sunlit glamour of life on the Riviera, and combines deft plotting with a dash of humour. This is the first edition to have been published in more than sixty years and follows the rediscovery of Bude's long-neglected detective writing by the British Library.

Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder "Originally published in 1935, Bude's murder mystery remains as intriguing today as it was upon its release almost 80 years ago." —Publishers Weekly When a body is found at an isolated garage, Inspector Meredith is drawn into a complex investigation where every clue leads to another puzzle: was this a suicide, or something more sinister? Why was the dead man planning to flee the country? And how is this connected to the shady business dealings of the garage? This classic mystery novel is set amidst the stunning scenery of a small village in the Lake District. It is now republished for the first time since the 1930s with an introduction by the award-winning crime writer Martin Edwards.

John Bude

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