'Never, even in his most optimistic moments, had he visualised a scene of this nature - himself in one arm-chair, a police officer in another, and between them - a mystery.' 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.
Industry Reviews
"A very entertaining mystery, a fairly quick and enjoyable read. . . . It is good to have Bude's work brought back into print."-- "Classic Mysteries blog"
"Ernest Elmore, under the pseudonym John Bude, takes readers to the Cornish village of Boscawen where the vicar, Reverend Dodd, a reader and fan of mystery stories, finds himself in the middle of an actual mystery. When Julius Tregarthan is found shot in the head, the local police are completely puzzled and are unable to find any clues in his house. Fortunately, they have Reverend Dodd to help them solve the mystery. Vivid descriptions of the Cornish coast, a realistic cast of characters, and a mesmerizing plot make this a timeless story that exhibits all the characteristics of a cozy mystery as appealing today as it was when originally published in 1935."-- "Publishers Weekly"
"John Bude is a welcome addition to an exciting explosion of classic crime reprints from a variety of independent presses and the British Library seems to be leading the way in discovering forgotten writers well worth reading. You'd do well to acquaint yourself with his entertaining mysteries."-- "Pretty Sinister Books"
"The British Library has an interesting sideline in republishing neglected books by forgotten authors. This is the first of thirty detective stories by John Bude, a crime novelist not so much forgotten by contemporary readers as never heard of in the first place, which is a pity, because his books are good examples of the straightforward murder mysteries from the so-called 'Golden Age' of crime writing. . . . Bude's books . . . are easy-reading period pieces that deserve to be revived."-- "Literary Review"
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