The Case of the DeMented Spiv, Paperback/George Bellairs

Descriere

'I'm a spiv... But whatever I've done, I never killed anybody. I didn't do it... I swear I didn't'It's a rainy, uneventful evening in the Oddfellows' Arms until a greasy-looking spiv bursts into the pub, clearly unstable, and ranting about a body in Fennings' Mill. The police investigate the mad-man's tale, and stumble upon a body, the face smeared with theatrical make-up and a false moustache pasted neatly over the lip. Once the national news descends, Inspector Faddiman calls in Inspector Littlejohn to help him uncover the dark, hidden secrets in this quiet, provincial town. Soon it becomes clear that a lot of people can't, and won't tell the truth...Again the author of The Case of the Famished Parson supplies his many fans with all the ingredients for a session of pleasure and puzzlement. About the Author: George Bellairs was the pseudonym of Harold Blundell (1902-1985), a Manchester banker with close connections with the University of Manchester. He was born in Lancashire and married Gwladys Mabel Roberts in 1930. In the late 1950s he moved to the Isle of Man and became a full-time writer. Some of his detective novels are set on the Isle of Man. His series character was featuring Inspector (later Superintendent) Thomas Littlejohn. Many books appear from their titles to have an ecclesiastical theme. He also wrote four books using the pseudonym Hilary Landon. "One of the subtlest and wittiest practitioners of the simon-pure British detective story," New York Times "Mr Bellairs always gives good value" The Sunday Times "Bellairs works in a comic tradition that extends from Ben Jonson... Each character has a particular trait exaggerated to the point of obsession or caricature." Susan B. Mac Dougall