Master crime fiction writer John Creasey’s 562 titles (or so) have sold more than 80 million copies in over 25 languages. After enduring 743 rejection slips, the young Creasey’s career was kickstarted by winning a newspaper writing competition. He went on to collect multiple honours from The Mystery Writers of America including the Edgar Award for best novel in 1962 and the coveted title of Grand Master in 1969. Creasey’s prolific output included 11 different series including Roger West, the Toff, the Baron, Patrick Dawlish, Gideon, Dr Palfrey, and Department Z, published both under his own name and 10 other pseudonyms.
Creasey was born in Surrey in 1908 and, when not travelling extensively, lived between Bournemouth and Salisbury for most of his life. He died in England in 1973.
ALSO IN THIS SERIES
The Death Miser
Redhead
First Came a Murder
Death Round the Corner
The Mark of the Crescent
Thunder in Europe
The Terror Trap
Carriers of Death
Days of Danger
Death Stands By
Menace
Murder Must Wait
Panic!
The Island of Peril
Sabotage
Go Away Death
The Day of Disaster
Prepare for Action
No Darker Crime
Dark Peril
The Peril Ahead
The League of Dark Men
The Department of Death
The Enemy Within
Dead or Alive
A Kind of Prisoner
The Black Spiders
This edition published in 2016 by Ipso Books
Drury House, 34-43 Russell Street, London WC2B 5HA
Copyright © John Creasey, 1938
All rights reserved
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Contents
1Murder of a Gentleman
2Repercussions
3A Stranger
4Mr. Griceson Asks Questions
5Give and Take
6Branner Finds a Photograph
7Postmarks
8Forced Landing
9Points of Contact
10 Fast Work
12 Things Happen
13 Kerr Clears the Decks
14 Search for Lydia Crabtree
15 The House in Chelsea
16 Increasing Tension
17 Mr. Jeffs
18 ‘Him’
19 The Weapon
20 Scare!
21 A Bottle of Wine
22 Kerr Makes a Proposal