Part of Series
This is another solid publication from Rhode's later years concerning the murder of Robert Thwaite, a successful businessman whose determination that his family shall rise on the social scale causes such discord that his son Edward determines to renounce his inheritance and sever all ties with his family. Fortunately a nephew is willing to take the place of Thwaite's son, both as heir and partner in business, but some time later a woman appears who claims she is Edward's widow and legal and familial complications arise. When Robert Thwaite is found dead with an arrow in his back it is the job of Supt James Waghorn to extract the truth from a plethora of alibis and motives. Most readers familiar with Rhode's output will enjoy what follows, though unfortunately Dr. Lancelot Priestley makes only the briefest of appearances. However, he is still able to offer Waghorn a very helpful hint which guides him in the right direction.
Author
AKA Miles Burton, Cecil Waye, Cecil J.C. Street, I.O., F.O.O.. Cecil John Charles Street, MC, OBE, (1884 - January 1965), known as CJC Street and John Street, began his military career as an artillery officer in the British army. During the course of World War I, he became a propagandist for MI7, in which role he held the rank of Major. After the armistice, he alternated between Dublin and London during the Irish War of Independence as Information Officer for Dublin Castle, working closely with Lionel Curtis. He later earned his living as a prolific writer of detective novels. He produced two long series of novels; one under the name of John Rhode featuring the forensic scientist Dr Priestley, and another under the name of Miles Burton featuring the investigator Desmond Merrion. Under the name Cecil Waye, Street produced four novels: The Figure of Eight; The End of the Chase; The Prime Minister's Pencil; and Murder at Monk's Barn. The Dr. Priestley novels were among the first after Sherlock Holmes to feature scientific detection of crime, such as analysing the mud on a suspect's shoes. Desmond Merrion is an amateur detective who works with Scotland Yard's Inspector Arnold. Critic and author Julian Symons places this author as a prominent member of the "Humdrum" school of detective fiction. "Most of them came late to writing fiction, and few had much talent for it. They had some skill in constructing puzzles, nothing more, and ironically they fulfilled much better than S. S. Van Dine his dictum that the detective story properly belonged in the category of riddles or crossword puzzles. Most of the Humdrums were British, and among the best known of them were Major John Street. -Wikipedia
