Sporting his familiar mustard-colored suit, his bowler hat and his bright yellow Rolls Royce, Arthur Crook is on the scene again. This time the imperturbable little Cockney criminal lawyer is drawn into a tangled case of suave murder than only he can unravel—a case that features as fine a collection of poisonously polite, potential murderers as he has ever been called upon to face. Suggested by a recent famous English murder trial, Anthony Gilbert's latest novel displays all the qualities of subtlety, and uncanny reproduction of the English scene and characters, which have made his previous books so outstanding. At book's end, a double twist of irony gives an added fillip to the proceedings, as knight-errant Crook brings the case to a close with his customary finesse. Devotees of Arthur Crook and Anthony Gilbert, and indeed all lovers of a finely spun tale of mystery, will find Prelude to Murder a happy blend of sophistication and suspense.