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Sir Clinton Driffield
Series · 17
books · 1927-1947

Books in series

Asesinato en el laberinto book cover
#1

Asesinato en el laberinto

1927

When twin brothers Roger and Neville Shandon are murdered by poisoned darts in Whistlefield's famous hedge maze, Sir Clinton Driffield arrives to restore order. He finds two terrified witnesses - visitors to the estate - and clues aplenty in this brilliantly conceived and meticulously realized country-house mystery.
Tragedy at Ravensthorpe book cover
#2

Tragedy at Ravensthorpe

1927

Mr J. J. Connington is a name revered by all specialists on detective fiction' Spectator In Clinton Driffield's second case he must tangle with a plethora of crimes including robbery, murder and a disappearance - not to mention a Family Curse, and a less than sympathetic victim...
Mystery At Lynden Sands book cover
#3

Mystery At Lynden Sands

1928

Mr J. J. Connington is a name revered by all specialists on detective fiction' Spectator In the fourth Sir Clinton Driffield mystery, the detective finds himself up against a missing heir, an accidental bigamist, a series of secret marriages and impersonations and an ingenious scientific murder. Aided by his wit and powers of reasoning, as well as Wendover, his very own Watson, Sir Clinton once again succeeds in piecing together a solution as the novel reaches its thrilling climax.
Il caso con nove soluzioni book cover
#4

Il caso con nove soluzioni

1928

Mr J. J. Connington is a name revered by all specialists on detective fiction' Spectator When a locum doctor is called out one foggy night to a case of scarlet fever, he mistakes one house for another and discovers a young man lying in a pool of blood, who manages to choke out a dying message. This intriguing clue-laden third case for Sir Clinton Driffield has its origin in a dark scheme that reveals as much about the means for murder as its motivation.
Grim Vengeance book cover
#5

Grim Vengeance

1929

Mr J. J. Connington is a name revered by all specialists on detective fiction' Spectator When Sir Clinton Driffield travels to the village of Raynham Parva to visit his sister, he little imagines that his latest case will involve his own family. His niece has married an Argentinian, and the village is soon filled with exotic incomers, one of whom appears to have been a foreign agent. This unusual case presents Sir Clinton with three interlocking mysteries, which lead to a startling conclusion.
The Boathouse Riddle book cover
#6

The Boathouse Riddle

1931

When Chief Constable Sir Clinton Driffield goes to stay with his friend Wendover, mysterious goings-on in the boathouse he owns soon attract the duo's attention. Lights go on and off, strangers come in and out, and a game warden is found murdered nearby. And as they work to solve the crime, a second body is dredged up from the lake . . . 'Mr J. J. Connington is a name revered by all specialists on detective fiction' Spectator
The Sweepstakes Murders book cover
#7

The Sweepstakes Murders

1931

Nine men formed a sweepstake syndicate. One man died. To forestall legal argument they agreed that only living members should share any winnings. They won £241,920. And then the deadly arithmetic began. Nine less one left eight shares worth £30,240; Eight less one left seven shares worth £34,560; Seven less one left six shares worth £40,320; Six less one left five shares worth £48,384. Who was killing for profit? And who would be left to collect?
The Castleford Conundrum book cover
#8

The Castleford Conundrum

1932

Philip Castleford was more than worried. Were all those years he had spent attending to Winifred's whims, enduring her habits, to count for nothing? He hadn't minded it too much for he thought that his daughter Hilary would have security - but now he found her shabbily treated and his own position undermined by his wife's grasping brothers. Such were the affairs at Carron Hill one fine morning when Winifred was discovered murdered in the deserted summer house ...
The Ha-Ha Case book cover
#9

The Ha-Ha Case

1934

•‘A remarkably high standard of ingenuity and workmanship’ NEW YORK TIMES •‘First-class’ FRANCIS ILES, THE DAILY TELEGRAPH •‘As a maker of watertight puzzles J.J. Connington has no superior’ THE DAILY MAIL •First republication in the USA for almost a century. •Includes all the original illustrations, critical to the plot. Johnnie Brandon is found dead while out shooting rabbits with his friends, and the problem Accident, Suicide, or Murder? It is all made very complicated by the financial entanglements in which his rapscallion of a father has tied up the estate, and by the fact that a gentlemanly lunatic with large gaps in his memory wanders on to the scene at the crucial moment. Time for the acumen of Chief Constable Sir Clinton Driffield to be brought to bear on the case. ABOUT THE AUTHOR J.J. Connington was the pen name of Alfred Walter Stewart. Stewart was born in Glasgow in 1880 and pursued an academic career as a chemistry professor whilst writing twenty-four critically acclaimed detective novels and a pioneering science fiction work. Known for his ingenious and carefully worked-out puzzles and in-depth character development, he was admired by a host of his better-known contemporaries, including Dorothy L. Sayers and John Dickson Carr, who both paid tribute to his influence on their work. Chief Constable Sir Clinton Driffield was his most famous literary creation and starred in seventeen novels. He died in 1947. PRAISE FOR ‘THE HA-HA CASE’ ‘A sound and interesting plot, very carefully and ingeniously worked out’ THE SUNDAY TIMES ‘A work in every way worthy of J.J. Connington’s high reputation as a detective writer’ DOROTHY L. SAYERS ‘The means of the murder are most ingeniously concealed’ TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT ‘J.J. Connington is a name revered by all specialists on detective fiction’ THE SPECTATOR ‘J.J. Connington has the art of writing delightful detective novels’ BALTIMORE EVENING SUN
In Whose Dim Shadow book cover
#10

In Whose Dim Shadow

1935

In this, the tenth Clinton Driffield mystery, the action moves away from a country setting to the English suburbs, inhabited by a cast of unusual diversity: an ambitious young policeman, a naive journalist, an elderly clerk with dreams of foreign travel and an unhappily married Frenchwoman. This meticulously clued mystery shows Connington at his compelling best and ends with a satisfying flourish.
A Minor Operation book cover
#11

A Minor Operation

1937

There was blood on the drawing-room floor and Hazel Deerhurst had disappeared wearing slippers over walking shoes, two pairs of stockings and a bright silk kimono. First investigations shed interesting light on Hazel. A mysterious machine is found at her home, some paintings and a cryptic telegram. She was also secretary to a man whose secrets involved the future of the empire. Is she victim or villainess? 'JJ Connington stories are always attractive' The Sunday Times
Truth Comes Limping book cover
#12

Truth Comes Limping

1938

When two corpses are found in a small English village, all who have a go at solving the crime are completely baffled, and spur the local Chief Constable to investigating. Local gossip, blackmail and a family feud form the ingredients that point towards the perpetrator ... 'A top-notch murder yarn that is guaranteed to leave its readers baffled until the 11th hour' Boston Herald
Murder Will Speak book cover
#13

Murder Will Speak

1938

Thief, criminal and probably a coward, would Hyson have had the courage to kill himself or did someone catch up with him? Did his death have anything to do with Mrs Telford, who committed suicide shortly before? The Inspector, anticipating a routine investigation, finds conflicting stories, poison pen letters, and damning information about Hyson. It takes Sir Clinton Driffield to untangle the case and prove that the cast-iron alibi is the one which should arouse suspicion.
The Twenty-One Clues book cover
#14

The Twenty-One Clues

1941

The Constable was content to call it a suicide pact. All the evidence was there. The bodies of John Barratt and Mrs Callis were discovered in a lovers' nook among some bracken. Beside them was a pistol with Barratt's fingerprints on it, and torn up letters in the handwriting of Barratt and Mrs Callis were scattered around. Arrangements for the elopement had apparently been complete. Why had their plans fallen through? Why had they turned their backs on the railway station with tickets to London in their pockets? Sir Clinton Driffield is not so sure that the obvious solution is the right one ...
No Past Is Dead book cover
#15

No Past Is Dead

1942

It was not altogether surprising that Ambrose Brenthurst was found brutally murdered outside Fountain Court the night he had presided over the diner meeting of the 'Hernshaw Thirteen Club'. Many were the potential murderers - some of them guests at the diner. But when a second murder takes place it precipitates a crisis in which investigator Sir Clinton Driffield must penetrate a maze of conflicting evidence to spot the murderer.
Jack-In-The-Box book cover
#16

Jack-In-The-Box

1944

When recently exhumed church relics are stolen from a small English village the theft is quickly followed by four murders. The joint inheritance of a piece of property supplies a motive but the cause of death is mystery. Cue Sir Clinton Driffield, who investigates and makes an on-the-spot arrest of the culprits and their super-scientific death machine.
Common Sense Is All You Need book cover
#17

Common Sense Is All You Need

1947

When Pickford's body was found hanging from a beam in his garage, Inspector Loxton was sure that it was a case of suicide following a series of financial and domestic worries. Then came the criminologist with his slogan, 'Common sense is all you need', and in ten minutes he upset the inspector's hypothesis. Further evidence pointed so clearly in one direction that the arrest and the conviction of the criminal seemed almost a matter of form. But both the Inspector and the expert are way off course, and it is left to the Chief Constable to clear up the mystery . . . 'Mr Connington has the art of writing delightful detective novels' Baltimore Evening Sun

Author

J.J. Connington
J.J. Connington
Author · 26 books
Pseudonym of Alfred Walter Stewart.
548 Market St PMB 65688, San Francisco California 94104-5401 USA
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Sir Clinton Driffield