Part of Series
In this mystery the plot centers around two households - the Fred Sackvilles of Birmingham and the Alfred Sackvilles of Brondesbury. How do they fit into the sudden death of John Ainsworth, estranged brother of Bertha Sackville? There seems little doubt that Alfred Sackville was on hand when Ainsworth died. But did he kill him, and if so, why? Alfred cannot be found to be questioned, and his mysterious disappearance brings added complications. In Fred Sackville and his wife Bertha; Josephine, Alfred's wife; Inspector Tom Fairford; and the inimitable Miss Wishe the authors have created finely drawn characters made real by plenty of good, natural dialogue. The plot is ingenious and the solution surprising. And apart from the mystery, Mr. and Mrs. Cole have given us a satirical glimpse of life as it is lived in a high-class quarter of Birmingham, and in a shabby-genteel house in a respectable London suburb. The story is rich in observation of character, and the murderer turns out to be a gentleman with a strong sense of humor.
Authors
George Douglas Howard Cole was an English political theorist, economist, writer and historian. As a libertarian socialist he was a long-time member of the Fabian Society and an advocate for the cooperative movement. He and his wife Margaret Cole (1893-1980) together wrote many popular detective stories, featuring the investigators Superintendent Wilson, Everard Blatchington and Dr Tancred. Cole was educated at St Paul's School and Balliol College, Oxford. As a conscientious objector during World War One, Cole's involvement in the campaign against conscription introduced him to a co-worker, Margaret Postgate, whom he married in 1918. The couple both worked for the Fabian Society for the next six years before moving to Oxford, where Cole started writing for the Manchester Guardian. During these years, he also authored several economic and historical works including biographies of William Cobbett and Robert Owen. In 1925, he became reader in economics at University College, Oxford. In 1944, Cole became the first Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory at Oxford. He was succeeded in the chair by Isaiah Berlin in 1957.
