Nemesis at Raynham Parva

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

J.J. Connington

Mystery

Lythway P.

"The tenth Clinton Driffield detective novel, 1935's The Tau Cross Mystery . . . moves away from a country house milieu . . . to a well-conveyed setting in an English suburb beset with a multitude of sins. The mystery itself is meticulously clued and compelling and the kicker of a closing paragraph is a classic of its kind, showing a pithily sardonic Sir Clinton to great advantage. Additionally, the author paints some excellent character portraits. . . . I fully agree with the Sunday Times reviewer's enthusiastic assessment of The Tau Cross Mystery: 'Quiet domestic murder, full of the neatest detective points. . . . [T]hese are not the detective's stock figures, but fully realised human beings.' The American humorist and crime fiction reviewer Will Cuppy was similarly discerning in his praise of Tau Cross. Having a keen appreciation for data and material fact, Cuppy was dazzled by the tale's 'abundance of clews and many other aids to armchair sleuthing,' including 'an extra pair of shoes, a handkerchief soaked in gore . . . an overturned paint pot . . . the fact that the corpse wears rubber gloves . . . a small bludgeon, a crumpled piece of brown paper and a little gold ornament in the shape of a Tau cross.' With such fascinating aids at Clinton Driffield's disposal, the delighted Cuppy concluded, 'Sir Clinton can hardly fail.'" (From the Introduction.)

The Tau Cross Mystery

Coachwhip Publications

A man is found murdered on a train, and Superintendent Ross is on the case. This is a classic "fair play" mystery that will be enjoyed by every reader who wants to pit their wits against the detective. About this story, the London Daily Mail wrote: "For those who ask first of all in a detective story for exact and mathematical accuracy in the construction of the plot, there is no author to equal the distinguished scientist who writes under the name of J. J. Connington. His latest story is the most complex and ingenious he has yet written." The Two Tickets Puzzle was published in 1930. The Coachwhip edition includes an introduction by Curtis Evans.

The Two Tickets Puzzle

In this Golden Age mystery classic the famous Sir Clinton Driffield reappears. A young land owner, Colin Keith-Westerton, has just brought home his bride, who is accompanied by her confessor, a French priest. They settle down temporarily at the Dower House of the estate, pending the modernizing of the mansion Silver Grove. Shortly after their arrival, one of Keith-Westerton's keepers is found by the lake side, shot through the head in what appears to have been a gun accident. In searching the ground near they body, Sir Clinton discovers a few valuable pearls, evidently part of a necklace, and it becomes clear that something more than an accident is needed to account for the facts. The reader must learn for himself what happened at the boathouse, how the gramophone motor was used, who owned the pearls, why Mrs. Keith-Westerton disappeared on the night of the murder, and what part Save-Your-Soul Sawyer played in the mystery. The Boat-House Riddle was published in 1931. The Coachwhip edition includes an introduction by Curtis Evans.

The Boat-House Riddle

Mr. Connington's new detective story, The Sweepstake Murders, opens at the end of a bridge-party, when one of the players suggests the formation of a small syndicate to have a flutter in a coming sweepstake. Winnings are to be pooled and divided among the members. Most of the bridge-players join, on terms proposed and accepted on the spot of the moment. A syndicate tickets wins a big prize. Before the money is collected, however, one of the syndicate dies, apparently by foul play. Under the agreement, his share falls to be divided among the remaining ticket-holders; and suspicion naturally falls first on those who are certain to profit by death. Personal characteristics, possible motives, alibis and circumstantial evidence provide the detective with an intricate problem of clues and personalities.

The Sweepstake Murders

After his employer is taken ill, Hyson takes advantage by putting himself in complete charge at the office. Always on the lookout for financial gain or female conquest, his controlling behavior both at work and at home ends only with his death. But was it suicide or murder? Sir Clinton Driffield must untangle this puzzle, with the further complication that another criminal seems to be on the loose. A poison-pen writer has been targeting the community, warranting attention from an investigator with the Post Office. This challenging case will capture the interest of any golden-age mystery enthusiast and delight the J. J. Connington fan.

Murder Will Speak

The Counsellor, a young man of means, makes his living by giving advice to listeners over a continental broadcasting station. Unusual requests come to him from all over England. But none more unusual--or challenging--than that which asks him to find a girl who has mysteriously disappeared. Remember that Mr. Connington always writes an honest detective story. No clues are hidden, no mass of evidence is unearthed at the last moment, no freak solution is offered. Perhaps you can beat The Counsellor to the solution. The Counsellor was published in 1939.

The Counsellor

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by J.J. Connington. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by J.J. Connington