Somebody at the door - Hardcover

Postgate, Raymond William

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0860250261 ISBN 13: 9780860250265

Publisher: Ian Henry Publications Ltd, 1976

Synopsis

One bleak Friday evening in January, 1942, Councillor Henry Grayling boards an overcrowded train with £120 in cash wages to be paid out the next day to the workers of Barrow and Furness Chemistry and Drugs Company. When Councillor Grayling finally finds the only available seat in a third-class carriage, he realises to his annoyance that he will be sharing it with some of his disliked George Ransom, with whom he had a quarrel; Charles Evetts, who is one of his not-so-trusted employees; a German refugee whom Grayling has denounced; and Hugh Rolandson, whom Grayling suspects of having an affair with his wife.The train journey passes uneventfully in an awkward silence but later that evening Grayling dies of what looks like mustard gas poisoning and the suitcase of cash is nowhere to be found. Inspector Holly has a tough time trying to get to the bottom of the mystery, for the unpopular Councillor had many enemies who would be happy to see him go, and most of them could do with the cash he was carrying. But Inspector Holly is persistent and digs deep into the past of all the suspects for a solution, starting with Grayling's travelling companions. Somebody at the Door," first published in 1943, is an intricate mystery which, in the process of revealing whodunit, "paints an interesting picture of the everyday life during the war."

About this title

About the Author

RAYMOND POSTGATE (1896-1971) was a socialist journalist and historian, and founder of the Good Food Guide. He also wrote highly regarded detective novels of which Verdict of Twelve is the most famous.

Review

"Postgate adapts the most striking structural device of his much better known Verdict of Twelve (1940/2017) by devoting most of his narrative to detailed back stories of most of Grayling's fellow passengers before returning to a present in which Holly tries out one possible solution after another before hitting on one as logical as it is surprising ... clever, absorbing, and wide-ranging: another welcome rediscovery by the British Library Crime Classics." (Kirkus Reviews)

"This British Library Crime Classics reissue will remind readers of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express (1934). Postgate veers from a traditional detective story into the points of view of the people in the compartment in a way that keeps suspense fresh. Steeped in atmosphere, with skillful plotting and intriguing characterization." (Connie Fletcher Booklist)

"In this 1943 mystery, Postgate (1896–1971) reveals the backstories of his well-drawn characters with the same thoroughness as in his classic Verdict of Twelve (1940), and his opinion of his fellow humans is not overly kind. The portrait of Britain at war and a trip through Germany right before the start of WWII have an immediacy that's fascinating for today's reader with an interest in the history of the time." (Publishers Weekly)

Edition details

• Publisher: Ian Henry Publications Ltd
• Publication date: 1976
• ISBN 10: 0860250261
• ISBN 13: 9780860250265
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 191