Death of Anton (British Library Crime Classics)

Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder

"Readers in search of escapist entertainment need look no further." ―Publishers Weekly

'There's more crime going on in Carey's Circus than in the whole underworld of London. Theft, immorality, blackmail―you'll find all the pretties here.'

Seven Bengal tigers are the star attraction of Carey's Circus. Their trainer is the fearless Anton, whose work demands absolute fitness and the steadiest of nerves. When Anton is found lying dead in the tigers' cage, it seems that he has lost control and been mauled by the tigers―but Detective-Inspector Minto of Scotland Yard is not convinced.

Minto's investigations lead him deep into the circus world of tents and caravans, clowns and acrobats, human and animal performers. No one is above suspicion. Carey, the circus-owner with a secret to hide; Dodo, the clown whose costume is scratched as if by a claw; and Lorimer, the trapeze artist jealous of his flirtatious wife―all come under Minto's scrutiny as the mystery deepens.

This amusing and light-hearted novel from the golden age of British crime writing has long been neglected, and this new edition will help to restore Melville's reputation as an author of extremely entertaining detective fiction.

ALAN MELVILLE (1910–1983) was a well-known television broadcaster, as well as a playwright, producer, and scriptwriter. Among his works are several crime novels from the 1930s, often set in the popular entertainment world he knew firsthand. Quick Curtain and Death of Anton were reissued as British Library Crime Classics in 2015.