The Hog's Back Mystery (British Library Crime Classics)

Freeman Wills Crofts

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0712357971 ISBN 13: 9780712357975

Publisher: The British Library Publishing Division, 2015

Dr James Earle and his wife live in comfortable seclusion near the Hog's Back, a ridge in the North Downs in the beautiful Surrey countryside. When Dr Earle disappears from his cottage, Inspector French is called in to investigate. At first he suspects a simple domestic intrigue - and begins to uncover a web of romantic entanglements beneath the couple's peaceful rural life. The case soon takes a more complex turn. Other people vanish mysteriously, one of Dr Earle's house guests among them. What is the explanation for the disappearances? If the missing people have been murdered, what can be the motive? This fiendishly complicated puzzle is one that only Inspector French can solve. Freeman Wills Crofts was a master of the intricately and ingeniously plotted detective novel, and The Hog's Back Mystery shows him at the height of his powers.

Review:

The novel is incredibly enjoyable. More than that, Crofts has successfully circumvented the common criticism of the detective novel, in that none of his characters feel two-dimensional. He has combined wit, verve, and interesting characters with a thorough, involving mystery plot it s a real treat of a novel. --Shiny New Books

With this early example of a police procedural, Freeman Wills Croft set a high standard for his successors.... For readers who relish trying to beat the author at his own game, clues pointing to the solution are neatly paced throughout the narrative. The result is an engaging brain teaser perfect for armchair relaxation. --Daily Mail

About the Author:

Freeman Wills Crofts (1879 - 1957) was one of the pre-eminent writers in the golden age of British crime fiction. He was the author of more than thirty detective novels and was greatly admired by his peers, including Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler.