Teaser Tuesday - Miles Burton's The Secret of High Eldersham

Amazon Description

Samuel Whitehead, landlord of the Rose and Crown, is a stranger in the lonely East Anglian village of High Eldersham. When the newcomer is stabbed to death in his pub, and Scotland Yard are called to the scene, it seems that the veil dividing High Eldersham from the outside world is about to be lifted. Detective-Inspector Young forms a theory about the case so utterly impossible that merely entertaining the suspicion makes him doubt his own sanity. Surrounded by sinister forces beyond his understanding, and feeling the need of rational assistance, he calls on a brilliant amateur and 'living encyclopedia', Desmond Merrion. Soon Merrion falls for the charms of a young woman in the village, Mavis Owerton. But does Mavis know more about the secrets of the village than she is willing to admit?Miles Burton's novels have long been neglected as mere puzzles, but his skill at elaborating intricate plots, combined with their realistic village settings, mean that the best of his books deserve a broad new readership.Like the novels of Freeman Wills Crofts, Burton's best work is fast-paced and crisply told, and The Secret of High Eldersham - which uncovers ancient secrets in sleepy rural England - is among the most entertaining of all his crime stories

Mini-Ramble

I love the writing style of this as it very much has the "Golden Age" feel (which would make sense since it was first released in 1930). Even though the story line seems to be one huge long tangent after another at times it still ends up making sense. 

I absolutely adore Poisoned Pen Press and their British Library Crime Classic series (and, of course, NetGalley for making me aware of them). SO many amazing authors that I had never heard of before -- including Miles Burton, the author of The Secret of High Eldersham which is being re-released by PPP on June 7th. Surprisingly (to me, at least), this is the first of something like SIXTY titles featuring the character Desmond Merrion written over a thirty year span. I've already scoured my usual places for unusual titles and now I'm just left sitting here hoping that PPP decides to re-release all of them ... and quickly.