Murder in the Basement

In this brilliantly unconventional British mystery, a buried body and a novelist’s manuscript intertwine, turning fiction into fatal fact. Literary clues and eccentric suspects collide in a tale perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and British Library Crime Classics.

When a young couple uncovers a corpse beneath their new London home, Scotland Yard is stumped. Enter Roger Sheringham: novelist, amateur sleuth, and reluctant schoolteacher. While posing as a teacher for research, Sheringham pens a biting satire about his colleagues. But as Inspector Moresby digs deeper, one question emerges: did Sheringham unwittingly describe the victim—and their killer?

A genre-defying gem from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, Murder in the Basement delivers a mystery as thought-provoking as it is entertaining; with sharp wit, period charm, and a daring narrative twist.

Praise for Murder in the Basement:

“[Anthony Berkeley’s] tale of petty rivalries, affairs, and revenge plots is so deliciously entertaining. [Murder in the Basement is] a pioneering example of the “whowasdunin” that, like that corpse in the basement, richly deserves exhumation.” — Kirkus Reviews

Author Biography

ANTHONY BERKELEY was a pen name of Anthony Berkeley Cox (1893-1971), one of the most important figures in the history of British crime fiction. Many of his novels feature the amateur criminologist Roger Sheringham. As well as being the author of many classic detective stories—including Malice Aforethought under his Frances Iles pseudonym—Berkeley was the founder of the prestigious Detection Club for the finest crime writers.