As inventive as Agatha Christie, as hilarious as P.G. Wodehouse - discover the delightful detective stories of Edmund Crispin. Crime fiction at its quirky best. In the sleepy English village of Sanford Angelorum, professor and amateur detective Gervase Fen is taking a break from his books to run for Parliament. At first glance, the village he's come to canvass appears perfectly peaceful, but Fen soon discovers that appearances can be deceptive: someone in the village has discovered a dark secret and is using it for blackmail. Anyone who comes close to uncovering the blackmailer's identity is swiftly dispatched. As the joys of politics wear off, Fen sets his mind to the mystery but finds himself caught up in a tangled tale of eccentric psychiatrists, escaped lunatics, beautiful women and lost heirs. REVIEWS "Both the mature and the discerning young choose to pick up one of Crispin's beautifully turned crime novels" -The Times "Crispin isn't in it for the mystery, but for the enigmas" -Guardian "His books are full of high spirits and excellent jokes, with constant literary allusions and an atmosphere of bibulous good humour. But at times the mood turns darker, and Crispin is capable of passages of both genuine suspense and ingenius deduction" -The Daily Telegraph "Crispin is noted for an ability to embellish clever story lines with Marx Brothers touches" -New York Times "A distinguished piece of detective fiction, constructed with real intelligence" -Daily Mail "A master of the whodunit…he combines a flawless plot, witty dialogue, and a touch of hilarity" -New York Times "Master of fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek mystery novels, a blend of John Dickson Carr, Michael Innes, M.R. James, and the Marx Brothers" -Anthony Boucher "All his work had a high-spiritedness rare and welcome in the crime story" -Julian Symons "Rightly elevated to classic status" -New York Sun