Rogues' Holiday

Book excerpt: “An ace high mystery, with unexpected situations and new methods used by old rogues” from the Golden Age author of the Albert Campion series (Kirkus Reviews). An apparent suicide at a posh men’s club in London doesn’t fool Scotland Yard Insp. David Blest. There’s something fishy about the old man who quarreled with the victim the night before. The doggedly determined Blest can’t let the matter rest and uses a leave from work to follow his suspect to the coast. What Blest finds in Westbourne-on-Sea is sun, sand, and suspicious characters, including his elderly target acting as guardian to a sickly girl. But Miss Judy Wellington is only pretending to be ill. Unbeknownst to Blest, she’s really an heiress with a secret inheritance—one that pays off big to her husband if she marries before she turns twenty-five. With only months to go before that deadline, vultures are circling around her. Her guardian’s choice of a husband—a known conman—is killed. All Blest knows is that he’s in too deep, and he’ll protect Judy come hell or high water . . . “By modern standards, where anything goes, this a bit of a cosy mix of villainy, romance, intrigue, and mystery. It’s also a bit of a potboiler . . . This story, as much a thriller as mystery, is a fine example of its period and well worth the read, not only for the legions of Allingham fans.” —Crime Review