In at the Death

Written by Francis Duncan

Narrated by John Curless

Amateur sleuth Mordecai Tremaine is back in another classic mystery from the author of Murder for Christmas Mordecai Tremaine and Chief Inspector Jonathan Boyce are never pleased to have a promising game of chess interrupted - though when murder is the disrupting force, they are persuaded to make an exception. A quick stop at Scotland Yard to collect any detective's most trusted piece of equipment - the murder bag - the pair are spirited away to Bridgton. No sooner have they arrived than it becomes clear that the city harbours more than its fair share of passions and motives.and one question echoes loudly throughout the cobbled streets: why did Dr Hardene, the local GP of impeccable reputation, bring a revolver with him on a routine visit to a patient? Mordecai Tremaine's latest excursion into crime detection leaves him in doubt that, when it comes to murder, nothing can be assumed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 2, 2018
• ISBN: 9781980001195

Francis Duncan

Francis Duncan is the pseudonym for William Underhill, who was born in 1918. He lived virtually all his life in Bristol and served in the Royal Army Medical Corps in World War II, landing in France shortly after D-Day. After the war, he trained as a teacher and spent the rest of his life in education. He died in 1988.

Reviews for In at the Death

[vesper1931 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When the body of a doctor is discovered in the town of Bridgton, the local police call in Scotland Yard and Chief Inspector Jonathan Boyce. Amateur detective and friend Mordecai Tremaine has permission to travel with Boyce and become involved in the inquiry.
I enjoyed this well-written mystery and liked the style of writing. The author did provide clues so that it was possibly to find the guilty party. The two main characters are interesting ones, and I may prefer Boyce to Tremaine.
Originally written in 1952 before all the modern forensics were available to the police force.
A NetGalley Book

[matke-261098 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I’m glad I gave author Francis Duncan a second chance. This is a nicely dovetailed mystery, with no loose ends. I overthought the plot a bit, expecting some over-the-top tying up of threads, but Duncan avoided that neatly, making things seem more believable. A doctor is murdered in a country town, and Scotland Yard is immediately called in. An amateur who’s gaining respect as he sees the solution to more cases accompanies them.Mordecai Tremayne is a retired, kind-hearted man with a keen eye for detail, a thirst for a little adventure, and a soft spot for romance. He resolutely tries to ignore this, and is always fair and even-handed in his investigations and conclusions.This was much better than Murder for Christmas. Duncan avoids overwriting here, and has reduced the romance to manageable size. The solution to the crime makes a lot more sense, too.This series isn’t in the front rank of mysteries from the 30’s through the 50’s, but this book provides a pleasant way to while away an evening.