The Hog's Back Mystery

By Freeman Wills Crofts

'As pretty a piece of work as Inspector French has done ... On the level of Mr Crofts' very best; which is saying something.' – Daily Telegraph

Dr James Earle and his wife live in comfortable seclusion near the Hog's Back, a ridge in the North Downs in the beautiful Surrey countryside. When Dr Earle disappears from his cottage, Inspector French is called in to investigate. At first he suspects a simple domestic intrigue – and begins to uncover a web of romantic entanglements beneath the couple's peaceful rural life.

The case soon takes a more complex turn. Other people vanish mysteriously, one of Dr Earle's house guests among them. What is the explanation for the disappearances? If the missing people have been murdered, what can be the motive? This fiendishly complicated puzzle is one that only Inspector French can solve.

Freeman Wills Crofts was a master of the intricately and ingeniously plotted detective novel, and The Hog's Back Mystery shows him at the height of his powers. This new edition of a classic mystery is introduced by the crime fiction expert Martin Edwards.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
• Release date: Jul 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781464203824

Freeman Wills Crofts

Freeman Wills Crofts (1879–1957) was an Irish author of detective fiction. Born in Dublin, he spent decades as a railroad engineer in Northern Ireland. When a long illness kept him away from work, he wrote The Cask (1920), a mystery novel that launched him to immediate popularity. He continued writing after he returned to work, finally leaving the railroad in 1929 to write full time. His best-known novels include The Starvel Hollow Tragedy (1927) and The 12:30 from Croydon (1934).

Reviews for The Hog's Back Mystery

[simon_carr_18 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A pleasing, well explained and logical whodunnit.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When a doctor and a nurse go missing, it's up to Inspector French to solve the case. It soon becomes apparent that both were likely killed, but where are the bodies? Suspicion runs to members of the doctor's household, to the doctor's partner, and to other persons connected with them. When another person goes missing, clues such as blood and dirt begin to surface. It's a complex mystery requiring the use of logic from the Golden Age of Mysteries that is certain to delight fans of the genre. An advance review copy was received from the publisher Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

[bemislibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Circumstantial evidence and precision timing are needed by Scotland Yard Inspector French to discover just who might be behind several disappearances. Be sure to make mental notes as key events occur to discovere why French is constantly revisiting timelines. A little slow paced and redundant, the tale is still a pleasant read from days gone by.

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Crofts is known for solid mysteries often based on alibis involving railroads (he worked on railroads). This is not his best. It includes two alibis, one of which is clever and credible, but the other of whjich is not. it assumes that a witness who is described as intelligent and sharp-sighted, could be fooled by a very simple impersonation when the impersonator is not very like the other man, and has no known acting or makeup abilities.T here is also a third man whose car was used in the crime. When questioned about it, he displays blatant signs of guilt and it is stated that he obviously knew how the car was used, but at the end he is left untroubled and goes off to marry a wealthy widow.