John Bonett

Cyprian Druse was a ruthless literary London critic whose viperous pen destroyed many a reputation. When he is found dead, the police rule it as an accidental death, but his nephew, Simon Crane, thinks otherwise. Crane and his friend, Professor Mandrake, set out to discover the real story behind his demise

A fractious and intrigue-ridden set of London film people invade the sleepy English village of Steeple Tottering. While on location, a murder occurs which sets star against star, members of the film crew against each other, and the whole contingent against the local inhabitants. Action, temperament and romance flourish, on screen and off, as the story builds to a splendid denouement.

Her name was Lotte Liselotte. She was a world-famous German actress and a onetime flame of Adolf Hitler. And she had come to the lovely Channel island of Lyonesse to 'get away from it all.' Then British publisher Andrew Adams, his charming wife Ashe, and the other assorted tourists on the island found, to their consternation, that Fraulein Liselotte had indeed 'gotten away from it all' -- by getting herself murdered

Meet the amazing Alphabet Hicks... Disbarred lawyer, uncommon cabby and investigator extraordinary, who confronts cynical cops and conniving corporations as he pieces together a complex series of confusing clues to trap a cold-blooded killer.