Richard Keverne (1882–1950)

This is a mixture of detective story and thriller, in which the narrator, Philip Harborough, finds himself in great danger of being arrested for the murder of his uncle Alban. The said uncle was the black sheep of the family, and Philip had no contact with him for twenty years - in fact he thought his uncle was dead. Unfortunately, after Alban is found dead on the beach near his bungalow in Oldford (a small town in East Anglia), it turns out that he had left all his property to Philip, and he cannot prove his alibi. Fortunately a local solicitor takes an interest in the case, and finds out that there are some shady characters involved in the case. The action starts rather more quickly than in some of the author's books, and carries on to a tragic climax.… (més)

Artifex Intervenes is a collection of three short stories, and although it has proven impossible to learn anything of their history, I suspect they were initially written for publication in a magazine. They are adventure stories in which a law-abiding and perhaps fairly conventional member of the public suddenly finds him- or herself caught up pursuing criminals, and determined to unravel and frustrate some villainous plot. Just as he or she realizes they are out of their depth, the Scotland Yard Inspector Simon Artifex will intervene just as the title suggests, introducing himself and appraising them of the magnitude of the affair in which they have become involved. However he doesn't discourage them in their endeavours; instead he gives them to understand that they are vital, and that he is relying on their help; the criminals' plot seems fated to go unsolved and unthwarted without their assistance. Continued… (més)