{"title":"Francis Vivian","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"the-death-of-mr-lomas-an-inspector-knollis-mystery-paperback","title":"The Death of Mr. Lomas: An Inspector Knollis Mystery - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Lomas was poisoned, shaved after death, and placed in the river. He is full of whisky and the post-mortem examination will undoubtedly prove that cocaine was in the alcohol. The murderer worked on him with a lavish hand, one so lavish that it may eventually prove to be his undoing.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Mr. Lomas visits the Chief Constable of Burnham and describes his symptoms, Sir Wilfred Burrows believes that his visitor suffers from nothing more serious than nerves. Later that day Mr. Lomas's body is recovered from the water at Willow Lock; yet death is not by drowning.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSir Wilfred recounts the interview to Inspector Knollis, who, realizing the significance of the symptoms, is satisfied that Mr. Lomas is a victim of cocaine poisoning. With characteristic energy he sets about the task of unmasking the murderer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this gripping story of a cunning murderer brought to justice by brilliant, logical reasoning, the solution is skilfully yet legitimately concealed to the last.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Death of Mr. Lomas\u003c\/em\u003e was first published in 1941. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Francis Vivian skips all tedious preliminaries and is commendably quick off the mark; we meet his characters with lively pleasure.\" \u003cem\u003eObserver\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A commendably fast-moving story of mystery and detection.\" \u003cem\u003eLiverpool Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Mr. Vivian neatly fits everything in its place.\" \u003cem\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67576886395103,"sku":"9781912574278","price":17.26,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/NmcH1dES9V9781912574278.webp?v=1790387573"},{"product_id":"darkling-death-an-inspector-knollis-mystery-paperback","title":"Darkling Death: An Inspector Knollis Mystery - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGrayson tipped back his head, and stared at the ceiling. Herby was certainly not liked, but who on earth, apart from himself, hated him sufficiently to think of murder?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs he waits for the Norfolk-bound train to steam from its London terminus, Brother Ignatius experiences a strange premonition. Quite suddenly he knows that a man on the platform will shortly come to join him in his compartment and that their lives will become inextricably linked. Together they travel to Norfolk, and within hours the stranger comes under suspicion of murder.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSuperintendent Knollis arrives from Scotland Yard to investigate. Knollis soon finds that local loyalties are strewing his path with thorns and that, under the seal of Confession, Brother Ignatius cannot tell all he knows. It is a problem that calls for psychological as well as deductive reasoning--and Inspector Knollis, supported by the trusty Sergeant Ellis, is on the case!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDarkling Death\u003c\/em\u003e was originally published in 1956. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Francis Vivian skips all tedious preliminaries and is commendably quick off the mark; we meet his characters with lively pleasure.\" \u003cem\u003eObserver\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Mr. Vivian neatly fits everything in its place.\" \u003cem\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67576887247071,"sku":"9781912574452","price":17.26,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/VA3Lq-plom9781912574452.webp?v=1790387575"},{"product_id":"the-ninth-enemy-an-inspector-knollis-mystery-paperback","title":"The Ninth Enemy: An Inspector Knollis Mystery - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Inspector, it's--it's dastardly!\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Mrs. Huntingdon,\" said Knollis, \"your choice of words is admirable!\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInspector Knollis of Scotland Yard is hoping for a nice quiet weekend in the country. Instead he is embroiled in a murder case--the death by gunshot of local bigwig Richard Huntingdon.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJean, the dead man's wife, discovers the body in dense woods near a river. Knollis soon learns that Jean's previous husband also met an untimely end, not that she is the only suspect. Despite his reputation for good deeds, Huntingdon had enemies in the district, including the progressive Bishop of Northcote. And it turns out the late Mr. Huntingdon was intimately involved with a grade-A \u003cem\u003efemme fatale\u003c\/em\u003e. . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKnollis, along with the redoubtable Sergeant Ellis, has to deal with a plethora of puzzling clues before solving this bucolic case of Murder most Foul. Key to the mystery is a toy yacht found floating on the river near the body--a craft almost identical to the gift recently received--anonymously--by Huntingdon's young daughter, Dorrie.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Ninth Enemy\u003c\/em\u003e was originally published in 1948. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Francis Vivian skips all tedious preliminaries and is commendably quick off the mark; we meet his characters with lively pleasure.\" \u003cem\u003eObserver\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Mr. Vivian neatly fits everything in its place.\" \u003cem\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67578230505695,"sku":"9781912574339","price":17.26,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/93E99YgYbi9781912574339.webp?v=1790402617"},{"product_id":"the-laughing-dog-an-inspector-knollis-mystery-paperback","title":"The Laughing Dog: An Inspector Knollis Mystery - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMadeleine Burke is prepared to swear that she was Dr. Challoner's last patient on Tuesday evening, and that he was alive and in good spirits when she bade him good night.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile holidaying in Algiers, Hugh Challoner encounters the lightning-sketch artist Aubrey Highton. Highton is desirous of finding a job back in England, and Challoner agrees to help--but then his enigmatic new friend disappears.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBack in England, Dr. Challoner is strangled in his own surgery, and it is discovered that Highton is one of the last to have seen the slain man alive. Who exactly is Highton, other than a former Foreign Legionnaire? And why was a drawing of a laughing dog left in the diary just before--or just after--the unfortunate doctor's demise?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Laughing Dog\u003c\/em\u003e was originally published in 1949. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"The author's pen has struck the gold with this one.\" \u003cem\u003eThe Writer\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"The reputation of detective and author are maintained in a swiftly moving story.\" \u003cem\u003eSheffield Telegraph\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A detective story with a clever plot, good construction, and fine writing is a thing to welcome at all times. Mr. Vivian's latest adventure of Inspector Knollis is very good indeed.\" \u003cem\u003eEdinburgh Evening News\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67578231619807,"sku":"9781912574353","price":17.26,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/P7bb_IJpAP9781912574353.webp?v=1790402619"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/francis-vivian.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}