Crime Classics 115: Suddenly at His Residence: Christianna Brand

Under the shadow of the ongoing blitz in London, the willful grandchildren of Sir Richard Marsh have descended upon Swanswater in Kent for a family gathering, and the finalising of the patriarch's will. Frustrated with the disrespectful behaviour of his heirs, Marsh seems to resolve to cut them all out of their inheritance and descends to his outhouse to make the final arrangements. When he is discovered murdered by strychnine injection with multiple elements of the crime scene suggesting that nobody could have been near - or even to have approached the outhouse given its unspoilt gravel pathway - Brand's series sleuth Inspector Cockrill has his work cut out for him to find anything close to a plausible solution. First published in 1947, this classic mystery boasts Brand's knack for memorable characters and misdirection, and concludes with one of the most stunning denouements in the genre.