Death of an Author

Death of an Author was first published in the 1930's. While it has a few characteristics that are typical of the mystery novels published in that era, it is one of the most unusual crime novels that I've ever read.

It begins with a missing person report. The missing person is question is a celebrated crime novelist, Vivian Lestrange, who is famously, a recluse. His secretary shows up at the local police station to report that he's missing, and that his housekeeper has disappeared as well.

When, after a week of investigation, Inspector Bond cannot find a single person that has ever met Vivian Lestrange, he wonders if the secretary is herself the novelist and Lestrange never actually existed. But the police keep investigating, and they turn up a bunch of clues and connections that are both intriguing and confounding.

Like the detectives in the story, the reader is presented with a crazy set of facts that lend themselves to multiple explanations. The author keeps you guessing and you're never sure whom to trust and where the story is going to go next.

With excellent characters, a clever plot, and a narrative that keeps you hooked until the very end, this is a great crime read.