Forgotten Book - A Bone and a Hank of Hair

My enthusiasm for the work of Leo Bruce has increased steadily over the years. At first, I was more interested in his early books, featuring Sergeant Beef, but the advocacy of Barry Pike, a very good judge of classic detective fiction, led me to sample the Carolus Deene stories, and that series does contain several gems. I'd put A Bone and a Hank of Hair (1961) very high on the list, possibly right at the top.

This is an unusual mystery, with a genuinely ingenious plot. Like all the Carolus Deene books I've read so far, the focus is on dialogue - Bruce isn't a man for detailed description, although I did learn that Carolus is, like Lord Peter Wimsey and Dr Gideon Fell, a Balliol man. This story is set over the Christmas holidays, although the festive season plays a negligible part in events as Carolus seeks out the truth about an enigmatic and disreputable character called Brigham Rathbone.

Carolus is consulted by a woman called Ada Chalk, who believes Rathbone has murdered her cousin and cheated her children out of an inheritance. Carolus is persuaded to investigate what has happened and soon finds that Rathbone has been involved in a series of house moves - and that each time, he appears to have been accompanied by a different wife. Is Rathbone a latter day George Joseph Smith?

There are several very witty scenes among the countless interviews that Carolus conducts. I especially enjoyed two landlords, one in Cornwall who despises local artists, and another who is obsessed with the old school tie and reminiscences of war-time. Despite a few darkish touches, there's a lot of fun to be had with this story, and the puzzle element is wonderfully tricky.