Georgette Heyer: Crime Novels

Footsteps in the Dark (London, Longman, 1932)
Granada 0246-12760-0, (Feb) 1987, 304pp.
House of Stratus 0755-10895-7, 2001, 290pp.
Arrow 0099-49369-1, 2006, 328pp.

Guests spending the summer at an ancient priory mansion find it has a charm all its own--no modern conveniences, but it does have a resident ghost. In this case, however, the things that go bump in the night are flesh and blood . . . and deadly!

Why Shoot a Butler? (London, Longman, 1933)
Penguin 429, 1943, 220pp.
Panther 1577, 1963, 219pp.
——, 2nd imp., 1964; 3rd imp., 1967; 4th imp., (Nov?) 1967.
——, 5th imp., 1969, 220pp, 5/-. Cover: photo
——, 6th imp., 1973.
Panther 586-01577-9-2, 7th imp., 1977.
——, 8th imp., 1979; 9th imp., 1982.
——, 10th imp., 1984. Cover: photo
Grafton 0586-01577-9, 1987, 298pp.
House of Stratus 0755-10891-4, 2001, 277pp.
Arrow 0099-49372-1, 2007, 312pp.

Every family has secrets, but the Fountains' are turning deadly . . .
On a dark night, along a lonely country road, barrister Frank Amberley stops to help a young lady in distress and discovers a sports car with a corpse behind the wheel. The girl protests her innocence, and Amberley believes her-at least until he gets drawn into the mystery and the clues incriminating Shirley Brown begin to add up . . .
In an English country-house murder mystery with a twist, it's the butler who's the victim, every clue complicates the puzzle, and the bumbling police are well-meaning but completely baffled. Fortunately, in ferreting out a desperate killer, amateur sleuth Amberley is as brilliant as he is arrogant, but this time he's not sure he wants to know the truth . . .

The Unfinished Clue (London, Longman, 1934)
Penguin 428, 1943, 220pp.
Panther 1642, Mar 1964, 207pp. 3/6.
——, 2nd imp., 1965; 3rd imp., 1967; 4th imp., 1967.
Panther 2693-2, 5th imp., (Feb) 1969, 208pp, 5/-. Cover: photo
Panther 586-02693-2-2, 6th imp.(?), 1974. Cover: photo
——, 1977.
Panther 0586-02693-2, 1984. Cover: photo
Grafton 0586-02693-2, 1987, 288pp.
House of Stratus 0755-10889-2, 266pp.
Arrow 0099-49373-X, 2006, 306pp.

Everyone had a reason to hate the late Sir Arthur Billington-Smith. His arrogance and abrasive manner had alienated his wife, her sister, his houseguests, his wayward son, even a desperate friend. Of course, his attentions to one attractive young guest in plain view of her husband simply multiplied the possible suspects in his murder.

Death in the Stocks (Hannasyde; London, Longman, 1935; as Merely Murder, New York, Doubleday, 1935)
Penguin 378, 1942, 204pp.
——, Xth imp., 1950.
Panther 1495, 1963, 174pp.
——, 2nd imp., 1964; 3rd imp., 1965.
——, 4th imp., Mar 1966, 177pp, 3/6. Cover: photo
Panther 2694-0, [5th imp.] 1968. Cover: photo
——, 6th imp., 1971; 7th imp., 1972; 8th imp., 1973.
——, 9th imp., 1975, 175pp, 40p. Cover: photo
Grafton 0586-02694-0, 1987.
House of Stratus 0755-10887-6, 2001, 262pp.
Arrow 0099-49362-4, 2006, 298pp.

Beneath a sky the colour of sapphires and the sinister moonlight, a gentleman in evening dress is discovered slumped in the stocks on the village green - he is dead. Superintendent Hannasyde's consummate powers of detection and solicitor Giles Carrington's amateur sleuthing are tested to their limits as they grapple with the Vereker family - a group of outrageously eccentric and corrupt suspects.

Behold, Here's Poison (Hannasyde; London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1936)
Pan 75, (Jan) 1949.
——, 2nd (?) imp., 1951. Cover by Stein
Panther 1532, 1963, 191pp.
——, 2nd imp., 1964; 3rd imp., 1965.
——, 4th imp. 1967. Cover: photo
Panther 2723-8, [5th imp.] (Mar) 1969, 192pp, 5/-. Cover photo by Dennis Rolfe
——, Xth imp., 1971.
—— 586-02723-8-2, Xth imp., 1975.
Grafton 0586-02723-8, c.1987.
House of Stratus 0755-10894-9, 2001, 272pp.
Arrow 0099-49364-0, 2006, 311pp.

Inspector Hannasyde faces the deadliest test of his career when members of the wealthy Matthews clan begin to die, one by one. With motives everywhere, it is no easy case for the inspector to solve. Heyer is one of the best known writers of the "cozy" subgenre of mysteries and her whimsical dialogue and fascinating characters abound in this black comedy of a thriller.

They Found Him Dead (Hannasyde; London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1937)
Bernard Tauchnitz 5318, c.1938, 241pp.
Panther 1188, 1961.
——, 2nd imp., 1962; 3rd imp., 1964; 5th imp., 1965; 6th imp., 1966
——, 7th imp., 1967, 203pp, 5/-. Cover: photo
Panther 2667-3, 8th imp., 1968;
——, 9th imp., (Jan) 1969.
——, Xth imp., 1972
Granada, 1981.
Grafton, c.1987.
House of Status 0755-10890-6, 2001, 270pp.
Arrow 0099-49363-2, 2006, 310pp.

It is the morning after wealthy Silas Kane's sixtieth birthday party - a celebration that brings to light a number of familial controversies. When Kane he is found dead at the foot of a cliff, the assumption is that he simply lost his way in the fog and fell by accident. But the subsequent death of his nephew and heir and threats on the life of the third Kane, the newest heir, raises obvious suspicion, and the redoubtable investigative skills of Superintendent Hannasyde prove critical once again.

A Blunt Instrument (Hannasyde; London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1938)
Pan 105, Aug 1949. Cover by Stein
Panther 1282, 1961, 189pp.
Panther 2669-X, 1968, 190pp.
——, 1969.
——, Xth imp., 1973.
Grafton, c.1987.
HarperCollins 0586-02669-X, 1993, 270pp.
House of Stratus 0755-10892-2, 2001, 254pp.
Arrow 0099-49365-9, 2006, 293pp.

When Ernest Fletcher is found bludgeoned to death in his study, everyone is shocked and mystified: Ernest was well liked and respected, so who would want to kill him? Enter Superintendent Hannasyde who, with consummate skill, begins to uncover the complexities of Fletcher’s life. It seems the real Fletcher was far from the gentleman he pretended to be.

No Wind of Blame (Hemingway; London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1939)
Panther 1614, 1963, 219pp.
Panther 2766, (Apr) 1969, 220pp.
——, Xth imp., c.1984.
Grafton 0586-02766-1, 1988, 318pp.
House of Stratus 0755-10893-0, 2001
Arrow 0099-49367-5, 2006, 348pp.

Tragedy befalls the Carter family following an eventful visit from a Russian prince and a scandalous blackmail letter. The murder of Wally Carter generates a bewildering mystery - how does one shoot a man crossing a narrow bridge without being near the murder weapon when it is fired? The superlatively analytical Inspector Hemingway reveals his unnerving talent for solving a fiendish problem.

Envious Casca (Hemingway; London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1941)
Panther 1265, 1961, 216pp.
——, 2nd imp., 1964; 3rd imp., 1965.
——, 4th imp., 1967, 217pp, 5/-. Cover: photo
——, 5th imp., 1967.
Panther 0586-01265-6, 6th imp., (Feb) 1970.
——, 7th imp., 1972; 8th imp., 1973; 9th imp., 1975; 10th imp., 1980.
Granada 0586-01265-6, 11th imp., 1982. Cover: photo
Grafton, c.1987
House of Stratus 0755-10888-4, 2001, 332pp.
Arrow 0099-49366-7, 2006, 379pp.

It is no ordinary Christmas at Lexham Manor. Six holiday guests find themselves the suspects of a murder enquiry when the old Scrooge, Nathaniel Herriad, who owns the substantial estate, is found stabbed in the back. For Inspector Hemingway of Scotland Yard, ‘tis the season to find whodunit but it’s a real conundrum how any of the suspects could have entered the locked room to commit this foul deed in the first place.

Penhallow (London, Heinemann, 1942)
Panther 1689, 1964, 239pp.
——, 2nd imp., 1965(?).
——, 3rd imp., 1967.
Panther 2767, 4th imp., (Apr) 1969, 240pp.
——, Xth imp., 1971.
Panther 02767-X, 1976.
Grafton 0586-02767-X, 1987, 239pp.
House of Stratus 0755-10896-5, 2001, 379pp.
Arrow 0099-49368-3, 2006, 431pp.

Adam Penhallow’s death seems, at first, to be by natural causes. But Penhallow wasn’t well liked — so bad tempered, that both his servants and his family hated him. It soon transpires that Penhallow was murdered, poisoned, in fact, on the eve of his birthday celebration, and there are more than a dozen prime suspects.

Duplicate Death (Hemingway; London, Heinemann, 1951)
Pan 287, May 1954. Cover by Carl Wilton
Panther 1407, 1962, 191pp.
——, 2nd imp., Feb 1964. Cover photo
——, 3rd imp., Mar 1964.
——, Xth imp., 1967
Panther, 1970, 192pp.
——, Xth imp., 1975.
Panther 0586-01407-1, 1978, 192pp.
House of Stratus 0755-10885-X, 2001, 288pp.
Arrow 0099-49375-6, 2006, 352pp.

A civilized game of Duplicate Bridge ends in a double murder in which both victims were strangled with picture wire. The crimes seem identical, but were they carried out by the same hand? The odds of solving this crime are stacked up against Inspector Hemingway. Fortunately, the first-rate detective doesn’t miss a trick.

Detection Unlimited (Hemingway; London, Heinemann, 1953)
Pan 363, Jan 1956. Cover by Sax
Panther 1244, 1961, 222pp.
——, Xth imp., 1964; Xth imp., 1966.
Panther 2558-1, 1969, 223pp.
——, Xth imp., 1971; Xth imp., 1972.
Panther 586-02558-1-2, 1975.
Grafton 0586-02558-1, 1988.
House of Stratus 0755-10886-8, 2001, 308pp.
Arrow 0099-49374-8, 2006, 348pp.

Slumped on a seat under an oak tree is old Sampson Warrenby, with a bullet through his brain. He is discovered by his niece Mavis, who is just one of ten people in the village in the running for chief suspect, having cause to dislike Warrenby intensely. Only Chief Inspector Hemingway can uncover which of the ten has turned hatred into murder.