Woman falls from window of flat. Doctor says killed instantly.
Well, thought Ludovic Travers as he set the newspaper aside, that finally put a period to a highly unsuccessful case. The woman, a Mrs. Strand, had seemed a bit deranged when she came to him for help in locating some missing friends, but he quest led to a dead end.
So Travers turns to the infinitely more challenging new mystery of the missing diamonds-£50, 000 of them, stolen from an impregnable safe in a distinguished London jeweller’s, and perfect, if worthless, replicas substituted. He meets some charming people who may or may not be thieves. And he finds himself up against not only an unholy threesome-the grand alliance-but also a merciless blackmailer and a murderer.
Oddly enough, the unfinished business of Mrs. Strand provides the key to this almost unfathomable mystery-and Christopher Bush’s thousands of admirers will find here his hallmarks of fine craftsmanship: believability, ingenuity, real characters. Bush is one of the top purveyors of civilized entertainment, spiced with highly uncivilized mayhem.
The Case of the Grand Alliance was originally published in 1964. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.
About the author
Christopher Bush was born Charlie Christmas Bush in Norfolk in 1885. His father was a farm labourer and his mother a milliner. In the early years of his childhood he lived with his aunt and uncle in London before returning to Norfolk aged seven, later winning a scholarship to Thetford Grammar School.As an adult, Bush worked as a schoolmaster for 27 years, pausing only to fight in World War One, until retiring aged 46 in 1931 to be a full-time novelist. His first novel featuring the eccentric Ludovic Travers was published in 1926, and was followed by 62 additional Travers mysteries. These are all to be republished by Dean Street Press.Christopher Bush fought again in World War Two, and was elected a member of the prestigious Detection Club. He died in 1973.More ebooks from the same author(s) / Editor
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