Christopher Bush

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.

It wasn't easy to forget the frightened hostility in her face and the shrill hysteria of her voice when she'd closed and bolted the door.Who were the intruders who left bloodstains and a sapphire brooch in Paul Farrell's flat? And, since nothing was taken, why should that flat be burgled at all? That problem was only the beginning. What, for instance, had become of Farrell's wife? And of the girl adopted by the vicar's sister? And why should that sister plant bulbs on a stranger's grave? And why should a Soho head-waiter, doing pretty well for himself, suddenly commit suicide?These were only some of the problems confronting Ludovic Travers and his old friends, Matthews and Jewle of Scotland Yard. A tangle, indeed, of intrigue, blackmail and murder that seemed unsolvable: and yet, when finally resolved, makes the reader wonder why he had not found the answers long before. This is vintage Christopher Bush.The Case of the Sapphire Brooch was originally published in 1960. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans."Freshness both of plot and writing." Anthony Berkeley"Travers continues to be a wholly satisfying creation." Alan Hunter

"How's it going, George?""Sheer murder."When Ludovic Travers went to Sandbeach-"the Blackpool of the South Coast"-his purpose was to investigate on behalf of an insurance company a jewel robbery at one of that lively resort's leading hotels. The victim of the robbery was Mona Dovell, the flighty wife of an elderly and highly respected magistrate. Ludovic was not long on the job before he discovered that Mona was heavily involved with a bookmaker of dubious reputation, and that her relations with certain members of the local C.I.D. were unconventional to say the least of it. After that, even the robbery itself began to smell fishy, and Ludovic started to wonder if there was not also a strong whiff of corruption in the air.The Case of the Careless Thief was originally published in 1959. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans."One can only wonder how he keeps up the standard . . . as ingenious and full of meat as ever." Guardian"In crime writing it's not true that a good wine needs no Bush. The Case of the Careless Thief is another dry sherry by Christopher Bush, one of the best story-tellers in the world.' Western Mail'Ingenious and energetic double-murder set in a garish south coast resort. Ludovic Travers, a polished private eye, investigates a jewel-theft insurance-swindle and uncovers the nastiest bunch of seaside characters since Graham Greene visited Brighton.' Sydney Morning Herald

Seeing Munro Burnside was a last resource.The young narrator of this mystery thriller is stony broke. In dire straits he appeals to his former boss, now a top men at a London newspaper, for a writing job. Mr. Burnside suggests he go out and find himself a really piquant subject for a series of articles, one in which he can involve himself personally if possible. It is not long before the would-be scribe spots three lean men and, smelling a good story, follows the curious trio into an adventure far beyond the world of journalism. The narrator's incredible journey takes him to a sinister middle-European nation, up to his ears in diabolical international intrigue, and embroiled in a plot of implacable revenge and pre-meditated murder.In 1932 Christopher Bush took a short break from his 'Ludovic Travers' mystery series to write this one-off thriller, the style and milieu of which will be familiar to readers of Buchan, Ambler and Cheyney. Originally published under the name of 'Noel Barclay', it has remained Bush's rarest book until now. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Tony Medawar.

"Death from manual strangulation after a blow that slightly fractured the skull."Ludovic Travers, private investigator, is approached by a slight acquaintance from his past, one Isabel Herne. She has seemingly fallen into the hands of a charming con-man, who has promised her the earth, including a very expensive racehorse. When the race-horse fails to materialize, and the man vanishes, she tasks Ludovic with finding the latter and, if possible, recovering her money. But what appears to be one kind of case soon plunges headlong into another - one of blackmail, black magic, a black sheep, and murder. Ludo will have to pit his wits against a desperate killer-and his wife Bernice will play an unexpectedly active part.The Case of the Jumbo Sandwich was originally published in 1965. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

He said he was deeply shocked to hear of Mr. Staffer's murder.I rather doubted it.Ludovic Travers had never come across a more ingenious fraud-three of them, in fact. All were perpetrated in only twenty-four hours. One was in Liverpool, the second and third in Southampton and London. The same two people posing as an American married couple, had purchased a diamond ring at each of three jewellery stores, paying for all three with beautifully forged traveller's cheques-to the tune of about two thousand pounds. The thieves had then done a highly successful vanishing act.Shortly after Ludovic Travers is called in on the case, he is diverted from it by the search for a missing heir, one of the twin grandsons of an old friend. The twin on the scene-the Heavenly Twin, Travers calls him-is apparently doing very well. The other has definitely gone wrong, and has also disappeared.On the missing twin's trail, Travers encounters yet another diversion: a jewel robbery in a country house in Hampshire. And then two more forged cheques turn up. Are they red herrings-or pieces of the same puzzle?The Case of the Heavenly Twin was originally published in 1963. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans."Mr. Travers ought to be knighted for his easy devotion to the formal tale of detection, woven with humorous deliberation. His knitting needles keep on clicking sharply." New York Herald Tribune

"You'll face two charges," I said. "One for murder and one for extortion."Ludovic Travers remembered Brian Jedmont as a photographer whose ambition outran his sense of ethics. The Broad Street Detective Agency had stopped using his services in unfortunate circumstances, and Travers was accordingly surprised when one day Jedmont turned up at the office anxious to become a client on his own account. Specifically, he wanted Travers to investigate an American who was busily beguiling Jedmont's aunt into the purchase of some questionable oil shares. Was it the old story of the con-man and the gullible wealthy widow? Travers agreed to try to find the answer, but in doing so he became involved in matters of blackmail and murder as well. A three-ring puzzle, in fact, and as ingeniously intriguing a one as that old master of the genuine detective story, Christopher Bush, has ever challenged his readers to solve.The Case of the Three-Ring Puzzle was originally published in 1962. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans."Admirers of Ludovic Travers will find him at his best in this intricately-turned baffler." Boston Globe"First rate." Washington Star

"He says it's something serious. Might be murder."When the well-dressed Mrs. Wilson came into his office, her business seemed simple enough-although a little odd and mysterious for a woman of her bearing. She wanted Travers to find a missing man, who used to do a second-rate Houdini act in music halls. If Travers found her man, he was not to contact Mrs. Wilson but to advertise his find in the European edition of the New York Times.As first one person disappears and then another, what should have been a routine assignment becomes intriguingly complex. And the case becomes dangerous when a murdered man is discovered with Travers's calling card in his pocket.Baffling and exciting, this adventure with the urbane Ludovic Travers will please his fans and all connoisseurs of the genuine detective story.The Case of the Dead Man Gone was originally published in 1961. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans."Had me Bushed." Sunday Telegraph"The button-holing compulsion of Mr. Bush's narration and the easy charm of his detective make reading it a pleasure." Birmingham Post

I never did like missing people. Far too often we've found them dead.When that cheerful soul, Doris Bosford, asked Ludovic Travers of the Broad Street Detective Agency to trace her missing husband the case soon involved matters less innocent than a mere disappearance. Andrew Bosford had been a crooner, but investigation showed that his latest source of income seemed concerned with a smuggling racket that had its headquarters in France. With the discovery of a body on the seashore--the body of the last man to employ Andrew as a singer--Ludovic felt the time had come for him to drop Mrs. Bosford as a client.But the threads were to be put back into his hands as the result of two apparently quite unconnected events, and Ludovic found himself in a situation where it was far from easy to serve the interests both of his clients and those of Scotland Yard. This results in one of the best and most distinctive of Christopher Bush's mystery novels.The Case of the Extra Man was originally published in 1956. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans."Bush gets better and better . . . And Ludovic Travers is becoming one of our favourite sleuths" San Francisco Chronicle

That happened to be the last that either of us actually saw of Alysia Rimmell--alive.Ludovic Travers, associate of Scotland Yard, and the director of his own detective agency, is brought into a new case, and finds something very much wrong with an attempt at blackmail, an unsolved theft, and a murder . . . they all seem to link up. The more he studies them the more he is convinced that the diamonds from an elaborate pendant Russian Cross are the root of the whole business, not the pornographic pictures also mixed up in it. By the time the whole diabolical mystery has unravelled, the reader will agree that the novel, the author's fiftieth Ludovic Travers mystery, is as intriguing and entertaining as ever.The Case of the Russian Cross was originally published in 1957. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans."Freshness both of plot and writing." Anthony Berkeley"Travers continues to be a wholly satisfying creation." Alan HunterNew York Times

There was no mess: just a dark stain one could see on the waistcoat. What was horrible was the contortion of the face and the tortured eyes. But even then I thought I knew him.There can be few people who would wish to go so far as to murder a literary agent. Which one takes the trouble to impersonate a well-known author and lure George Posfort of that calling to his violent end in an unlikely London hotel? And why, about the same time, should Richard Alton, a nice young schoolmaster and gifted amateur actor, apparently disappear behind the Iron Curtain? There are several possible motives for Posfort's murder; among them an ugly rumour that he had been responsible for the suicide of his secretary, Caroline Haze. But Alton's vanishing trick seems altogether inexplicable until Ludovic Travers joins forces with Superintendent George Wharton--the 'Old General' of Scotland Yard--to arrange the pieces and show that what at first appears to be two problems is in fact one.The Case of the Amateur Actor was originally published in 1955. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans."Solid detective interest" New York Times"Another Travers mystery to delight the most critical reader . . . a swell story" Montgomery Advertiser

Whoever was driving that car was either drunk or mad.The Case of the Flowery Corpse takes Ludovic Travers to the English rural idyll of Marstead in Suffolk, visiting his old friend Henry Morle. The quiet village seems hardly the place for mystery. Yet, following a car crash, a blackmail case emerges - and worse, not one, but two murders. There are multiple suspects, including a pair of twin doctors and a femme fatale, not to mention the looming presence of a US Army base. Travers enlists the help of Inspector Jewle and Sergeant Allman of Scotland Yard, and together they relentlessly chase down all the baffling clues, unpeel the mystery, and bring the villain to justice. Welcome to a classic bucolic detective story, written in Christopher Bush's best style.The Case of the Flowery Corpse was originally published in 1956. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans."Many small ingenuities of detection" New York Times"The best mystery novel I have read in the last six months . . . interesting backgrounds and rich characterization." Knoxville Sentinel

Between the acting of a dreadful thing, and the first motion...Ludovic Travers sees it happen. He sees a strange young woman assault Clement Foorde, and all because he had expressed his dislike for a certain best-selling novel. Is it a publicity stunt? The matter escapes Travers's mind until he hears on the radio one night that the author of the novel in question has been drowned. Everyone, including the police, thinks the affair to be no more than a tragic accident; everyone except the dead man's brother who comes to see Travers at the Broad Street Detective Agency with a piece of information that places the case in an entirely new light. Christopher Bush again proves himself a master of the true detective story, with plenty of hard thinking and fast action before the solution is reached.The Case of the Silken Petticoat was originally published in 1953. This new edition features an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans."Bush gets better and better . . . And Ludovic Travers is becoming one of our favourite sleuths" San Francisco Chronicle