Rhode, John as Miles Burton - Heir to Murder (1953)

Series sleuth Desmond Merrion, taking a seaside holiday in the health resort of Carmouth to allow his ailing wife to recuperate, finds himself investigating a strange series of accidents that befall the successive heirs to Lady Violet Ventham, a wealthy local lady, in this quintessential Burton mystery. First, the local doctor drives his car into the harbour and is drowned, then a nurse falls to her death from a cliff path – and when an attempt is made on the life of the old lady’s estranged nephew Merrion finds himself joined in his enquiry by his regular cohort, Inspector Arnold of Scotland Yard.

The detectives delve into the complex history of the Vernham family in search of a clue but find their investigations hampered by an inability to discover how anyone could have discovered Lady Violet’s testamentary intentions, a secret she had guarded so carefully. Suspicion falls on several people, among them the brash, domineering friend of the nephew. Then Lady Vernham latest candidate to inherit, a local curate, is savagely attacked on the road by an unknown assailant and left for dead. Merrion, who has been witness to the precautions taken to ensure no one is aware that the curate is next in line, finally has an inspiration which allows him to solve the mysteries of how the leaks are occurring and who is responsible for the crimes.

Typically well-drawn local topography and some nice interplay between Merrion and his wife Mavis make this worth seeking out for the Burton devotee, although it is one of the more difficult later titles to track down and it doesn’t reach the heights of his best mysteries. Arnold’s presence is largely inconsequential, but there is enough of Merrion to maintain the interest to the end.

R E Faust