Punshon, ER - Ten Star Clues (1941)

This tale takes place after Bobby Owen switches from policing London to policing rural Wychshire. It offers a highly traditional puzzle with a returned missing heir and a dispute over his identity that turns murderous. If it sounds like Brat Farrar, well, yes, but Punshon preceded Tey by nine years! Punshon was inspired in writing Ten Star Clues by the case of The Tichborne Claimant, like Tey and also Lillian de la Torre (who I believe published in 1952 an account of this affair, The Heir of Douglas). Ten Star Clues is one of the better Punshons, with a straightforward mystery puzzle (suspects and those ten "star clues" even are tabulated by the industrious Bobby, with help from his winning wife Olive), appealing characters and a pleasing, lightly humorous style of writing throughout the goings-on. A good book, which sets the reader up for further exploration of the mysteries of Wychshire in the even better Diabolic Candelabra (1942), perhaps Punshon's best work. Unfortunately neither book was published in the U.S. They are only available in passing tatty forties Gollancz editions, when one can find those.

Curt Evans.