The Mystery at Stowe

The Mystery at Stowe
Vernon Loder

Nigel Moss

First published by Collins in 1928, this was the first of 22 mystery novels by Vernon Loder, one of the most popular British mystery-thriller writers of his generation.When a guest at Stowe House is found dead, killed by a lethal dart, suspicion naturally falls on the resident collector of poisoned weapons from tribes in South America. With the entire house party as potential suspects, what part did the woman explorer play in this sinister tragedy? The local police are baffled, and call on the help of an amateur, whose recent assignment working with bushmen in Africa brings new insight into an increasingly unconventional investigation . . .This Detective Story Club classic is introduced by mystery genre collector and expert Nigel Moss, who looks at how one of the most dependable Golden Age authors has been forgotten.

Published by COLLINS CRIME CLUB

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

First published in Great Britain by Wm Collins Sons & Co. Ltd 1928

Published by The Detective Story Club Ltd 1929

Introduction © Nigel Moss 2016

Cover design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 1929, 2016

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008137489

Ebook Edition © March 2016 ISBN: 9780008137496

Version: 2015-11-24

Contents

Cover (#ue0f92cb5-de55-5141-9972-e693fcc8d4f1)

Title Page (#u50071027-9237-55bc-a6be-ffe74726dae6)

Copyright (#u051d209b-a989-599b-8496-56ba2fc25ce0)

Introduction (#ucab243da-95c3-5087-998b-da75943bb4a1)

Editor’s Preface (#u0f569996-6a29-58ed-a1d8-19664dfcaadc)

Chapter I: Wheels Within Wheels (#uf2605409-9c6d-59d5-98cf-ef0b9efd76e5)

Chapter II: What the Morning Brought (#u5f3975e4-c7d4-5a73-81a3-5d0deb0762a2)

Chapter III: The Dressing-Gown (#u734fdd59-dee2-5805-8138-ba019aebbad0)

Chapter IV: A Curious Thing (#u02a48940-5ae7-5606-b241-bbd38f5755c7)

Chapter V: The Fingerprints (#u348610ad-cd05-53e6-b1f4-340a2902b7b2)

Chapter VI: Fisher Lays a Trap (#u4721faf4-6e43-5cd6-9914-1538e918417d)

Chapter VII: A Stranger in Red (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter VIII: Mr Carton Intrudes (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter IX: The Husband (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter X: Did Tollard Love His Wife? (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XI: Suppressions (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XII: Carton Is Dissatisfied (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XIII: Who Was It? (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XIV: An Open Mind (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XV: The Eyes of Mr Jorkins (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XVI: The Scratch (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XVII: Tollard Makes a Scene (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XVIII: The Dart (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XIX: The Locked Door (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XX: Speculations of a Kind (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XXI: The Ladder (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XXII: The Arrow That Flyeth by Night (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XXIII: A Bit of Fluff (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XXIV: Elaine Is Stubborn (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XXV: Carton V. Tollard (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter XXVI: Superintendent Fisher Wants the Ladder (#litres_trial_promo)