Francis Duncan
1947
4/5 stars
Mordecai Tremaine, retired tobacconist and amateur sleuth, visits friends in a what appears to be a peaceful village. However, he arrives just in time to learn that evil has come to Dalmering in the form of murder, and all in the close knit community are under suspicion.
Tremaine is a likable protagonist, and the mystery was intriguing, yet solvable. I didn't like that Tremaine at times had information not available or given to the reader, but that is not unusual in Golden Age mysteries. Duncan writes generally well, though not as polished as some of his more well known contemporaries. Overall, though, it was a pleasant read and I will no doubt read more of this short series.
