The Timothy Trant Mysteries Series

A “hard to solve and easy to read” mystery from the Edgar Award–winning author of the Peter Duluth series (Kirkus Reviews).   Patrick Quentin, best known for the Peter Duluth puzzle mysteries, also penned outstanding detective novels from the 1930s through the 1960s under other pseudonyms, including Q. Patrick and Jonathan Stagge. Anthony Boucher wrote: “Quentin is particularly noted for the enviable polish and grace which make him one of the leading American fabricants of the murderous comedy of manners; but this surface smoothness conceals intricate and meticulous plot construction as faultless as that of Agatha Christie.”   Lewis Denham has always been the black sheep of the family. Adopted into the “proper” Denham household after his working-class parents died, Lew never quite fit in with the rest of the clan—or maybe he simply couldn’t keep his nose elevated that high for that long without getting frostbite.   Either way, when he announces his marriage to a British girl without checking how blue her blood is, the family is aghast. But things become truly appalling when Lew finds a dead man in his apartment—and it seems the lower-class victim had a connection with his upper-crust family.   Now, feeling more outside the Denham ranks than ever, Lew will have to look past his family’s elite façade and find out who they really are. And he’s about to learn that none of them are too good to get a little blood on their hands . . .  

In this mystery from the Edgar Award–winning author of the Peter Duluth series, Lieutenant Trant investigates the murder of a shady and seductive scoundrel.   Patrick Quentin, best known for the Peter Duluth puzzle mysteries, also penned outstanding detective novels from the 1930s through the 1960s under other pseudonyms, including Q. Patrick and Jonathan Stagge. Anthony Boucher wrote: “Quentin is particularly noted for the enviable polish and grace which make him one of the leading American fabricants of the murderous comedy of manners; but this surface smoothness conceals intricate and meticulous plot construction as faultless as that of Agatha Christie.”   George Hadley just wanted to be happy. Caught up in a world where money, propriety, and, above all, appearances hold sway, he’s more than willing to leave his wealthy socialite wife and run off with his secretary if it means being free.   That’s when he meets the young, handsome Don Saxon. A lothario with a shadowy past, he soon worms his way into George’s inner circle, enchanting his wife, seducing his niece—and threatening to reveal George’s affair.   So when his niece finds Don in his apartment shot dead, George should be relieved. But then, the intrepid Lieutenant Trant starts taking a closer look at George’s life and his growing list of lies.   Unless George can figure out who really killed Don, he’s never going to be happy—or free—again . . .  

A chance meeting with an ex throws a man’s current marriage into turmoil, from the author “in the very first line of detective-story writers” (Sphere).   On the surface, Bill Harding has landed on his feet. After failing as a writer and having his first wife desert him and their son, he remarried into a family of wealth and power. His “perfect” new wife is renowned for her charity work, and her father’s publishing empire provides Bill with a job, a ritzy Manhattan apartment, and a glamorous lifestyle.   All is well until Bill runs into his beautiful ex. Though she’s in a sorry state, Bill pushes the thought of her out of his mind. The last thing he expects is to see her again, but her sordid life soon creeps into his rarefied world, bringing with it murder.   Now, the more steps Bill takes to protect himself and his marriage, the more the truth is obscured. Bill’s own shortcomings come to light, as well as the secrets of a dysfunctional family. With Det. Timothy Trant on the case, Bill must make a decision that could ruin everything—and strip away the lies that have engulfed them all . . .   “This is a fine mid-century detective novel, the essence of a page turning thriller, but one which neglects neither clueing nor characterization.” —The Passing Tramp    “Svelte.” —Kirkus Reviews   The basis for the 1967 Japanese film Tsuma Futari (“Two Wives”), directed by Yasuzo Masamura