The cast includes the colonel's nephew Cyril Norton, who is to marry Jimmy's sister Stella when her divorce is finalised a few weeks hence. Then there's William Hubbard. a wholesaler dealer in artificial perfume, suspected war profiteer, and ardent butterfly collector. He is also a bad 'un disliked by more than one local resident, having been overly familiar with local girls and unkind to intelligently challenged villager "Sappy" Morton.
Events begin to unfold when Jimmy dines with the colonel, who senses something is wrong, and then leaves for an appointment with Hubbard. Next morning the village is agog on hearing Hubbard stands accused of blackmail but it is too late to arrest him. He has been murdered. The plot unspools to include a burning candle in a room with its light still on, a profane parrot, an allegedly haunted shop, a rifled safe, a damaged tyre, and an item that should be there but isn't. Not to mention the involvement of the Green Devil, which local legend has it foretells someone will die.
This novel features what at first glance appears to be a simpler plot than other of Connington's works but what seems obvious at the beginning is soon turned on its head. As Colonel Standerstead remark; the dead man was not one of them but was that any reason to do away with him? Well, as it turns out a number of people had strong grievances against the dead man that in the right circumstances could lead to violence. A particularly clever twist clears a character I had ignored as a suspect so I award this debut novel a B+.
E-text: Death At Swaythling Court
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