The Hammersmith Murders is a classic mystery written by David Frome, first published in 1930 by the Doubleday Crime Club. It is a notable title in detective fiction history, recognized as a Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone.
This novel marks the very first appearance of the recurring sleuth duo: the robust Scotland Yard Inspector Humphrey Bull and his timid, mild-mannered amateur landlord, Mr. Evan Pinkerton.
The story begins after midnight when the Commissioner of the C.I.D. receives a cryptic, anonymous note postmarked from Hammersmith stating: "A man is being murdered at 16 Caithness Road." When Inspector Humphrey Bull arrives at the address, he finds a man who has just died.
While the official medical diagnosis attributes the death to tetanus, Bull uncovers a string of unsettling coincidences: 1) The dead man's father had recently been killed in a sudden bus accident. 2) One of the man's daughters happened to be present at both tragic deaths.
As Bull digs deeper into the household, a complex wave of robberies and two additional murders break out. Fortunately, Bull is aided by his observant, cinema-loving landlord Mr. Pinkerton, whose humble demeanor allows him to slip unnoticed into ordinary circles and uncover dark truths. Together, they race against time to unmask the killer before they can execute a final, horrific plot.
