Inspector Cockrill

In the countryside, Inspector Cockrill investigates a wartime beheading. As war rages in Europe, the citizens of London flee to the country. At Pigeonsford, a group of guests plays cards, drinks tea, and acts polite - but Grace Morland knows the strong emotions that lurk beneath the placid social surface. She's painfully in love with Stephen Pendock, the squire of Pigeonsford, but Pendock's smitten with young beauty Francesca Hart. One afternoon, Fran debuts a new hat, and Grace's jealousy gets the better of her. She exclaims, "I wouldn't be seen dead in a ditch in a thing like that!" She will soon be proven wrong. Grace is found dead with the hat on her head - and her head removed from her neck. To the scene comes the incomparable Inspector Cockrill, who finds that far more than petty jealousy lies beneath this hideous murder.

A family patriarch is murdered on the eve of signing a new will Sir Richard's family has spent years waiting for him to die, but despite his weak heart, the old man simply refuses to cooperate. In the meantime, he makes their lives miserable by changing his will every few months, depending on which of his strange brood he favors that moment. Now he calls them together to announce his most diabolical revision yet: complete disinheritance of all the wastrels who bear his name. But he never gets a chance to sign the papers-by morning, he's dead.   Scotland Yard sends Inspector Cockrill, the only detective clever enough to unravel the family's tangle of jealousy and deceit. Each member had reason to kill Sir Richard, but which one plunged the syringe of poison into his heart? With a family this mad, nothing is as complicated as the truth.

Inspector Cockrill is called in to solve the murder of a most unpopular Belgian Few were disappointed when Raoul Vernet was found with his head bashed in, dead in a pool of his own blood. On vacation in England, the Belgian seducer comes to visit Matilda, an old flame from a few years before. She agrees despite suspicions that Vernet has been deploying his legendary charm on another member of the family: young Rosie, who has returned from her Swiss boarding school carrying a child.   None of the family members were in the house when Raoul was killed, but all were within a fog-choked London mile. Rosie calls in the brilliant Inspector Cockrill to clear the family's name, but what he finds is a twisted clan of seven people, each as likely to laugh at a murder as commit one.

Inspector Cockrill's dull vacation is jolted by a Mediterranean murder From the moment he steps on the plane, Inspector Cockrill loathes his fellow travelers. They are typical tour group bores: the dullards of England whom he had hoped to escape by going to Italy. He gives up on the trip immediately, burying his nose in a mystery novel to ensure that no one tries to become his friend. But not long after the group makes landfall at the craggy isle of San Juan el Pirata, a murder demands his attention.   The body of a woman is found laid out carefully on her bed, blood pooled around her and fingers wrapped around the dagger that took her life. The corrupt local police force, impatient to find a killer, names Cockrill chief suspect. To escape the Italian hangman, the detective must find out who would go on vacation to kill a stranger.

An island republic goes to insane lengths to canonize its most famous resident Juanita di Perli was a young woman when she decided to live the rest of her life on a table-top. She called it God's will, but for the order of nuns that sprang up around her, Juanita's devotion was a curse. For decades they did the bidding of the holy grouch, and the entire island of San Juan el Pirata sighed with relief when she died.   Twenty years later, the islanders fight for Juanita's canonization-not because they liked her, but because a local saint would be a tourist boon. The only thing keeping the island poor is the Archduke, who refuses to ask Rome to consider Juanita for sainthood. His stubbornness may get him dethroned or worse, for nothing will stop his subjects in their pursuit of Juanita's holy cause.

Suddenly at His Residence (1946), also published as The Crooked Wreath, is a quintessential Golden Age detective novel by Christianna Brand, featuring her beloved sleuth, Inspector Cockrill. Set in a stately English country house during wartime, the novel blends intricate plotting, acerbic wit, and psychological depth to deliver a masterfully constructed mystery. The story unfolds at Swanswater, the home of wealthy Sir Richard March. Surrounded by his extended family-each with secrets and simmering resentments-Sir Richard has just made a dramatic change to his will. When he is found dead shortly afterward, it's clear that someone took deadly exception to his new intentions. What follows is a classic locked-room-style mystery, full of misdirection, clashing personalities, and a clever interplay between motive and opportunity. Inspector Cockrill, the dryly humorous and sharply intelligent police investigator, arrives to untangle the web of lies, jealousies, and past grievances. As more deaths follow, Cockrill must navigate the emotional minefield of family drama to uncover the truth. Christianna Brand excels at character development, and in this novel, each suspect is vividly drawn with subtle psychological realism. The tension escalates as hidden motivations and shifting alliances come to light, keeping the reader guessing until the very last twist. Suddenly at His Residence is a brilliant example of Brand's skill in crafting puzzles that are both intellectually satisfying and emotionally rich. With its elegant prose, atmospheric setting, and perfectly timed revelations, it remains one of the finest entries in the Inspector Cockrill series-and a high point of mid-20th-century British crime fiction.

Death of Jezebel (1948) is one of Christianna Brand's most ingenious and theatrically daring detective novels, featuring her astute and dryly witty sleuth, Inspector Cockrill. Set against the backdrop of a medieval pageant in post-war London, the novel blends dark humor, intricate plotting, and psychological nuance to deliver a gripping mystery steeped in drama and deception. The story revolves around a group of actors performing a pageant in which a woman portraying "Jezebel" is found murdered-dramatically slain while suspended above the stage in full costume. The crime appears impossible, committed in front of a packed audience and under the watchful eyes of her fellow performers. But as Inspector Cockrill begins to unravel the tangled threads of the victim's past and the motives of those around her, it becomes clear that the murder is rooted in guilt, betrayal, and an unresolved suicide years earlier. Brand's mastery lies not only in the intricate construction of the murder puzzle but in her sharp characterization. The suspects are drawn with psychological realism and complexity, each hiding layers of regret, resentment, or desire. The tone is laced with irony, yet the emotional stakes remain intense throughout. Inspector Cockrill, with his keen intelligence and subtle sense of justice, proves once again why he remains one of the great detectives of Golden Age fiction. Death of Jezebel is a brilliant example of Brand's ability to fuse traditional detective tropes with psychological insight and theatrical flair. A true standout in the Cockrill series, this novel will delight fans of classic mysteries with its clever misdirection, chilling atmosphere, and haunting finale.