Death of Anton

Originally published in 1936, this sparkling entry in the British Library Crime Classics series by Melville (1910–1983) centers on a traveling circus. Detective Inspector Minto of Scotland Yard comes to a small unnamed English town to attend his sister’s wedding, arriving at the same time as Joseph Carey’s World-Famous Circus and Menagerie. When Anton, the circus’s tiger tamer, is found shot to death in the tiger cage, Carey urges Minto to investigate. The suspects include Dodo the clown, whose ripped costume is found near the body; Lorimar, the trapeze artist, who suspects Anton of having had an affair with his wife; Miller, who was once Anton’s partner and would like his old job back; and Carey himself, who’s clearly hiding something. Melville slowly reveals a complex web of crime encompassing most of the circus folk and even Minto’s sister’s fiancé. Readers in search of escapist entertainment need look no further. [em](Dec.) [/em]