Surfeit of Suspects

Originally published in 1964, this unimpressive entry in the British Library Crime Classics series from Bellairs (1902–1982) takes Scotland Yarder Thomas Littlejohn, now a superintendent, to Evingden in Surrey, where an explosion in the building housing the Excelsior Joinery Company has reduced the structure to rubble and killed three of the company’s five directors. Once the authorities rule out an accident, Littlejohn begins to explore possible motives for the crime, starting with a look into the company’s troubled finances. The two directors left alive are the elderly and infirm chairman, Tom Hoop, and his managing director son, Fred. Fred invites suspicion by refusing to disclose his whereabouts at the time of the deaths before making himself scarce. As the title indicates, Littlejohn has other suspects to pursue, but the dramatic nature of the crime isn’t matched by the resolution. Whodunit fans will be disappointed. (July)