Bodies in a Bookshop

When botanist Max Boyle ventures into a little shop around the corner from London's Tottenham Court Road, he's delighted by the bibliophile treasures he finds. But he's less charmed by the two corpses he stumbles upon in a back room. Boyle summons "The Bishop," Chief Inspector Reginald F. Bishop of Scotland Yard, who in turn calls in Professor John Stubbs, a rotund amateur criminologist. The pipe-smoking, beer-drinking professor, the skeptical, world-weary Bishop, and the protesting Boyle — who would rather be basking in the sun on the Isles of Scilly — soon discover a web of skulduggery and dark deeds. Fueled as much by the friction between their personalities as their enthusiasm, the crime-solving trio threads a maze through the city's book and print emporia, grappling with a puzzle likely to baffle even the most astute armchair detectives.
Bodies in a Bookshop is loaded with amusing sallies of wit, quaint and pungent observations, and droll characters. Crisp dialogue keeps the plot moving at top speed. A treat for mystery lovers and those who appreciate a rummage through musty bookshops, this novel is as exuberantly readable as it was upon its original publication in 1946.

Ruthven Campbell Todd (1914–78) was a Scottish-born poet, scholar, art critic, and fantasy novelist who wrote a series of detective novels under the name R. T. Campbell.

1. Booked for Murder2. Death by Gas3. Visit from a Lady4. Alibi on Anonymity5. Alibi Absolute6. That's My Business7. Silent Suspect8. Books Within Books9. Suspect in Suspense10. Alibiless Lady11. Grand Slam12. Stalling Suspect13. Picking Brains14. Down in the Junk15. Call out the Coppers16. Blackmailer's Boudoir17. Insight on Uncle18. Case Going Begging19. Grumbles at Guilt20. The Puzzle Clears21. Mopping Up