Death Sends for the Doctor

When a doctor is found murdered in a secret room of his mansion, a Scotland Yard detective uncovers a host of deadly secrets in this classic mystery.

As the last stronghold of snobbery in the dying little city of Caldicott, Upper Square is home to the last remnants of old family dynasties. Doctor Beharrell, a prominent physician, is found murdered in a secret room in his home there. And Superintendent Littlejohn is already on the case—because someone warned him of the crime before it was discovered.

Before he solves the case, Littlejohn must bring to light the strange history of the upper ten of Caldicott: a twisting tale of repressions, inbreeding, hatred, and madness. Littlejohn, whom David Holloway, of the News Chronicle, called “the most courteous of all fictional detectives,” finds all his good manners are needed to navigate this rarified world of eccentric characters.

George Bellairs is the pseudonym under which Harold Blundell (1902–1982) wrote police procedural thrillers in rural British settings. He was born in Lancashire, England, and worked as a bank manager in Manchester. After retiring, Bellairs moved to the Isle of Man, where several of his novels are set, to be with friends and family.

In 1941 Bellairs wrote his first mystery, Littlejohn on Leave, during spare moments at his air raid warden’s post. The title introduced Thomas Littlejohn, the detective who appears in fifty-seven of his novels. Bellairs was also a regular contributor to the Manchester Guardian and worked as a freelance writer for newspapers both local and national.