The Case of the Frightened Friend

Blink once for yes, twice for no, and three times for murder

Sometimes it seems like all the boys at school know about Andrew Tillet’s friendship with Inspector Peter Wyatt of Scotland Yard. Mostly it’s a little embarrassing, but when Andrew’s classmate Cortland makes a very strange request, it becomes handy to have friends who can launch an official investigation . . . as well as ones who work in more unofficial ways.
 
Cortland thinks there’s something not quite right about his grandfather’s poor health, but they’ll have to get the old man out from under the watchful eye of Dr. Thurlow before they can be sure. This calls for another ingenious scheme . . . and for keen-minded Inspector Wyatt to connect a retired admiral to a high-level intelligence leak. Someone is not above committing treason—or murder—and has no intention of going quietly.

Born in New York City, Robert Newman (1909–1988) was among the pioneers of early radio and was chief writer for the Inner Sanctum Mysteries and Murder at Midnight—forerunners of The Twilight Zone that remain cult favorites to this day. In 1944 Newman was put in charge of the radio campaign to reelect Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was also one of the founding members of the Radio Writers Guild, which became the Writers Guild of America.

In 1973 Newman began writing books for children, most notably the Andrew Tillet, Sara Wiggins & Inspector Wyatt mysteries. The series takes place in Victorian London and follows the adventures of two teenage amateur detectives who begin as Baker Street Irregulars. Newman has also written books of fantasy, among them Merlin’s Mistake and The Testing of Tertius. His books based on myths and folklore include Grettirthe Strong, and he has published two adult novels.

Newman was married to the writer Dorothy Crayder. Their daughter, Hila Feil, has also published novels for children and young adults. Newman lived his last days in Stonington, Connecticut.