Detective Ben

On a fog-shrouded bridge at two in the morning, a ragged wanderer stumbles upon a dead man—and, moments later, finds himself swept into the dead man’s place by a beautiful, ruthless woman and her criminal associates. Mistaken for a hired killer, the good-hearted vagrant decides to carry on where a murdered detective left off, playing his dangerous role with nothing but native wit and stubborn courage.

From a sealed London flat run by a silk-robed eccentric to a remote Scottish inn deep in the mist-wrapped Highlands, the unlikely sleuth follows a thread of kidnapping, espionage, and cold-blooded murder that stretches across half of Britain. At journey’s end, a boy’s life hangs in the balance—and only a man with nothing to lose stands between him and the Enemy.

Rich with Cockney humour, breakneck plotting, and a hero of irresistible warmth, this Golden Age thriller showcases J. Jefferson Farjeon at his most entertaining.