Death of Anton
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder
"Readers in search of escapist entertainment need look no further." —Publishers Weekly
'There's more crime going on in Carey's Circus than in the whole underworld of London. Theft, immorality, blackmail—you'll find all the pretties here.'
Seven Bengal tigers are the star attraction of Carey's Circus. Their trainer is the fearless Anton, whose work demands absolute fitness and the steadiest of nerves. When Anton is found lying dead in the tigers' cage, it seems that he has lost control and been mauled by the tigers—but Detective-Inspector Minto of Scotland Yard is not convinced.
Minto's investigations lead him deep into the circus world of tents and caravans, clowns and acrobats, human and animal performers. No one is above suspicion. Carey, the circus-owner with a secret to hide; Dodo, the clown whose costume is scratched as if by a claw; and Lorimer, the trapeze artist jealous of his flirtatious wife—all come under Minto's scrutiny as the mystery deepens.
This amusing and light-hearted novel from the golden age of British crime writing has long been neglected, and this new edition will help to restore Melville's reputation as an author of extremely entertaining detective fiction.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Originally published in 1936, this sparkling entry in the British Library Crime Classics series by Melville (1910 1983) centers on a traveling circus. Detective Inspector Minto of Scotland Yard comes to a small unnamed English town to attend his sister's wedding, arriving at the same time as Joseph Carey's World-Famous Circus and Menagerie. When Anton, the circus's tiger tamer, is found shot to death in the tiger cage, Carey urges Minto to investigate. The suspects include Dodo the clown, whose ripped costume is found near the body; Lorimar, the trapeze artist, who suspects Anton of having had an affair with his wife; Miller, who was once Anton's partner and would like his old job back; and Carey himself, who's clearly hiding something. Melville slowly reveals a complex web of crime encompassing most of the circus folk and even Minto's sister's fianc . Readers in search of escapist entertainment need look no further.
