Carolus Deene, schoolmaster and amateur detective, is contacted by his cousin who, while walking along the beach, has come across the head of the famous detective story writer, Mrs Lilliane Bomberger, who has been buried vertically in the sand. Mrs Bomberger is an awful harridan who delights in controlling and humiliating anyone who comes into her orbit.Deene believes that no degree of nastiness justifies murder, and he shows a good deal of sympathy towards his characters and their dilemmas, so while this a humorous crime novel it is not a callous one. Some amusingly pompous, oblivious characters make themselves seem more and more ridiculous with every word they utter.

This is a classic detective story with plenty of motivated suspects and a final explanation in front of the police and other interested parties. It was first published in I959. I recommend it. ( )

Carolus Deene is a schoolmaster whose hobby is solving mysteries.

His cousin, Fay, writes and asks Deene to come visit her and investigate “a slightly unpleasant thing” that has happened there. The “unpleasant thing” is the murder of Lilliane Bomberger, well-known, celebrated and detested novelist. The body was found on the beach, but only the head was visible.

During the investigation, Deene starts to lose interest until two more bodies appear. Is there a connection between the deaths? Deene works to pry information from the people who surrounded Bomberger. They don’t wish to “speak ill of the dead” but rare if any is the one who didn’t detest and fear her.

This is a full British mystery with a thinking detective, assortment of characters, some humour, red herrings and dead ends. Along the lines of the writers of the “Golden Age” of mysteries, Christie, Sayers . ( )