''End of Chapter'' is a 1957

detective novel Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...

Cecil Day-Lewis Cecil Day-Lewis (or Day Lewis; 27 April 1904 – 22 May 1972), often written as C. Day-Lewis, was an Irish-born British poet and Poet Laureate from 1968 until his death in 1972. He also wrote mystery stories under the pseudonym of Nicholas Bla ...

, written under the pen name of Nicholas Blake. It is the twelfth in a series of novels featuring the

private detective A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

Nigel Strangeways Nigel Strangeways is a fictional British private detective created by Cecil Day-Lewis, writing under the pen name of Nicholas Blake. He was one of the prominent detectives of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, appearing in sixteen novels betwee ...

.Reilly p.135

Synopsis

Strangeways is called in by the reputable

publishing house Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

Wenham and Geraldine to investigate a matter concerning a retired general, Richard Thoresby, whose wartime memoirs include controversial criticism of public figures. Thoresby had agreed to cut the pertinent sections, but they were mysteriously re-inserted during the publication process, exposing the publishers to action for

libel Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...

. Suspects for tampering with the manuscript include partners Arthur Geraldine, Elizabeth Wenham, and Basil Rye; recently-sacked production manager Herbert Bates; and Stephen Protheroe, long-time editor for the firm but once a highly-regarded poet. Also on the premises is Millicent Miles, a popular author of romance novels making use of an office to write up her memoirs. Miles' son Cyprian Gleed, whose own literary ambitions have been frustrated, is a frequent visitor. Interviews with the potential suspects and review of the evidence leave Strangeways in doubt that the case can be solved. In a sudden twist, however, Miles is murdered in her office, with evidence suggesting that the killer altered the text of the autobiographical manuscript on her desk. As the investigation proceeds it becomes evident that Miles was having an affair with Basil Rye. Strangeways, collaborating with Scotland Yard Inspector becomes convinced that the book tampering and the killing are linked, driven by events stretching back to the 1920s. The denouement takes place at

Waterloo Station Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Underground station of t ...

References

Bibliography

* Bargainnier, Earl F. ''Twelve Englishmen of Mystery''. Popular Press, 1984. * Reilly, John M. ''Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers''. Springer, 2015. * Stanford, Peter. ''C Day-Lewis: A Life''. A&C Black, 2007. 1957 British novels Novels by Cecil Day-Lewis British crime novels Collins Crime Club books Novels set in London British detective novels Novels about writers {{1950s-crime-novel-stub