''The Blotting Book'' is a 1908
mystery crime novel
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
by the British writer
E.F. Benson
Edward Frederic Benson (24 July 1867 – 29 February 1940) was an English novelist, biographer, memoirist, archaeologist and short story writer.
Early life
E.F. Benson was born at Wellington College in Berkshire, the fifth child of the headma ...
, later better known as the author of the
Mapp and Lucia
''Mapp and Lucia'' is a 1931 comic novel written by E. F. Benson. It is the fourth of six novels in the popular Mapp and Lucia series, about idle women in the 1920s and their struggle for social dominance over their small communities. It bring ...
series. It was one of only two ventures he made into the genre during his prolific career along with ''
The Luck of the Vails
''The Luck of the Vails'' is a 1901 mystery crime novel by the British writer E.F. Benson, later better known as the author of the Mapp and Lucia series. It was one of only two ventures he made into the genre during his prolific career along with ...
'' (1901). It takes place in
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
and the nearby
South Downs.
Martin Edwards
Charles Martin Edwards (born 24 July 1945) is the former chairman of Manchester United, a position he held from 1980 until 2002. He now holds the position of honorary life president at the club and Director of Inview Technology Ltd.
Biography
...
included it in his list of a hundred classic crime novels amongst a group of
Edwardian mystery novels that served as a precursor to the
Golden Age of Detective Fiction.
Synopsis
Two lawyers have embezzled the £30,000 inheritance of Morris Assheton, recently returned from
Cambridge University. They attempt to cover their tracks, but when one of them turns up dead Assheton is suspected of his murder. The case hinges around a forged letter in a
blotting book.
[White p.28]
References
Bibliography
* Edwards, Martin. ''The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books''. Poisoned Pen Press, 2017,
* Hanson, Gillian Mary. ''City and Shore: The Function of Setting in the British Mystery''. McFarland, 2015.
* Reilly, John M. ''Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers''. Springer, 2015.
* White, Terry. ''Justice Denoted: The Legal Thriller in American, British, and Continental Courtroom Literature''. Praeger, 2003.
1908 British novels
British crime novels
British mystery novels
Novels set in England
Novels set in Brighton
Novels by E. F. Benson
Heinemann (publisher) books
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