The Floating Admiral

First published in 1931, this Detection Club novel is written round-robin: each contributor adds a chapter and must use the clues already laid down. Admiral Penistone is found dead in a drifting boat on the River Whyn near the village of Lavant. Inspector Rudge questions local gentry, a vicar, a daughter, and men with navy pasts, while a house, a tide, and a missing document refuse to fit. The authors include Chesterton, Sayers, Christie, and others listed on the title page. The book is a collaborative whodunit, not a treatise on detection and not a single-author series case.

Bound in blue cloth, cover blocked in black and white with a design by the artist. Dark blue endpapers. Dark grey slipcase.