When Toby Dyke and his companion, George, get caught in torrential rain one night, they are surprised to find that they are not the only ones out in such a fierce storm: Edgar Prees, aging botanist of prestige and reputation, is attempting to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff top. The two men drive Edgar home, collapsed and shaken. When he is then found the following morning shot dead with his own revolver, it seems that his attempt at suicide has succeeded - but is the case really as clear-cut as it appears?

Roberta Ellison lives in Madeira where she had settled with her late husband after being crippled in a motor accident. Domestic help was easy to come by and the climate was ideal. Then her sister Camilla comes to the island to help her to find a companion, bringing problems of her own with her, problems that at first seem trivial, but that soon involve the sisters in a violent and mystifying spiral of events. As more newcomers appear, so Camilla''s history begins to unfold and it emerges that all is not as it seems . . . and then murder strikes.

One of the very last authors of detective fiction from the genre''s "Golden Age" INDEPENDENTSuicide or murder? Despite all indications to the contrary, Alec Methven had not eaten his last meal in solitude, and somebody was very anxious to conceal that fact. As if one death on the beautiful island of Madeira was not enough, there was another. Peter Corey, who had found Methven''s body, had a cast-iron alibi: he was on a plane to the island at the time of the death, en route to visit his old friend. But what of the second killing that so inexplicably occurred?

When Holly Dunthorne returns home to the village of Roydon Saint Agnes she finds that a friend, Marcus Meriden, has been accused of beating up an old man. There are witnesses who say they saw it happen, and the only one who might possibly clear him stays stubbornly silent.But when murder happens and a newcomer to the village seems to attract everyone''s attention, Holly finds everything has changed, not least her old friends, the Meridens, among whom she feels herself a stranger - and afraid.

It is at a party that Richard Hedon first hears about the mysterious Paul Clyro and his sudden disappearance. Clyro had been a scientist, doing secret work on viruses with a colleague named Wolsingham. But when Wolsingham committed suicide, Clyro found the body and promptly vanished without a trace. Richard''s curiosity is piqued, and he follows Clyro''s trail - all the way to Madeira, where a man known as Gavin Chilmark is living a comfortable life free from any breath of suspicion . . .

Martha Crayle trusted everyone, so when the frightened girl arrived at the National Guild for the Welfare of Unmarried Mothers on that drizzly, cold autumn afternoon, Martha gladly took her to the spacious Victorian house where in harder times she had taken in lodgers. But her one remaining boarder, grumpy Mr Syme, was sure the girl was lying.And the very next day, when Martha brought home a saucy girl with lilac lipstick, Mr Syme was positive she was lying too. Martha still wasn''t convinced - until one of the unfortunate girls involved them all in a sinister murder.

While her faithful friend Virginia watched by the bedside, rich old Mrs Arliss passed away peacefully in her sleep - and left behind a legacy of violent death. A greedy niece, a pompous nephew, a hopeful distant relation and a hungry solicitor each expect a tidy sum out of her estate, but all they are in for is murder. A valuable collection of miniatures is missing, the sinister caretaker couple have vanished and a body is lying stone dead on the drawing room floor . . .

When Virginia Freer spends a weekend with her friends the Boscotts the last person she expects to meet is the lying, light-fingered charmer who was her husband. She and Felix have been separated for several years. Yet within a few hours of a party given to celebrate the engagement of a local poet and a best-selling novelist, the novelist''s sister arrives distraught on the Boscotts'' doorstep to announce that she has found her shot dead in their bungalow next door. And when Virginia, Felix and the Boscotts reach the scene they find that something very strange has happened to the corpse . . .

Whenever Felix, Virginia Freer''s estranged husband, reappears in her life, murder does too. Even when temporarily incapacitated by an accident, Felix brings mystery with him. This time it concerns Holly, orphaned daughter of a famous actress, who had come from Rome to stay with Virginia''s friends, the Brightwells. Holly has disappeared, believed kidnapped, and distraught Ann Brightwell is prepared to sell her valuables to meet the ransom demand. But Felix senses something odd about the kidnapping and is convinced the ransom shouldn''t be paid . . .

The dog was old and unappealing - which may have been why Virginia Freer decided to adopt him; that and the fact that he had belonged to her mother''s old friend Helen Lovelock, who had recently died.The tensions evident among the mourners at Helen''s funeral soon erupt, and before long one of them is dead, and so is the dog. When Virginia calls in her ex-husband Felix, the Freers discover the death was convenient for several who attended the funeral. But why should anyone poison the dog? Yet someone had - and therein lay the solution to the murder . . .''An engrossing whodunit'' Publishers Weekly

Christmas in Adelaide promises to be a pleasant vacation for Andrew Basnett, retired professor of botany and amateur sleuth. But the shadow of an unsolved murder hangs over the lives of his hosts, Tony and Jan Gardiner. The police still suspect Jan of her first husband''s murder - and then a second killing takes place under the same bizarre circumstances. What can a guest do in such a case but try to clear the name of his hostess and solve the crime?''Very readable'' Glasgow Herald

Andrew Basnett, retired botany professor, accompanies an old friend, whose sister has received a blackmail letter, to her home in a Berkshire village. The letter had obviously been put in the wrong envelope, but it seems to indicate that a murder has been committed in Lindleham, where, strangely, several people are missing. But as Andrew quietly investigates the neighbours, the realisation dawns that his friends, too, have something to hide.

Retired Andrew Basnett returns to Knotlington, where he once worked as an assistant lecturer, to an old friend who needs some advice. Two years earlier a member of the Fine Arts Department was murdered. Yet the killer had been caught and sentenced, so why should Andrew''s friend need help?Many believed Stephen Sharland, who is serving a life sentence for the murder, was innocent. But before Andrew even begins making enquiries, there is another murder, and Andrew finds him in a complex web of emotion, struggling to sift truth from lies.

Retired professor Andrew Basnett had been at a loose end since he''d finished writing his book, and a country visit with friends seemed just the diversion he needed. But when seven friends gather to welcome him to their village, conviviality soon turns to crime as guests suddenly start dying - and Basnett finds himself seeking a clever killer who is sure to strike again.''Her fans will love it'' Kirkus Reviews

When Toby Dyke and his companion, George, get caught in torrential rain one night, they are surprised to find that they are not the only ones out in such a fierce storm: Edgar Prees, aging botanist of prestige and reputation, is attempting to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff top. The two men drive Edgar home, collapsed and shaken. When he is then found the following morning shot dead with his own revolver, it seems that his attempt at suicide has succeeded - but is the case really as clear-cut as it appears?

Roberta Ellison lives in Madeira where she had settled with her late husband after being crippled in a motor accident. Domestic help was easy to come by and the climate was ideal. Then her sister Camilla comes to the island to help her to find a companion, bringing problems of her own with her, problems that at first seem trivial, but that soon involve the sisters in a violent and mystifying spiral of events. As more newcomers appear, so Camilla''s history begins to unfold and it emerges that all is not as it seems . . . and then murder strikes.

One of the very last authors of detective fiction from the genre''s "Golden Age" INDEPENDENTSuicide or murder? Despite all indications to the contrary, Alec Methven had not eaten his last meal in solitude, and somebody was very anxious to conceal that fact. As if one death on the beautiful island of Madeira was not enough, there was another. Peter Corey, who had found Methven''s body, had a cast-iron alibi: he was on a plane to the island at the time of the death, en route to visit his old friend. But what of the second killing that so inexplicably occurred?

When Holly Dunthorne returns home to the village of Roydon Saint Agnes she finds that a friend, Marcus Meriden, has been accused of beating up an old man. There are witnesses who say they saw it happen, and the only one who might possibly clear him stays stubbornly silent.But when murder happens and a newcomer to the village seems to attract everyone''s attention, Holly finds everything has changed, not least her old friends, the Meridens, among whom she feels herself a stranger - and afraid.

It is at a party that Richard Hedon first hears about the mysterious Paul Clyro and his sudden disappearance. Clyro had been a scientist, doing secret work on viruses with a colleague named Wolsingham. But when Wolsingham committed suicide, Clyro found the body and promptly vanished without a trace. Richard''s curiosity is piqued, and he follows Clyro''s trail - all the way to Madeira, where a man known as Gavin Chilmark is living a comfortable life free from any breath of suspicion . . .

Martha Crayle trusted everyone, so when the frightened girl arrived at the National Guild for the Welfare of Unmarried Mothers on that drizzly, cold autumn afternoon, Martha gladly took her to the spacious Victorian house where in harder times she had taken in lodgers. But her one remaining boarder, grumpy Mr Syme, was sure the girl was lying.And the very next day, when Martha brought home a saucy girl with lilac lipstick, Mr Syme was positive she was lying too. Martha still wasn''t convinced - until one of the unfortunate girls involved them all in a sinister murder.

While her faithful friend Virginia watched by the bedside, rich old Mrs Arliss passed away peacefully in her sleep - and left behind a legacy of violent death. A greedy niece, a pompous nephew, a hopeful distant relation and a hungry solicitor each expect a tidy sum out of her estate, but all they are in for is murder. A valuable collection of miniatures is missing, the sinister caretaker couple have vanished and a body is lying stone dead on the drawing room floor . . .

When Virginia Freer spends a weekend with her friends the Boscotts the last person she expects to meet is the lying, light-fingered charmer who was her husband. She and Felix have been separated for several years. Yet within a few hours of a party given to celebrate the engagement of a local poet and a best-selling novelist, the novelist''s sister arrives distraught on the Boscotts'' doorstep to announce that she has found her shot dead in their bungalow next door. And when Virginia, Felix and the Boscotts reach the scene they find that something very strange has happened to the corpse . . .

Whenever Felix, Virginia Freer''s estranged husband, reappears in her life, murder does too. Even when temporarily incapacitated by an accident, Felix brings mystery with him. This time it concerns Holly, orphaned daughter of a famous actress, who had come from Rome to stay with Virginia''s friends, the Brightwells. Holly has disappeared, believed kidnapped, and distraught Ann Brightwell is prepared to sell her valuables to meet the ransom demand. But Felix senses something odd about the kidnapping and is convinced the ransom shouldn''t be paid . . .

The dog was old and unappealing - which may have been why Virginia Freer decided to adopt him; that and the fact that he had belonged to her mother''s old friend Helen Lovelock, who had recently died.The tensions evident among the mourners at Helen''s funeral soon erupt, and before long one of them is dead, and so is the dog. When Virginia calls in her ex-husband Felix, the Freers discover the death was convenient for several who attended the funeral. But why should anyone poison the dog? Yet someone had - and therein lay the solution to the murder . . .''An engrossing whodunit'' Publishers Weekly

Christmas in Adelaide promises to be a pleasant vacation for Andrew Basnett, retired professor of botany and amateur sleuth. But the shadow of an unsolved murder hangs over the lives of his hosts, Tony and Jan Gardiner. The police still suspect Jan of her first husband''s murder - and then a second killing takes place under the same bizarre circumstances. What can a guest do in such a case but try to clear the name of his hostess and solve the crime?''Very readable'' Glasgow Herald

Andrew Basnett, retired botany professor, accompanies an old friend, whose sister has received a blackmail letter, to her home in a Berkshire village. The letter had obviously been put in the wrong envelope, but it seems to indicate that a murder has been committed in Lindleham, where, strangely, several people are missing. But as Andrew quietly investigates the neighbours, the realisation dawns that his friends, too, have something to hide.

Retired Andrew Basnett returns to Knotlington, where he once worked as an assistant lecturer, to an old friend who needs some advice. Two years earlier a member of the Fine Arts Department was murdered. Yet the killer had been caught and sentenced, so why should Andrew''s friend need help?Many believed Stephen Sharland, who is serving a life sentence for the murder, was innocent. But before Andrew even begins making enquiries, there is another murder, and Andrew finds him in a complex web of emotion, struggling to sift truth from lies.

Retired professor Andrew Basnett had been at a loose end since he''d finished writing his book, and a country visit with friends seemed just the diversion he needed. But when seven friends gather to welcome him to their village, conviviality soon turns to crime as guests suddenly start dying - and Basnett finds himself seeking a clever killer who is sure to strike again.''Her fans will love it'' Kirkus Reviews