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Inspector McLean #54
Next of Kin
A millionaire dies soon after he has partaken of an evening meal. When a verdict of murder is returned, Inspector McLean finds himself confronted with a case of quite unusual complexity. One by one the suspects are eliminated until McLean is left with almost a blank sheet. He is in despair when he hits upon a small clue which causes him to follow a new line of investigation, and little by little a picture of the guilty person is built up.
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
2 people want to read
About the author
George Goodchild
188 books7 followers George B. Goodchild (1888-1969) aka Alan Dare, Wallace Q. Reid, and Jesse Templeton, was an incredibly prolific successful British author. His career lasted over 60 years (1916-published after death, still reprinted); his works number around 210, most under his own name.
Little is known of his life. GR system bug adds January 1 to his birth date, but the actual date is unknown. Born in Kingston-upon-Thames in 1888, he married Dora Mary Hill and had one son and two daughters. He lived at The Great Quarry, Guildford. Before full-time writing, he had experience in journalism and publishing. He died at Aldershot in March 1969, aged 80.
Featured characters were Scotland Yard Inspector McLean, spy catcher Q33, Trooper O'Neill, cowboy Colorado Jim (Jack) and Nigel Rix. McLean appeared in The Weekly News even anonymously until 6 October 1979, ten years after Goodchild died, and inspired Dandy Inspector McLean Library published by D.C. Thomson. An early 1921 story in The Children's Newspaper was a rare contribution to the scifi genre. Only a handful of his books are still in print, recently some republished in large print. Colorado Jim is the only one on gutenberg.org as of Jan 2012.
(in-progress chronological list of works on aneyespy
Little is known of his life. GR system bug adds January 1 to his birth date, but the actual date is unknown. Born in Kingston-upon-Thames in 1888, he married Dora Mary Hill and had one son and two daughters. He lived at The Great Quarry, Guildford. Before full-time writing, he had experience in journalism and publishing. He died at Aldershot in March 1969, aged 80.
Featured characters were Scotland Yard Inspector McLean, spy catcher Q33, Trooper O'Neill, cowboy Colorado Jim (Jack) and Nigel Rix. McLean appeared in The Weekly News even anonymously until 6 October 1979, ten years after Goodchild died, and inspired Dandy Inspector McLean Library published by D.C. Thomson. An early 1921 story in The Children's Newspaper was a rare contribution to the scifi genre. Only a handful of his books are still in print, recently some republished in large print. Colorado Jim is the only one on gutenberg.org as of Jan 2012.
(in-progress chronological list of works on aneyespy
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 7, 2025
Humdrum mystery from 1957. Apart from the sinister hints about the murdered millionaire having had dealings behind the Iron Curtain and a remarkable absence of tea, this might have been set in the 1930s.
When Rufus Bader is found dead in his conservatory after dinner, murder has to be suspected- but the actual cause of death proves elusive. And who should Inspector McLean suspect? The absentee, much younger wife? The wayward niece, who had defied her uncle's wishes in becoming engaged to a penniless artist? And who is the mysterious Alwell, whose next of kin stands to benefit from the will?
The only original aspect of this by-the-numbers mystery was the murder method. I'm not sure it would stand up to modern forensic science, though.
When Rufus Bader is found dead in his conservatory after dinner, murder has to be suspected- but the actual cause of death proves elusive. And who should Inspector McLean suspect? The absentee, much younger wife? The wayward niece, who had defied her uncle's wishes in becoming engaged to a penniless artist? And who is the mysterious Alwell, whose next of kin stands to benefit from the will?
The only original aspect of this by-the-numbers mystery was the murder method. I'm not sure it would stand up to modern forensic science, though.
Displaying 1 of 1 review