COLOUR SCHEME

London: UK: Collins Crime Club, 1943. Publishers orange cloth shows signs of very light soiling and some foxing, eelse a near fine copy in dust jacket with light wear at edges and some soiling to rear panel else near fine. This copy, although not marked as such, comes from the Otto Penzler collection . "Roderick Alleyn does not appear till later in the book, but the story is so eventful, and so well stocked with intriguing characters, that I didn’t mind. The setting is delightful: an inelegant boarding house operating as a thermal spa. The hot springs benefit things like lumbago. But besides the hot springs there are deadly cauldrons of boiling hot mud. The narrow paths marked with little red flags among the boiling mud pots shake underfoot. The hellish ambiance is intensified by the sulfurous air. It’s a fitting stage for murder... The victim is a vulgar businessman who upsets everyone he encounters. The cast of characters includes an irascible doctor; the hapless, inefficient, but rather sweet couple who own the boarding house; their daughter who works like two servants and could be attractive if she knew how; a seedy drunk who boards there; a famous actor there for his health with his secretary and his dresser; and a wonderful assortment of Maori characters from aristocrats to ne’er-do-wells." Patto - Amazon Review . 1st Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. Book.