THE MAULEVERER MURDERS

1907. London: John Lane, The Bodley Head / New York: John Lane Company, 1907. 2 pp undated ads. Original green-grey cloth pictorially decorated in black.

First Edition of this "motorised detective story" [Quayle]. All of Colonel Mauleverer's sons are being murdered, each a month apart, and each left with a noose around his neck (though not the cause of death). A.C. Fox-Davies, a barrister who was an expert on heraldry, had recently had published his detective tale THE DANGERVILLE INHERITANCE, with many of the same characters as this one. As a note in this book indicates, he actually had written THE MAULEVERER MURDERS earlier, and its events precede the other's -- though the two books were published in reverse order. After these two detective novels, Fox-Davies "was then heard of no more" [Quayle again]. This copy is in the secondary binding, just like the first but with the cover design all in black (no orange). The condition of this attractively-bound book is near-fine -- the only flaw of note (other than occasional light foxing) being a 1913 presentation label on the front pastedown. Quayle DETECTIVE FICTION p. 84 (with illustration of the motorcar-design binding on p. 85).