Murder in the Basement

A returning favorite to the Crime Classics series, also author of the previously-published The Poisoned Chocolates Case, Murder in the Basement features the amateur criminologist Roger Sheringham, a regular protagonist of Berkeley’s novels. 

When two newlyweds move into their new home, only to discover that a corpse has been buried in their basement a few months prior, a gruelling case is begun to trace the identity of the victim. With all avenues of investigation approaching exhaustion, a tenuous lead offers a chance for Chief Inspector Moresby, and leads him to the amateur sleuth Roger Sheringham, who has recently been providing cover work in a school south of London.

Desperate for evidence of any kind on the basement case, Moresby begins to sift through the manuscript of a satirical novel Sheringham had been writing about his colleagues at the school, convinced that amongst the colourful cast of teachers hides the victim – and perhaps their murderer.

A novel pairing dark humour and intelligent detection work, this 1932 mystery is an example of a celebrated Golden Age author at his playful best.

Publication date: 10/11/2021