Hooky on Loan

Hooky on Loan
Author: Laurence Meynell
Publisher: Orion
Total Pages: 175
Release: 2014-02-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1471901246

A tiny Sussex village harbours a motley collection of inhabitants. Millerscroft, the big house, is now an expensive school, run by the flamboyant and promiscuous Raymond Montague. Hooky Hefferman is introduced into the community supposedly as a temporary teacher at Millerscroft, but in reality to investigate the theft of £500 from one of the students. It doesn't take Hooky long to discover that underneath the outwardly tranquil veneer of the village there's a tangle of adultery, debt and venomous hatred. But before Hooky can identify the thief a body is found in a stream. Did he fall or was he pushed?

The Lost Half Hour

The Lost Half Hour
Author: Laurence Meynell
Publisher: Orion
Total Pages: 204
Release: 2013-08-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 147190105X

Oliver Seaton was an up-and-coming Labour MP when his mother committed suicide by gassing herself. Oliver had lived at his mother's house and the inquest judge was keen to know what time he got home to find his mother dying. He had called an ambulance at 9.26pm. Among the crowd at the inquest is Alan Strang. Oliver and Strang have had a private relationship in the past, a relationship that, if it came to light, could ruin the fast-developing career of the MP, not to mention his marriage. When a muck-raking journalist elicits from Strang that he saw Oliver reach his mother's house at 8.55pm on the night she died there is a missing half hour to account for, and the danger for Seaton starts growing ...

Too Clever By Half

Too Clever By Half
Author: Laurence Meynell
Publisher: Orion
Total Pages: 229
Release: 2012-09-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1471900924

When Lady Darley asks for Hooky Hefferman's help, he wonders what sort of trouble she can be in. She doesn't look the sort to have a very grisly skeleton in her cupboard, but you never can tell ... Hooky's insatiable curiosity is soon aroused by her story, and he is easily persuaded to go down to Monkhamblin Hall, the old family mansion. Once there, a corpse and the odd behaviour of the present owner are quite enough to keep his famous nose glued to the trail.

One Step From Murder

One Step From Murder
Author: Laurence Meynell
Publisher: Orion
Total Pages: 254
Release: 2014-02-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 147190136X

Roger Fenton has achieved a lot since he left jail. At last he has a good job, a new name and he is beginning to overcome the ex-con's bitterness which has threatened to ruin him. But his new existence had the seeds of disaster in it, and on the day the pale man shuffles up to him and murmurs 'one six seven', Roger knows his past has caught up with him. As manager and prospective partner in a thriving business Roger knows he can deal with difficult clients and delicate business deals. But this new situation permits no half measures. He has to decide on one of two ruthless courses: to fight or to run ...

Hooky Goes to Blazes

Hooky Goes to Blazes
Author: Laurence Meynell
Publisher: Orion
Total Pages: 199
Release: 2013-08-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1471901157

The man in the dock up on an arson charge considers that Sebastian Wrighton, who owned the building, is responsible for his daughter committing suicide. What he's done, he says, is an act of justice. Sebastian next turns up as an antiques dealer in the Cotswold village of Bardbury. Once again he has a young woman in tow and therefore (some think) in danger. Spurred on by his terrifying aunt, Hooky Hefferman finds himself in Bardbury too, and soon he is investigating another case of arson ...

The Frightened Man

The Frightened Man
Author: Laurence Meynell
Publisher: Orion
Total Pages: 189
Release: 2012-09-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1471900908

Hooky Hefferman, private detective, is, as they say in the theatrical profession, 'resting'. So when the thin little man in the shabby blue suit calls to ask for professional advice, though he looks by no means promising as a provider of much-needed funds, Hooky is at least prepared to listen - and finds his interest at once held. Edward Rider wants to stay alive until the following Friday, and asks Hooky to help him achieve this modest ambition. On that day, he is anxious to meet a certain person arriving from Berlin, and it is becoming increasingly obvious that someone is determined to prevent this.

The Thirteen Trumpeters

The Thirteen Trumpeters
Author: Laurence Meynell
Publisher: Orion
Total Pages: 203
Release: 2012-09-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1471900967

Hooky Hefferman is commissioned by his formidable aunt to convey a 'brilliantly coloured, exquisitely detailed painting of young soldier blowing a trumpet' to Southern Italy, to her old admirer Sir Lucian Bryers-Fane. Two others are heading in the same direction: a beautiful young academic who has been sent to read a commemorative scroll to Sir Lucian on the occasion of his eightieth birthday; and another party with entirely less admirable objectives.

Death By Arrangement

Death By Arrangement
Author: Laurence Meynell
Publisher: Orion
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2012-09-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1471900959

When Hooky Hefferman, playboy and private detective, does a chance favour for wealthy Waveney Rolffe, he is rewarded with a lucrative position as Rolffe's personal bodyguard. The job is easy: entertain Rolffe and live harmoniously with the other members of the household - pleasant Mrs Fitzroy, who directs Rolffe's future with her crystal ball; Dempster Childers, Rolffe's aloof private secretary; and Cooper, the gardener. Hooky's luck has never been better. But when ex-con Barney Phillips shows up in the local tavern and becomes friendly with Cooper, Hooky begins to suspect that trouble is brewing. After all, Rolffe's vast financial empire and the curiosities of his daily routine provide tempting possibilities - like illegal personal gain and international thievery - and a motive for murder.

The Creaking Chair

The Creaking Chair
Author: Laurence Meynell
Publisher: Orion
Total Pages: 249
Release: 2014-02-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1471901319

Lou Steel is the owner of a pin-table saloon, frequented by questionable characters and kept under constant police surveillance. Barbara Gale is the neglected wife of heavy gambler Gerald Gale, and a woman Lou finds irresistible. When a body is found in Lou's apartment, Lou asks his friend Limpy to help him hide it. When the pair are picked up by the police, Lou escapes and sets out to prove his innocence while running from the law.

Danger Round the Corner

Danger Round the Corner
Author: Laurence Meynell
Publisher: Orion
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2012-09-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1471900886

Edward Rigby's sudden death in South America provides Hooky Hefferman, private investigator, with his first case. Rigby's employers, the San Lucca Railway Concession, have hinted that he committed suicide, which is enough to prevent his insurance company paying up. His wife, Hilda, thinks the story needs investigation, and Hooky is the man she chooses to do it. The San Luccans are notoriously hot-blooded, and Hooky, with his genius for getting into scrapes, soon finds plenty of trouble. In fact, his first case nearly becomes his last.