The Affair at Barwold

The Affair at Barwold
Author: Laurence Meynell
Publisher: Orion
Total Pages: 195
Release: 2014-02-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1471901203

Hooky Hefferman is ordered by his dominating aunt in Hove to visit the Cotswold village of Barwold, where the young daughter of an old friend is thought to be keeping bad company. Meanwhile, one of the newsagents in a nearby town is going dangerously mad and is trying to rid the neighbourhood of local whores. Hooky quickly finds the local pub, where he takes note of the town's inhabitants' curious behaviour, and soon finds himself at odds with the police ...

Hooky and the Crock of Gold

Hooky and the Crock of Gold
Author: Laurence Meynell
Publisher: Orion
Total Pages: 199
Release: 2013-08-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1471901033

When Bunny, disguised as Major Beresford, fails to con a lady out of £500, his partner and bedmate becomes extremely discontented. Dolly was after a bigger game, and she sets out to enliven their partnership with a far more ambitious plan. She is going to use her feminine wiles to persuade a young peer to cough up £20,000 of investment in a non-existent company. For the extortion to happen Bunny and Dolly have to separate. But the separation has unforeseen consequences, and soon it's apparent that the master plan is doomed to go hopelessly awry. 'His best yet' The Times 'Well written, thoroughly enjoyable' Sunday Telegraph

Hooky Catches a Tartar

Hooky Catches a Tartar
Author: Laurence Meynell
Publisher: Orion
Total Pages: 197
Release: 2014-02-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1471901238

Hooky Hefferman, amiable old Etonian, womaniser, layabout and occasional private eye is despatched by his formidable aunt to discover what a not-so-young woman, Monica, in Buckingham has been up to. When Hooky arrives at Cropover Farm he finds eccentrics are three-a-penny, including Monica herself. Then there's Jill Dawson, a woman on a quest for money. This young gold-digger is using her sexual magnetism to gain some. And when a violent death occurs and money goes missing, Hooky is on the case.

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 Open Door

The Open Door
Author: Laurence Meynell
Publisher: Orion
Total Pages: 206
Release: 2013-08-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1471901181

Stella Brendan was accustomed to a comfortable unearned income and she was fifty-two years old when it vanished. How could she survive? She could survive by marrying Sir Loder Cholerton, tycoon and ageing bachelor. But Stella has skeletons in her past, skeletons that would not appeal to Sir Loder should they come out. When that threat occurs Stella calls Hooky Hefferman, who finds himself trying to protect Stella's interests. Then there's a murder. A man has been shot and there are several people who could have fired the fatal bullet ... 'Thoroughly civilised writing, managing to up-date the easy, humorous, engaging mood of pre-war days, floods this pleasant country house mystery with a sunny glow' Glasgow Herald

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.

Hooky and the Prancing Horse

Hooky and the Prancing Horse
Author: Laurence Meynell
Publisher: Orion
Total Pages: 215
Release: 2013-08-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1471901122

Diana Gael, aged twenty-two, is the youngest cub reporter on the Barling Gazette. She's met Hooky Hefferman previously at a cricket match, so when she comes to Sayle Place she is able to recommend him as a player in the village's annual cricket game. The squire of Sayle - Sir Colyn Collingford - is a miser and an unscrupulous womaniser. On the day of the great match Hooky's dual role is to make runs for the squire's team and guard the treasures of Sayle against burglars. Soon, though, Hooky has far more than would-be burglars on his hands ...

Hooky and the Villainous Chauffeur

Hooky and the Villainous Chauffeur
Author: Laurence Meynell
Publisher: Orion
Total Pages: 204
Release: 2013-08-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1471901114

Hooky arrives in the Sussex village of Sweeting by accident, the consequence of winning a bizarre bet and being nearly killed by a speeding limousine. Herbert Aston arrives there on purpose and in disguise, seeking revenge for a wrong done years ago to his dead brother - a wrong that has led indirectly to the suicide of Herbert's young niece. The ruthless tycoon who had made himself squire of Sweeting village soon becomes the quarry they are both looking for. Others have been looking for him too, and someone's killed him. And now it's up to Hooky to solve the crime. 'Booze, gusto and humour again as the roguish adventurer Hooky Hefferman wins a bet and stumbles across murder' Yorkshire Post

Papersnake

Papersnake
Author: Laurence Meynell
Publisher: Orion
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2013-08-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1471901084

When local beauty queen Virginia Vance goes to London, she becomes the mistress of the Hon. Charles Lasting, who runs a particularly venomous daily gossip column. Lasting is a callous, cynical brute, but Virginia has a real weakness for him. It is this weakness that leads her to help him get hold of the scandalous memoirs of Princess Lucy Mettioff, the publication of which will make him a lot of money. But Virginia is about to run into Hooky Hefferman, who, by chance, has become the Princess's literary agent ... 'More comedy than crime is Mr Meynell's new formula and it is working well' Yorkshire Post