Murder in Piccadilly

First published in 1936, this entry in the British Library Crime Classics series by the obscure Kingston (the pen name of Charles Kingston O'Mahoney) is too good to be lost to history. Bobbie Cheldon, an unambitious and broke gentleman of 23, is waiting for his frugal-to-a-fault middle-aged uncle, Massy Cheldon, to die so he can inherit his estate. To add insult to poverty, Nancy Curzon, the gold-digging nightclub dancer Bobbie has fallen for, won't marry a pauper, and Nancy and her theatrical partner, Nosey Ruslin, keep pressuring Bobbie to speed up his route to wealth. The consensus is that Uncle Massy needs to go to his reward so Bobbie can collect what should be his%E2%80%94both the cash and the girl. When Uncle Massy gets stabbed in the heart in London's crowded Piccadilly Underground station, it's up to clever Chief Inspector Wake to determine who wielded the blade. The dated plot may be fairly formulaic, but a nice twist at the end is worth the wait. (May)