The Black Thumb

Originally published in 1942, this madcap mystery by Australian-born sisters Constance and Gwenyth Little pits the sharp-witted nurse Norma Gale against someone or several someones with a penchant for chopping up furniture (and people) with an axe at the local isolation hospital. Complicating matters are a dashing young doctor who'd be a boon to the investigation if only he and Norma could get along; an elderly patient with a mysterious carpetbag and a fondness for singing ""John Brown's Body""; and several blackmail plots in The Black Thumb, a delightful whodunit with a dash of romance.