Books like A Blunt Instrument by Georgette Heyer

In the quiet English countryside, the seemingly perfect Ernest Fletcher is found bludgeoned to death in his study, baffling the local community and the detectives from London. Superintendent Hannasyde and Sergeant Hemingway, renowned for their investigative skill, begin a meticulous inquiry, revealing that Fletcher's respectable facade hides a complex web of resentments and grudges. Six potential suspects—his nephew Neville, a neighbor’s bewildered wife, a local businessman, and others—each present a plausible motive. The detectives’ search leads them to uncover an elusive blunt instrument, the weapon Twain and the community the murderer used. Their investigation is further complicated when a second victim falls under similar circumstances. Faced with a killer who methodically repeats his crime, Hannasyde and Hemingway must piece together the violent puzzle before the murderer strikes again.

First publish date: 1938