Books like Noonday and Night by Gladys Mitchell

Dame Beatrice Lestrange Bradley, an elderly but formidable detective, is drawn into a mystery when Vittorio, a “monkey‑like” antiques scout for Basil Honfleur, begins to circumnavigate the collector’s lends. Rumors that Vittorio may be dealing in stolen goods set the stage for a far‑reaching investigation. The case deepens when three bus drivers from Honfleur’s coach tour company vanish: Noone in Derbyshire, Daigh at a Welsh coffee stop, and Knight in Scotland. Beatrice, assisted by her secretary Laura, follows the bus routes, interrogates passengers, and scrutinizes historic castles and forts along the way—suspecting that the drivers’ bodies may be hidden there. The trail leads to Hulliwell Hall’s gatehouse in Derbyshire and to the Cathedral Close in Welsh Dantwylch, where grim evidence surfaces. The investigation culminates in a dark village house in Scotland where Laura discovers the body of Vittorio, the unscrupulous antique dealer. With these revelations, Beatrice unravels the murderer’s identity, bringing the sinister plot to a shocking conclusion.

First publish date: 1977