THE BEAST MUST DIE. - 1938

New York and London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1938., 1938. First edition. First U.S. edition. Inscribed by the author on the front free fly leaf "Eric Gillette (?) with best wishes from the author." Original yellow cloth is lightly soiled with a few tiny spots, else a very good copy in dust jacket with small chips and tiny nicks to the spine ends, corners and extremities. The book is divided into three parts. The first section deals with the death of Martie, a young boy killed by a hit-and-run driver. The father grieves and blames himself for having sent the boy out at dusk. At the same time he plans to kill the driver if and when he learns the identity. The second section deals with the father coming to grips with his son's death and devotes his energies to tracking down his son's killer. As he searches for the killer he develops a profile of the killer and looks for the right person to fill the bill as driver and killer. He decides upon a man named George Rattery, whose life fits the bill of the father's mental picture of the killer. He decides to kill Rattery in a boating accident. Section three reveals that George Rattery is dead by poisoning, the father's diary comes to light and the police accuse him of murdering Rattery. He calls in Nigel Strangeways to clear his name. After much investigation Strangeways brings the case to a stunning conclusion. A Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone title. Highly recommended.