JOURNEY DOWNSTAIRS

Garden City, New York,: The Crime Club, Inc., : Doubleday, Doran & Co., Inc., , 1934. 1st US edition. Author's First Detective Story. Publisher's black cloth with pictorial red-stamped spine, red top edge. A Very good-near fine copy in dust jacket, light creasing at bottom, spine lightly faded, very lightly rubbed. Dust jacket, not price clipped, $2.00 price intact, ink number below price, in protective mylar cover. " Sir Geoffrey Howarth, M.P., is holding a dinner part at his estate called Kemble. Among the guests are schoolmaster Richard Philmore, his dear friend the writer and publicist Swan, Rev. John Cornish and his wife Joyce, and Ralph Sedgwick, an architect hoping to get some help from Howarth in obtaining a commission to design and build a new student housing facility at the local university. They are soon joined by Peter Howarth, Sir Geoffrey's profligate nephew known for his spendthrift habits and penchant for gambling. Shortly after dinner Sir Geoffrey is found stabbed in his study. Swan does some preliminary investigations and based only on two bits of evidence is certain he knows the identity of the killer, but he needs to get proof to satisfy the police. And so with permission of Chief Constable Greening he sets out to do so. Dick Philmore acts as his Watson as they uncover a lurid trail of blackmail, adultery, prostitution and illegal stock speculation...." J.F. Norris [I highly recommend Norris's web page "Pretty Sinister Blog" for a thourogh examination of the title and author] . 1st Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. Book.