This Side Murder

Gilbert Tarsier, successful newspaper columnist, is sent by his paper to Spain on a double mission: to ferret out gossip about the guests at the new luxury hotel in Cala Cristina… 

He’s there to exploit any gossip he can sniff out, and will spare no one in his sensational newspaper column.

This quickly arouses the hostility of several distinguished hotel guests, so when the self-assured Tarsier shows up dead, the lack of sympathy is unsurprising….

Unfortunately for the gentle Inspector Borges, Tarsier’s unpopularity means the range of suspects is extensive. If indeed it was murder that caused his untimely death…

First there’s his neglected wife Lily, plain but holding untapped potential, who is soon taken under the wing of Irene Stollman, wife of the economist Franz, one of the victims of Tarsier’s libellous pen. 

Then there’s Lady Poppy Dauntwood, currently on her fifth husband, her vivaciousness belying a sad past and another guest suffering the slurs of Tarsier. 

When it is revealed that Tarsier had penned a defamatory biography of the Victorian novelist Matthew Egremont, grandfather of the artist Arbelle and her brother Ralph Egremont, the pool of suspects grows even larger. 

Does this incriminate their nephew and architect of the Cala Cristina, Philip Egremont too? 

Surely his relations with the lovely ballerina Judy Shafto, on holiday with her Uncle Quintin, means his thoughts are occupied by romance not murder?

The Inspector must sort through numerous and often conflicting statements and alibis to discover the truth behind Tarsier’s demise… 

This Side Murder? is a mystery filled with colourful characters and gripping suspense. 

‘Top recommendation for lovers of that clever, urbane detection which is becoming such a rarity’ - Birmingham Mail 

‘Amusing puzzles that entertain and beguile’ – Books and Bookman 

‘Neatly devised plot…Borges is a good creation in the tradition of the best fictional detectives’ – Nottingham Guardian Journal 

‘…claims attention as a crime novel depending on pains-taking police work and careful deduction’ – Aberdeen Press and Journal 

‘A real masterpiece of detective in fiction form takes shape under the cloudless skies of the Costa Brava’ – British Books 

Writing under the name of John Bonett, husband and wife duo John and Emery Bonett have collaboratively written numerous successful murder mystery and detective novels including Dead Lion and No Time to Kill.