An Afternoon to Kill

Stranded in the middle of the desert... 

Lancelot Jones was on his way to his first job — as tutor to an Indian Rajah’s son. 

But the Rajah’s ancient plane and incompetent pilot decanted him in the middle of a desert.

The wrong desert at that. 

There, seeking shade, he finds the only dwelling of any size within miles and its curious owner, an old Englishwoman called Alva Hine.

Taking him into her home, Alva begins to tell Lancelot Jones an incredible tale. 

She told him a strange story of a summer fifty years ago, of love and hate and murder in a respectable middle-class Victorian household…

And as the afternoon wears on, Alva’s story begins to take on an increasingly sinister note for the weary Mr Jones.

Soon, he has more than one reason to want to hear the end of the story... 

An Afternoon to Kill is a mystery with twists and turns that will keep you gripped until the very last page. 

‘…a totally original work of crime fiction’ – Julian Symons 

'Brilliant' - The Observer 

'Stylish Thriller' - The Daily Herald 

‘…excellent character drawing…a thrilling climax' – T he New York Times 

‘Beautifully Written' - The Spectator 

Nancy Bodington was born in 1912. Under the pen name of Shelley Smith, she wrote 15 crime and detective novels between 1942 and 1978. Smith is best known for The Ballard of the Running Ma and its 1963 film adaption starring Laurence Harvey and Lee Remick.