The Backward Boy

Never do favors. Hasn't Denton learned this by now? But love will make chumps of us all, and for love of Janet Striker, Denton is making inquiries on behalf of the extremely tedious Mrs. Snokes. Her husband, she declares, is innocent of the hideous charges made against him. The newspapers, however, think differently: They have dubbed him the “Barnsbury Butcher.”

And it gets worse. For love of an old mate, Denton has taken on a chore for the man's brattish son, entangled in a shameful liaison with a woman of beauty, spirit, and the ability to wreck his tidy little upper-class future. Hell's bells, forget about the “do no favors” strategy; the best path may be “do not love.”

Try telling that to Denton.

The unhappy Snokes family is entangled in a murder investigation. Arthur Snokes is the prime suspect, and his wife is so desperate to clear his name that she persuades a reluctant Denton to look into the case. Digging into the family's tragic past, he finds more trouble: a mysterious series of killings and a young boy who may hold their solution.