This is one of those odd mysteries I like so much. First, the discovery of a title by an author I have never heard of before - a little black hardcover printed by Cassell & Co. London, a first edition from 1954 with a silver thumbprint on the spine stating it is a Crime Connoisseur Book.
On the flyleaf is a synopsis noting titles 'Also by Tod Claymore' including You Remember The Case and What Else Could I Do?... I'm intrigued.
Tod Claymore is the pseudonym for English author Hugh Clevely who has written nine other mysteries for me to discover - making things tricky he sometimes shared the Claymore pseudonym with fellow author Edgar Jepson! The interesting catch with his mystery novels is Tod Claymore is the author, the narrator, and at some point introduces himself as a character in the story!
Dead Men Don't Answer is a complex and twisting tale of a wealthy Florida family. Miss Sue Anne was destined to marry Dennis with the family blessing, but has changed her mind and agreed to marry archeologist Lee Mitford, whom no one really likes. Complicating matters is Uncle Jervis Holt, who drops dead leaving behind an embezzlement and blackmail scandal. From the outset however, we know that it's all down to Dennis - he is a manipulative cad who continually warps alliances and family ties to get what he wants - Sue Anne to dump Lee and marry him. Dennis is responsible for Jervis' downfall and when the uncle dies, he intoxicates Lee and hides the body with him for the police to find, with the help of his new girlfriend Stella. She believes Dennis' false assurances he will marry her, while he is saying the same things to Sue Anne. Lying to everyone, he works out a plan to send Lee to jail, have Stella killed off, find and kill off Jervis' blackmailer, and when things begin to go really sour, have goons kidnap Sue Anne for ransom, but kill her off as well.
Dennis believes he is the golden child of the family and his charm and cleverness will outsmart them all "literally cackling with inward glee because (they) had fallen for his story. He had fooled (them) again, as he could fool anybody if he set himself to it". What he doesn't know is everyone is actually on to him and his house of cards is about to fold.
It's a great picture of a sociopath, wrapped in an entertaining mystery. Packed with interest and drama. Things take a unique and surprising twist in Chapter 25 when the Inspector on the case receives a visitor - Tod Claymore. Yes, the author writes himself in as a character - a crime writer - who discusses the characters motives and dissects the clues of the case. Who better to go in and work with the Inspector than the author of the novel himself! I've never seen that before, really interesting!
Looking online, I found very little about Tod Claymore, or Hugh Clevely. I'd love to find another novel of his as this was top-rate. I couldn't find anything on this novel in particular, not even a picture of the cover or dust jacket. The facsimile cover I show here I made up based on other titles of his being published as green Penguin paperbacks. On the whole of the Interweb, perhaps this is the only entry to keep this title alive. In the era of digitization, perhaps I have saved this mystery from anonymity!
By the way, page 36 has a typo. Sue Anne is called See Anne! I'm always intrigued by typos.
Top-notch entertainment. Good luck finding one.
1954 / Hardcover / 183 pages
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