In muffled night - D. Erskine Muir

It was not at all a suitable house for a murder.

Helen Bailey is the live-in housekeeper to the wealthy Murray family. Tall, dark-haired and beautiful, the enigmatic Helen has long ensured that life at "The Towers" runs smoothly for autocratic patriarch James Murray, his widowed son John, and his grandchildren Alan and Glenda. When Helen is found dead in her blood-soaked bedroom, struck down in a horrific attack, the police must consider the family's relationships not only with one another but with everyone close to them. Helen's jewellery is missing, suggesting a robbery gone wrong, but the clues are confusing and contradictory. Dogged police work eventually points to one person, but have the authorities identified a cold-blooded murderer or an innocent person framed by others? This classic detective novel is now back in print for the first time.

Dorothy Erskine Muir (1889-1977) was one of twelve children of John Sheepshanks, Bishop of Norwich. She attended Oxford, worked as an academic tutor, and began writing professionally to supplement the family income after the unexpected death of her husband in 1932. Muir published historical biographies and local histories, as well as three accomplished detective novels: In Muffled Night (1933), Five to Five (1934) and In Memory of Charles (1941). Each is an intricate fictional account based on an unsolved true crime.