THE THIRD DEGREE: A Golden Age Mystery Kindle Edition

First serialised in newspapers in 1923.Never published in book form beforeA classic mystery by R.A.J. WALLING‘R.A.J. Walling is an extremely skilful maker of plots and surprises’ DOROTHY L. SAYERS, THE SUNDAY TIMESWhen wealthy lawyer William Lanson is found dead it is instantly clear he did not die of natural causes–he has been shot. A passing policeman hears the shot and arrests a man standing outside the house holding the murder weapon. All the evidence points to this man, John Belliver’s guilt. He has both motive and opportunity–the case against Belliver seems watertight.Belliver had been employed by the lawyer and was his protégé, but the young man had fallen in love with Lanson’s niece Phyllis and Lanson was furious and fired Belliver and forbade the match. Heated words had been exchanged and Belliver had stormed out enraged.A date with the hangman seemed certain. Only Belliver’s heartbroken Lover Phyllis and his friend Tom Fewings refuse to believe his guilt and decide to investigate the mystery in their own haphazard way. Luckily they hire retired detective Joe Grainger to help them save John Belliver and unravel the truth behind Lanson’s murder.'THE THIRD DEGREE' was first serialised in newspapers around the world in 1923 and was reprinted several times over the next two decades, but has never published in book form. This is a JOE GRAINGER mystery. Retired detective Grainger also appears in the NOEL PINSON mystery novels and storiesR.A.J. WALLING (Robert Alfred John) (1869-1949) was an incredibly prolific author who wrote over thirty crime novels as well as numerous biographies, Travel, history and other non-fiction works. Read more