This is the first book I've read by this author and it won't be the last as I thought it was well written with interesting characters and a complex plot. It is part of a series featuring John Coffin but it can be read as a standalone novel as it seems the reader does not get to hear too much about Coffin's private life. He is divorced, living on his own, domestically incompetent but likeable. In this book he has just moved into a new flat and hears from his lady 'who does' that a house further up the road has a bad reputation and there have been a lot of deaths connected with it.At first Coffin dismisses this as superstitious nonsense, especially the indelible blood stain on the doorstep, but gradually he starts to wonder exactly what has gone on in that apparently unlucky house. The murder of someone who has just been released from prison and who has Coffin in his sights for putting him there in the first place is the main focus of the book at first but other horrific events will take place before what appears to be a simple case is gradually unravelled.If you like Golden Age crime stories then this author may be another to add to your list. I shall definitely be reading more of this series though many of the early books are not yet available in e-book format.
