
“It is past the half-hour. My time is coming nearer with every tick of the clock.”
Horace Manning, scientist, recluse and ‘closed book’ even to his friends is found dead in his study at 4am, following a dinner in honour of his daughter’s engagement. An ivory-handled carving knife rests between his shoulder blades as the houseguests gather round to witness the awful crime. The telephone line has been sabotaged – a calculated murder has been committed.
Rewinding twelve hours, the events of the afternoon and evening unfold, revealing a multitude of clues and motives from a closed cast of suspects until the narrative reaches 4am again – then races on to its riveting conclusion at 4pm as the reader is led twice round the clock.
First published in 1935, the sole novel from the actor and dancer Billie Houston is a lively country house mystery and a true lost gem of the Golden Age of crime writing.
Publication date: 10/04/23
International availability - Europe and the United States.
We have resumed some European and US shipping in line with new EU GPSR regulations and recent changes to US tariffs. British Library Publications, including our subscriptions, are now available for order for customers across Europe and the United States.
We will continue rolling out our most popular products to these regions in stages. If you are browsing from Europe or the US, you can now see the products that are available for you to order.
We’re working hard to expand the offering, so the selection you see online will continue to grow as products are cleared for shipping.
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Our deliveries are now carbon neutral.
Timescale | ||
UK Standard* | £5.00 | 3 - 5 working days |
Please allow 7 working days from the time you place your order to contact us about undelivered orders.
*does not include custom prints or custom clothing.
Local pick up
Local pick up is free and allows you to buy online and collect your items from our shop in St. Pancras (London) or from Reception in Boston Spa.
London
Orders placed before 3pm will be ready to collect from noon the following day (including weekends). Please ensure you check our opening times before coming to collect.
Boston Spa
Orders placed before 3pm will be ready to collect between 2 - 4 working days, though this is usually quicker.
EU and Europe orders
Due to the new EU Regulation 2023/988 (GPSR), not all of our products will be available for you to order yet, we are working on rolling out a wider product range.
Order value | Under £25 | £25 - £50 | £50 - £100* | Over £100* | Timescale |
Airmail | £ 15 | £ 25 | £ 36 | £ 45 | Usually 2 - 4 weeks |
Rest of the World orders
Order value | Under £25 | £25 - £50 | £50 - £100* | Over £100* | Timescale |
Airmail | £ 20 | £ 30 | £ 40 | £ 50 | Usually 2 - 4 weeks |
International orders are shipped on a Delivered at Place (DAP) basis. Import duties and taxes are payable by the customer upon delivery. Orders returned due to non-payment of duties will be refunded for the product cost only, less any shipping fees incurred.
For more detailed information click here