Death of Anton by Alan Melville

Death of Anton by Alan Melville ISBN-13: 9781464208720 Paperback: 278 pages Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press Released: Dec. 5, 2017

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
Seven Bengal tigers are the star attraction of Carey's Circus. Their trainer is the fearless Anton, whose work demands absolute fitness and the steadiest of nerves. When Anton is found lying dead in the tigers' cage, it seems that he has lost control and been mauled by the tigers—but Detective-Inspector Minto of Scotland Yard is not convinced.

Minto's investigations lead him deep into the circus world of tents and caravans, clowns and acrobats, human and animal performers. No one is above suspicion. Carey, the circus-owner with a secret to hide; Dodo, the clown whose costume is scratched as if by a claw; and Lorimer, the trapeze artist jealous of his flirtatious wife—all come under Minto's scrutiny as the mystery deepens.

This amusing and light-hearted novel from the golden age of British crime writing has long been neglected.


My Review:
Death of Anton is a mystery set in England that was originally published in 1936. It's a clue-based puzzle mystery, and a humorous one at that. The reader knows more about what's going on than the detective, but he snooped around, asked questions, and thought things out until he solved the case. Since we learned several clues before he did, it wasn't difficult to figure out whodunit (and what was going on) before the detective.

Even if we'd been told whodunit from the beginning, I still would have read the whole story because I really enjoyed the humor. The main characters were interesting, and the detective had an entertaining view of life. For one thing, he found it ironic that his brother (a Catholic priest) and 7 tigers all knew whodunit but couldn't tell him, so he had to sort it out for himself.

There was no sex. There was a fair amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this entertaining mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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