Death by Design

Did Dave Barden kill himself? That is the question that his cousin, Moira Bishop, wants answered; and she goes to see Cyrus Flater-a self-styled "agent of justice"-to look into the matter. He was found hanged in a lodge near Madison, Wisconsin, after a fight with his friend, Walter Paddon. As the case proceeds, Flater finds himself enmeshed in a complex interplay of family conflict and rivalry that makes the solution of the case particularly difficult. August Derleth, who had already become well known for his tales of Solar Pons-one of the most successful imitations of Sherlock Holmes on record-has written a hard-boiled crime novel with clipped prose, crisp dialogue, sharp characterization, and a denouement that is both surprising and inevitable. Set in or near the fictitious town of Sac Prairie (a stand-in for his own hometown, Sauk City), Derleth has produced a work that stands apart from the bulk of his other writing but adds a vital element to his portrayal of the people and landscape of this beloved region.