Death of a Mystery Writer

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Near Fine in Near Fine dj. 1979. 1st U.S. edition Second Printing. Hardcover. [no discernible wear to book, but the former owner's name plus date & place of purchase are written in ink at the top of the front endpaper; the jacket is flawless except for long horizontal surface-scratch across the rear panel]. Sir Oliver Fairleigh-Stubbs, a famous author of detective novels, collapses and dies at his birthday party. Unexpectedly, his "elder son, who openly hated his father, inherits most of the estate." However, "the manuscript of the unpublished volume left to [the author's] wife -- a posthumous 'last case' that might be worth millions -- has disappeared. And Sir Oliver's death is beginning to look less than natural." But on the case is "Inspector Meredith, a spirited Welshman who in some ways resembles Sir Oliver's fictional hero." NOTE that this is the *second printing* of the U.S. edition of this book, which was previously published in England under the title "Unruly Son." .