George Bellairs was the pseudonym of Harold Blundell (1902-1982), a Manchester bank manager as well as a freelance journalist. He published 57 popular classic police procedurals featuring Inspector Thomas Littlejohn of Scotland Yard between 1941 and 1980. He also wrote four mysteries using the name Hilary Landon. Death in Desolation (J. Gifford, 1967) is 45th in the Littlejohn series; although late in the series, it is a very good detective story.

Three men dressed completely in black have been terrorizing rural homeowners across the country, breaking in, robbing the families, and leaving a few injuries behind. Chief Superintendent Littlejohn and Sergeant Cromwell were assigned to the group of law enforcement personnel attempting to capture the trio. Thus when they heard that a dead farmer and his unconscious wife were found on their isolated farm outside the small settlement of Sprawle Corner in Midshire, it sounded as if the Black Lot had been at work again and they went to investigate. The rundown farm of Harry Quill didn’t look as if it would pay to rob it but its remote location was ideal for the group of thieves.

Within a couple of days, though, word reached Littlejohn that the robbers had all been captured in another part of the country. The timing of their arrest was such that they could not have been involved in the murder of Harry Quill. Already on site, Littlejohn offered to continue his work on the case and the local superintendent was grateful for the assistance.

Quill owned 500 acres of land but lacked the money to work it so it had gone back to nature. His invalid wife’s tiny trust was all they had to provide the necessities of life. Quill was cranky and eccentric and people avoided him. Because he had few friends and most of the townspeople avoided him, reconstructing the last day of his life proved to be challenging.

Bellairs enjoyed exploiting the image of the odd and peculiar in small towns and villages. This is the fourth of his books I’ve read, and the offbeat and the strange characters are everywhere. His description of the funeral of the victim, with the members of the large far-flung family gathered to bicker, to continue old family feuds and to begin new ones, and to argue over the will is entertaining as well as reminiscent of the funeral in Corpses in Enderby, an earlier book in the series.

In addition to the lively depiction of the village residents, the plot is positively serpentine. The last chapters in particular are devious and full of skillful misdirection, building a solid case against first this character, then another, and then another. I thought I knew who did it until the final interviews when attention was deflected down multiple avenues. Followers of Bellairs will especially like this one, as will fans of traditional police procedurals.