Anthony Weymouth was the pseudonym of Ivo Geikie Cobb (1887-1953), a London physician and author. Cobb wrote a number of books on clinical topics and seven detective novels about Inspector Treadgold of Scotland Yard as well as an autobiography. The Golden Age of Detection wiki (http://gadetection.pbworks.com/w/page/7932446/Weymouth%2C%20Anthony) lists his crime fiction bibliography as follows:
- Frozen Death (Arthur Barker, 1934)
- The Doctors Are Doubtful (Arthur Barker, 1935)
- No, Sir Jeremy (Arthur Barker, 1935)
- Hard Liver (Arthur Barker, 1936)
- Cornish Crime (Hodder & Stoughton, 1937)
- Tempt Me Not (Rich & Cowan, 1937)
- Inspector Treadgold Investigates (Rich & Cowan, 1941)
A review of Cobb’s medical works suggests that the war disrupted his crime fiction career but perhaps he had publisher difficulties. He had three different publishers for his seven mysteries.
The Weymouth books are exceedingly scarce, not to be found outside the rare book collections of a few major libraries, mostly in the United Kingdom. Over the past several months Frozen Death and Tempt Me Not are the only titles of the series that have appeared in the books for sale on Bookfinder.com. There I found a battered paperback reprint of Tempt Me Not in an Australian bookshop. Facsimile Dust Jackets (https://www.dustjackets.com/) has cover art for the first four books, the titles published by Arthur Barker, but the books themselves seem to be out of reach to the ordinary reader.
Inspector Treadgold is described as a small untidy man with a mustache. He is great friends with his manager Superintendent Foxgrove. Treadgold lives alone and often dines with the Foxgrove household.
In Tempt Me Not Anthony Rodd is a society blackmailer. He lures women into compromising situations and then extorts money from them so that they can maintain their social standing. Not surprisingly someone has enough of Rodd and stabs him one night. Treadgold suspects Rodd’s secondary occupation when he works out that the victim was living well above the income his position at an automobile agency provided.
It didn’t take long for Carol Rhodes to come to Treadgold’s attention. Rhodes was seen near Rodd’s flat on the night of the murder and Treadgold learns that Rodd is blackmailing Rhodes’ wife Denise over an incident that occurred before their marriage. Treadgold is not entirely convinced of his guilt, but his superiors are satisfied they have the right man. There are other suspects but Rhodes meets all of the obvious requirements and he is arrested.
The structure of this story is unusual. More than halfway through a brand-new viable suspect is introduced, creating a fresh investigatory thread and another murder. Then about three-quarters into the book, friends of Rhodes, who were mentioned briefly at the beginning and then disappeared, surface again and decide to help prove his innocence. Overall the timing of major events seems odd. The solution has been used in other Golden Age mysteries but it is not credible by present standards. And while I am complaining, surely surnames for the primary suspect and the victim that didn’t sound alike could have been identified.
It’s unfortunate the other titles in the series aren’t available to establish a better sense of Weymouth’s plotting and writing abilities. Based on this one, which showcases many elements of classic Golden Age detective stories, the series is a serious candidate for reprinting by the British Library or one of the many other publishers bringing Golden Age mysteries back to life.