Some two dozen mysteries were published under the name Archibald Fielding or A. Fielding or A. E. Fielding between 1924 and 1944. They are attributed to Dorothy Feilding (sic) about whom little is known, not even her year of birth apparently. The Golden Age of Detection wiki offers the research of genealogist John Herrington, who confirms her residence in Kensington during the 1930s and a year later in Islington, but could find nothing more. http://gadetection.pbworks.com/w/page/7930572/Fielding%2C%20A
The Footsteps that Stopped by A. Fielding was the third mystery by Fielding/Feilding, whose series character was Chief Inspector Pointer of Scotland Yard. First editions were published by James A. Knopf in New York in 1926 and Collins & Sons in London in 1926. It’s currently available in ebook collections of Fielding’s work and online at Project Gutenberg Australia, https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks19/1900471h.html.
Chief Inspector Pointer decides to look into the death of Mrs. Tangye, a comfortably situated middle-aged lady who was found shot to death in the morning room of her Twickenham home after tea one evening. The coroner had declared the death an accident but some thought the coroner was simply avoiding the shame of a suicide declaration. Superintendent Haviland of the Twickenham police force was a member of that school of thought. Pointer, however, considered that enough unusual details surrounded the death to suggest the involvement of a second person, i.e., murder.
Thus begins a thorough and detailed examination of the people surrounding Mrs. Tangye, including her servants, her companion, and her husband. Her husband in particular seemed suspicious. Rumor had it his involvement with a colonel’s widow in the neighborhood had come to his wife’s ears. In addition, his business was not doing especially well and Mrs. Tangye brought money to the marriage. If she decided to request its return, the business might not survive. Recently she had sold a farm for £3000 (£160,560 in 2025) and took payment in cash. Pointer was most interested to learn that the bank notes had disappeared. That Mr. Tangye filed for his wife’s life insurance payout within 24 hours of her death was also noteworthy.
Pointer, Haviland, and a senior journalist named Wilmot met frequently to review their findings and to discuss next steps. While I like Chief Inspector Pointer and his approach, I regret to report that the resolution is so unbelievable I had to read it twice. Students of the Golden Age puzzle plots will appreciate the methodical discovery of clues as the story unfolds. While I found the ending to be downright bizarre, contemporary reviewers did not share my reaction. Three examples follow:
The Daily Telegraph, November 26, 1926
Irish Independent, October 18, 1926
The Atlanta Journal, November 28, 1926
It was also reviewed in the New York Times, November 28, 1926, in a lengthy analysis that was largely laudatory.