A mad man's outburst about a body in a mill calls Inspector Littlejohn of Scotland Yard to a sleepy English village.


It's a rainy, uneventful evening in the Oddfellows' Arms until a greasy-looking spiv bursts into the pub, clearly unstable, and ranting about a body in Fennings' Mill.


The police investigate the mad-man's tale, and stumble upon a body, the face smeared with theatrical make-up and a false moustache pasted neatly over the lip. Once the national news descends, Inspector Faddiman calls in Inspector Littlejohn to help him uncover the dark, hidden secrets in this quiet, provincial town. Soon it becomes clear that a lot of people can't, and won't tell the truth.


The Case of the Demented Spiv was first published in 1950.