The Man with the Dark Beard

The Man with the Dark Beard, published in 1928, is the first of Annie Haynes's Inspector Stoddart series. When a London chemist is murdered by poison — his own specialty — the investigation reveals a tangle of grudges, debts, and secret relationships among the people closest to him. Haynes constructs a classic puzzle mystery with multiple suspects, each with means and motive, and her Stoddart is a shrewd, patient detective in the best tradition of Golden Age fiction. The novel showcases her talent for plotting and her sharp eye for the social tensions of interwar London.