Dagobert and Jane Brown are in New Mexico, heading to Alamogordo, to drop in on Dagobert’s old friend – or so he claims – Miranda Ross, a colleague from the war. Initially unable to wangle an invitation to the Palo Alto ranch where Miranda and her family and cohorts reside – it seems Dagobert may have exaggerated their friendship – the invitation eventually arrives. But on the first evening, Miranda doesn’t appear. And the next morning, the Browns finally get to meet her – well, her body at least, due to the knife sticking into her.

As Dagobert begins to investigate, despite the misgivings of the local authorities, it seems that she wasn’t the saint she appeared to be. Everyone had a reason to kill her, but the evidence suggests that everyone was in her room that night. So which of them actually committed the crime? And who else is going to die before the truth comes to light?

Or, to quote the tag on the cover – Miranda gets stabbed and Dagobert Brown finds the killer plus some scandalous information.

What else do you need to know?

I thought I’d take a look at this one as it’s the one nomination in the Dream Reprint poll – live now (if you read this at time of publication) on Cross Examining Crime – that I’ve got a copy of. Haven’t even got a copy of my nomination, Into Thin Air, as I read that in the Bodleian. Oh, I do have a copy of Mystery At Friar’s Pardon, forgot about that, but this is the one that I haven’t read. Unless I’ve got Reunion With Murder in a pile of Green Penguins, which is possible. And I’ve possibly got a copy of The Case Of The Drowsy Mosquito…

Meanwhile, back at this book…

Kate is a massive fan of this series, and this, according to a ranking that she did, is her favourite. So no pressure. I’ve just read the first one before this – She Shall Have Murder – and really enjoyed it. I always planned to get back to the author soon. It only took – checks – eight years. Oops.

This is a rather marvellous read. Ames writes – in Jane’s voice – with a genuine sense of humour without it ever getting silly. And he never forgets that this is a mystery novel so every character has something to do (and has done something to complicate the plot).

There’s one odd bit – Dagobert reveals something that turns the case on its head, and then… well, everything carries on as before. It’s a bit jarring – it felt like we were halfway through the “gathering the suspects” scene and then everyone went on a horsey ride. But it does lead to another incident to solve, so fair enough.

All in all, this is a cut above most classic crime from the era. It’s a proper mystery, and it’s got a real kick at the end. Dagobert and Jane are really good company and – hopefully – I’ll be reading more from Ames very soon. Well, sooner than eight years anyway…