“I’ve never known you take a case so casually.” #leobruce #carolusdeene

It’s always a moment for great joy when a new book from British Library Publishing pops through the door, and a recent arrival was the latest title in their Crime Classics series. They’ve been reissuing some stellar books and this new one caught my eye straight away. The author is Leo Bruce and the name was familiar to me; and when I dug a little more I realised he was the author of “Case for Three Detectives“, a bit of a spoof title from 1936 which sends up three classic names in the sleuthing field we’d all be aware of! He was responsible for the creation of Sgt Beef (who also featured in “Case…”) and produced a good number of titles featuring that policeman. However, later in his career he switched to a new detective – one Carolus Deene, Senior History Master of Queen’s School, Newmaster – and “Jack on the Gallows Tree”, from 1960, sees Deene in action! As the book opens, Deene is recovering from a bout of jaundice and is searching around for somewhere to convalesce. From the…