Death Before Breakfast - by George Bellairs (Paperback)

About the Book

On her way to Church early one November morning, Mrs. Jump sees a dead body in the gutter in July Street. Fearing to investigate, she hurries on, but her conscience finally convinces her that she ought to return and report her discovery. Much to her relief, however, the body has vanished. Mrs. Jump happens to be Mrs. Littlejohn's daily help and casually mentions her adventure. Following one of his famous hunches, Superintendent Littlejohn, of Scotland Yard, decides to check her story and before very long, a full-blown investigation is in full swing. July Street is a queer neighbourhood and some queer people live there. A doctor in disgrace and his simpleton of a sister; a monstrous fat man who thinks he owns the street and everyone in it; a scared little French polisher, whose children have whooping-cough. Before the case is finally wound up, Littlejohn finds himself in France again, visiting the lovely valley of the River Yonne and Paris, where he investigates a gang of burglars who run a jazz-band.

Book Synopsis

First published in 1962, Death Before Breakfast is a Chief Inspector Littlejohn mystery full of intrigue, mysterious motives, and ingenious speculation.

On her way to church early one morning, Mrs. Jump sees a dead body in the gutter in July Street. Frightened, she hurries on, but her conscience convinces her to return, only to find the body gone.

Doubting herself, she nevertheless tells her boss, Inspector Littlejohn of Scotland Yard, who decides to investigate further. He soon discovers that July Street is full of unusual people.
Everyone has a motive. Everyone is a suspect.

From London to Paris and back, Littlejohn unravels the tangled web of connections between this curious cast of characters to expose the murderer.

About the Author

George Bellairs is a pen name of Harold Blundell (1902-1985), a crime writer born in Lancashire. Blundell was a prolific writer who published over 50 crime and mystery novels in his life, most of them featuring the detective Inspector Littlejohn. Blundell also wrote regularly for the Manchester Guardian.