When Archie Cranfield’s father asked Mr. Twiss to look after his son as well as advise him financially, the solicitor had no idea what he was agreeing to. A furtive smile permanently etched on his face, Archie lives alone in the countryside. His neighbors do not like him, and Captain Brayton, a former schoolmate, had a falling-out with him years ago and has not seen him since. Then the oddest surprise of all—Archie invites Brayton for a weekend visit and the captain winds up dead. Is it suicide, or is the young Mr. Cranfield as guilty as he looks? (Goodreads)
Alfred Edward Woodley Mason (7 May 1865 – 22 November 1948) was an English author and politician. He is best remembered for his 1902 novel of courage and cowardice in wartime, The Four Feathers and is also known as the creator of Inspector Hanaud, a French detective who was an early template for Agatha Christie's famous Hercule Poirot. His prolific output in short stories and novels were frequently made and remade into films during his lifetime; though many of the silent versions have been lost or forgotten, the productions of Fire Over England (1937) and The Four Feathers (1939) remain enduring classics of British cinema.