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Jonathan Stagge

Introducing country doctor Hugh Westlake in a Golden Age mystery of seduction and murder set among a small affluent town.

As the town doctor for the village of Kenmore, Hugh Westlake spends most of his time making late-night house calls to overanxious patients and treating colds and the flu—until one bright winter morning. Riding with the hunt club, Hugh makes a grisly discovery: the headless, naked torso of a woman. The murder shocks the town and its upper crust society. Before long, the remains are identified as local woman Anne Grimshawe, who was notably missing from the hunt that morning, and who is pegged as a woman of loose morals by the local busybody.

Deputized by the local inspector, Hugh is drawn into the comings-and-goings of the hunt club members. While investigating his own friends, neighbors, and patients, he follows scurrilous rumors to evidence of amorous assignations, jealousy, and greed. Someone in their midst has something to hide—and the chase is on before a killer goes to ground leaving more victims behind …

“A nice fair play mystery that you can solve for yourself, and the story races along at an enjoyable clip with lots of variety and incident. ” —The Passing Tramp

MysteriousPress.com/Open Road

The Doctor Westlake Mysteries

The Dogs Do Bark

A case of mistaken identity leads to death and deception in this classic “three-ringed thriller … [with] plenty of shocks and jolts” (New York Herald Tribune).

It’s not the first time the local press has made a mistake, but this one has consequences for Dr. Hugh Westlake. An article about an advocate of euthanasia has switched the name of the old quack named Westbrook to “Westlake, ” which leads to Hugh getting summoned in the middle of an icy winter night for a mercy killing.

The poor, fatally ill woman is the matriarch of a new, wealthy family in town. Ethically, all Hugh can do is ease her pain, so he leaves her with some morphine tablets and in the care of her beautiful daughter Hermia, a sight for sore eyes to the widower of eight years. But Mrs. Talbot’s unexpected death on the following morning—and her will—draw Hugh into the secrets of the odd household, which consists of her much younger husband, an adopted sibling, a flighty nurse, and a couple of mad scientists. And when another of Hugh’s terminally ill patients is found dead from a morphine overdose, he becomes the prime suspect in a case that comes down to the question of mercy—or murder …

“This detective novel is teeming with nail biting thrills… . For a book written in the 1930s it still has some resonance for a 21st century reader. ” —Pretty Sinister Books 

“One of those ‘one in a million’ mysteries that has everything … one can’t help enjoying it. ” —Worcester Telegram

Murder by Prescription

The country doctor takes his sleuthing into the spiritual realm when otherworldly goings-on strike close to home in this classic Golden Age mystery.

Summer finds Dr. Hugh Westlake taking over another doctor’s patients and living in his house. His next-door neighbours are a wealthy and influential family in the community, including leading investment banker Bruce Bannister. And soon, Hugh is drawn into quite the family drama …

A nurse has joined the Bannisters to take care of the ailing Bruce. Not only is she the niece of his late first wife, but she’s a psychic to boot. When one of her séances leads to Bruce’s death, it’s by a most unnatural cause: poison, pointing to either suicide or murder. As Hugh investigates this bizarre mystery, another one soon unfolds. He’s attacked by someone outside of their house in a thoroughly macabre manner: his neck is bitten. Now Hugh has to resurrect ghosts from the family’s past to uncover the truth about a potential murderer, a possible vampire, and a snake in the grass …

“Spiritualism and a maniac provide high scented red herrings. Suspense well-handled and solution satisfactory. ” —Kirkus Reviews

Turn of the Table

A Golden Age mystery featuring a sleuthing small-town doctor who’s out of his depth as a killer haunts a waning New England summer.

On vacation with his daughter on the New England coast, Dr. Hugh Westlake is enjoying the sun, the sea, and the fishing. Being September, the inn where they’re staying is almost empty, except for a few other guests. But the peace is shattered when a woman’s body is found strangled on the beach, with a red circle drawn around a mole on her face.

The morbid scene becomes more so when she’s identified as the governess of a family staying at the inn. Hugh gets drafted by local law enforcement to help with the investigation. He uncovers dysfunctional parents, a creepy mortician, a handsome lifeguard, and a woman painter—all with secrets to hide. Not to mention local legends. When another woman is murdered, with another mole circled, Hugh realizes there’s a madman on the loose. And he must tie up the loose ends of crimes past and present to net a most diabolical killer.

“Stagge has packed some excellent reading between the opening and closing chapters. ” —Chicago Sun

“An exciting and grisly yarn. ” —New York Herald Tribune

“A fine entry in one of the better American amateur detective novel series. ” —Pretty Sinister Books

“One of the year’s supreme morsels. It has everything the exemplary detective story should possess. ” —Worcester Telegram

The Scarlet Circle

Dr. Hugh Westlake investigates murder in a powerful family, by the Edgar Award–winning author who wrote the Peter Duluth Mysteries as Patrick Quentin.

Patrick Quentin, best known for the Peter Duluth puzzle mysteries, also penned outstanding detective novels from the 1930s through the 1960s under other pseudonyms, including Q. Patrick and Jonathan Stagge. Anthony Boucher wrote: “Quentin is particularly noted for the enviable polish and grace which make him one of the leading American fabricants of the murderous comedy of manners; but this surface smoothness conceals intricate and meticulous plot construction as faultless as that of Agatha Christie. ”

The entire town is at sixes and sevens with the homecoming of the Hilton family, whose ancestor, Benjamin, left the village of Kenmore ages ago and eventually rose to become vice president of the United States. Now the Hiltons have returned—not that they’re particularly happy about it, if their rather standoffish attitude is any clue.

But even such a highly regarded family has its secrets. And when their aged nanny dies under mysterious circumstances, Westlake is asked by Inspector Cobb to step beyond his role as local coroner and conduct a clandestine investigation into the Hilton household. Such a task won’t be easy, as other branches of the family arrive and expand Westlake’s list of possible suspects. But he’s not about to let a possible murder go unsolved, no matter how blue the blood being spilled …

Death, My Darling Daughters

A song holds the key to murder in this Dr. Hugh Westlake mystery from the Edgar Award–winning author who wrote the Peter Duluth series as Patrick Quentin.

Patrick Quentin, best known for the Peter Duluth puzzle mysteries, also penned outstanding detective novels from the 1930s through the 1960s under other pseudonyms, including Q. Patrick and Jonathan Stagge. Anthony Boucher wrote: “Quentin is particularly noted for the enviable polish and grace which make him one of the leading American fabricants of the murderous comedy of manners; but this surface smoothness conceals intricate and meticulous plot construction as faultless as that of Agatha Christie. ”

The affluent Bray family was known for throwing the most enjoyable picnics, and this one seemed to be no different to Dr. Hugh Westlake and his precocious progeny, Dawn. When their host’s daughter breaks into a version of the old English folk ballad, “Green Grow the Rushes, O, ” no one gives it a second thought. Little do they know the song portends death.

It begins with the bodies of twin boys found in the river, which connects to a lyric from the ballad. And before anyone can even recover from such a horror, more killings occur—all diabolically tied to the song. With help from Dawn and his old friend, Inspector Cobb, Westlake must sort through an ever-shrinking circle of suspects and stop a murderer from striking another deadly note.

Death's Old Sweet Song

Dr. Hugh Westlake and his daughter, Dawn, help a diva in danger, by the Edgar Award–winning author who wrote the Peter Duluth Mysteries as Patrick Quentin.

Patrick Quentin, best known for the Peter Duluth puzzle mysteries, also penned outstanding detective novels from the 1930s through the 1960s under other pseudonyms, including Q. Patrick and Jonathan Stagge. Anthony Boucher wrote: “Quentin is particularly noted for the enviable polish and grace which make him one of the leading American fabricants of the murderous comedy of manners; but this surface smoothness conceals intricate and meticulous plot construction as faultless as that of Agatha Christie. ”

At the behest of a friend, country doctor Hugh Westlake retires to Bittern’s Bay—a ritzy New England resort—for a holiday with his daughter, Dawn. The place is abuzz with the presence of legendary actress Daphne Winters, who has with her a coterie of young actresses she hopes to mentor. The divine Daphne soon finds her star dimmed with the arrival of Lucy Milliken, who was once her understudy and has since usurped Daphne’s role as America’s sweetheart. Almost immediately, Westlake can see both cats sharpening their claws.

Then, one of Daphne’s wards is struck down by poison—one of the actress’s greatest fears. And when recurring incidents play upon her other fears of fire and closed spaces, it seems she has been singled out for murder. With a full cast of suspects, it’s up to Dr. Westlake to shine a spotlight on a killer—before it’s curtains for Daphne Winters.