Murder in the Gunroom

Best known for his science fiction, H. Beam Piper turned his lifelong passion for antique firearms into his only detective novel. Private investigator Jeff Rand takes what looks like a simple job: appraise and sell the pistol collection of Lane Fleming, a wealthy enthusiast found shot dead in his own locked gunroom. The coroner ruled it an accident, but Rand soon suspects the fatal shot was no accident at all, and that someone close to the Fleming household has reasons worth killing for. Piper laces the puzzle with real expertise about old handguns, giving the whole mystery an authenticity most whodunits never reach. Free PDF and EPUB editions are available here.