The Rasp

A cabinet minister is found bludgeoned to death in the library of his country house, the weapon a common wood rasp, and every person under that roof seems to hold an unshakable alibi. Anthony Gethryn, a former secret service man now writing for a newspaper, is sent to cover the killing and is soon drawn into solving it himself. Philip MacDonald’s first novel launched a detective who would carry him through a long career and helped shape the golden age of English mystery writing. The plotting is brisk, the clues play fair, and the answer turns on a scheme as ingenious as it is cold-blooded. Free to download as a PDF or EPUB.