It is holiday time in Douglas and the town is alive with the local carnival. Whirling noises, swirling figures, a brass band and bagpipes – a procession makes its way down the promenade. Stragglers rush to join in on the fun.

At the centre, a man struggles to sit.

Packed side to side, cheering and clapping, buzzing and humming, the procession cling together in a tight knot. Slowly moving, they make their way down the promenade towards the pier. The crowd thins and the promenade empties.

At the centre, a man is found dead.

On his way home from a conference in Dublin, Superintendent Littlejohn calls to visit his old friend, the Rev Caesar Kinrade. But with the anonymous Uncle Fred found murdered with a knife wound to his back, Littlejohn is quickly caught up in the investigation.

Littlejohn’s questioning unravels the many mysterious layers to the strange life of Uncle Fred. But Littlejohn is left wondering, Who could have wanted him dead?

Corpse at the Carnival was originally published in 1958.