The Search for My Great-Uncle's Head by Jonathan Latimer
In an eerie country house, a cruel old man is decapitated
When Peter Coffin's mysterious great-uncle Tobias summons the family to his manor in the wilds of Michigan, his aunt warns him to stay away. Peter goes anyway, arriving at the edge of the sprawling estate well after midnight. Wading through the muck in the darkness, he passes a fearsome figure on the road, and when he arrives at the front door, he is greeted by cousins bearing shotguns. An ax-murdering madman is on the loose, but just as dangerous are the creatures Peter will encounter inside the house: his family.
When old Tobias is murdered, both his head and his will go missing. The police suspect the ax killer, but Peter knows better. After all, if there is one thing his aunt has taught him, it is that you should never trust a Coffin.
“Latimer ranks as one of a triumvirate of the early masters of the hard-boiled school, along with Hammett and Chandler.” —Anthony Boucher
“A shrewdly concocted blend of exciting suspense.” —Chicago Tribune on Sinners and Shrouds
“[Latimer’s] characters might be people you know, and their talk is just as real and much more amusing, especially when they are a little drunk.” —The New York Times
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