Cirrus@Austlit

'Mrs Bigelow has no trouble finding someone to kill her ghastly husband. But not wishing to pay blackmail to the killer for the rest of her life she now must dispose of him. She finds a most ingenious way of doing it and looks like getting away with it ... until Hodgkiss gets on the job.

'A man held prisoner in an unfinished building desperately draws what he can see from his window, hoping that someone will work out where he is being held. That someone is Hodgkiss who helps Sergeant Sanderson find the captive in spite of some fast footwork from workmen who use an ingenious method to confuse which floor is which.

'When a family moves house the wife accidentally leaves behind some valuable jewellery behind. But the new owners don't know anything about the missing jewels, or so it seems until Hodgkiss gets involved.

'The Mayor of Kanundda plans to blackmail a government minister with naughty photos of his wife. He locked them in his safe but when he went to take them out later they had disappeared. He was the only one with a key and the only one who knew the combination. How did it happen. It took Hodgkiss to uncover the extraordinary method devised by the council's general manager, the devious but desirable Jan Campbell-Jones.' (Publication summary)

'Hodgkiss doesn't miss a trick. Three new adventures of that cranky, obnoxious, insufferable but remarkably observant and astute senior citizen.

'A politician who is about to be 'outed' by the media is persuaded to disappear before he can bring disgrace on his Party. To achieve this a corrupt policeman invents a novel method of identifying a murder victim in the place of the disappeared politician. It was a method that could have worked but for Hodgkiss' intervention.

'A bungling burglar drops a stolen ring in the street after performing a theft-to-order for a friend ... stealing jewellery for an insurance fraud. Unfortunately for him the drama takes place in full view of Pat Strong's town house. So when Pat involves Hodgkiss he decides to take a hand. An advertisement in the local paper is all that's needed to bring the incident to a surprising end.

'Hodgkiss is indisposed when Donald is confronted with another locked room murder puzzle. So Esme accepts the challenge. She visits the crime scene, photographs the suspicious elements, consults her father and they demonstrate to Donald how the murder was done.' (Publication summary)

A disgraced politician plans a complex and bizarre method of taking his own life, hoping to leave wife facing a murder charge. Hodgkiss has to make use of all his powers of imagination to make sense of the few clues left behind and demonstrate how the man managed to kill himself then make the gun disappear.

'When two bodies are found shot dead lying side by side in a park Inspector Donald Burke decides it is very likely murder-suicide. But there are no fingerprints on the gun which is lying on the ground between them. When Hodgkiss begins to look into the family history a very different, dark picture emerges.

'Visiting a country town with his friend Pat Strong, Hodgkiss is soon investigating the death of an unpopular man whose body was found in a motel room with the door barricaded inside by a heavy chest of drawers. Everyone thinks it must have been suicide. But Hodgkiss knows that the locked room scenario can conceal murder ... and this is no exception.

'Hodgkiss, who haunts charity shops in his quest for wristwatches, is baffled when a particular knife he wants to buy disappears mysteriously from the shop's window when the shop is closed and returns just as mysteriously later . When such a knife is used in a murder Hodgkiss knows where to go looking for the killer.' (Publication summary)

'In these five stories all of Hodgkiss' powers of observation are taxed to the full.

'When he saw the killer's cabin cruiser returning to its berth at the marina what was it that Hodgkiss saw that convinced him the man had been involved in the theft of a number of valuable bronzes figures?

'Hodgkiss had never heard of a pocket call until he received one. Then from the few words he overheard he uncovered a conspiracy being planned by greedy politicians and their cronies. The unscrupulous political wheeler-dealers find themselves in all sorts of trouble when a highly confidential email goes astray.

'Hodgkiss' friend Pat Strong answers a call for help from a friend who has been the victim of political skull-duggery and with Hodgkiss' help things are soon put to rights.

'When Hodgkiss friend Pat Strong receives an urgent call for help from an old friend Hodgkiss soon notices inconsistencies in the tale the friend had spun. There was plenty of blood. But whose was it? The unscrupulous Kanundda councillors are desperate to prevent details of their latest crooked money-making scam from reaching the public. So in their efforts to hush it up they threaten the elderly employee in charge of recording all meetings.' (Publication summary)

'Hodgkiss doesn't miss a trick. Three new adventures of that cranky, obnoxious, insufferable but remarkably observant and astute senior citizen.

'One night Hodgkiss sees a rare repeater wrist watch in an antiques shop windows, but next morning when he goes to buy it he finds, to his disappointment, that a woman had just beaten him to it.In his efforts to persuade the woman to sell the watch to him he finds himself in the middle of a mesh of lust, deceit and murder.

'While attending a garage sale Hodgkiss and his friend Pat Strong witness a very one-sided transaction in which an elderly lady is persuaded to sell a collection of valuable stamp albums for a derisory sum. Hodgkiss and Pat decide not to let the matter rest there and their investigation ends with an extraordinary murder.

'Hodgkiss takes a public service job to supplement his pension. In the course of his new duties he sees one of his fellow workers behaving in a puzzling fashion.It is not until a senior public servant is found murdered during his morning commute that Hodgkiss makes sense of what he had seen and uncovers the killer.' (Publication summary)

'Someone is mysteriously stealing from Kanundda Council's new state-of-the-art electronic safes. When a particularly sensitive letter disappears from the safe of the general manager, Jan Campbell-Jones, Jan calls in Edgar Hodgkiss to solve the problem. From a few random observations Hodgkiss finds a remarkable solution that exposes a network of ingenious criminals.

'Hodgkiss and his daughter Esme Burke receive a call for help from an elderly lady, once a friend of the family. But when they arrive things are not as they expected. Hodgkiss' suspicions are aroused by the appearance of the man who claims to be a relative of the timid, frightened woman. Soon he proves the man is not who he claims to be and puts an end to his attempts to steal a collection of valuable clocks.

'When visiting a friend Hodgkiss notices the extraordinary behaviour of a man on the balcony of the flat above where his friend lives. Later, when a body is found in the flat Hodgkiss and Donald lock horns once more over the question, was it suicide or murder, this time with a surprising climax.' (Publication summary)

'Hodgkiss doesn't miss a trick. Three new adventures of that cranky, obnoxious, insufferable but remarkably observant and astute senior citizen.

'The mayor of the notoriously corrupt Kanundda Council and his cronies have a massive new development planned that will make millions for them. But one of the few honest members on council gets wind of the scheme and arranges a meeting with the general manager, Jan Campbell-Jones, to brief her on the plot. But the meeting never happens and both the councillor and Jan disappear. Hodgkiss becomes involved, but the trail has gone cold and his fears for Jan's safety are soon realised.

'Summoned once again to the little rural town of Narralong to give evidence in an inquest, Hodgkiss is again confronted with a corpse, this time in the next room at the motel where he is staying. But was it suicide or was the woman murdered. Hodgkiss' acute powers of observation soon solve the riddle.

'The new editor of Kanundda's local free newspaper The Star has been treading on some very tender toes belonging to very influential and ruthless people. Then when she is found dead, locked in her office, it looks like suicide to Detective Inspector Donald Burke who is called in to investigate ... until Hodgkiss is involved.' (Publication summary)

'Hodgkiss doesn't miss a trick. Three new adventures of that cranky, obnoxious, insufferable but remarkably observant and astute senior citizen.

'Hodgkiss is witness to an unpleasant scene where an outraged wife threatens her husband's mistress in front of the diners in a crowded Chinese restaurant. When the mistress is viciously murdered the wife moves to the top of Detective Inspector Donald Burke's list of suspects. Donald is not pleased when Hodgkiss demonstrates once again that his investigation is running down the wrong track.

'One of the regular dog-walkers Hodgkiss meets at the local off-leash oval has written a will in favour of his dog. When the man dies his brother inherits the dog together with many responsibilities that prove rather burdensome if he is to enjoy the other benefits of the will. Soon Hodgkiss fears that the dog, a special friend of his own dog, Rupert, is being abused. When he starts to investigate his worst fears are soon realised.

'When Donald is confronted by determined criminals who have carefully prepared alibis to throw him off the trail he needs more than a little luck before he can get out the handcuffs. Hodgkiss and his companion Pat Strong, fortunately are on hand to provide the vital information needed to show the criminals were at the wrong place at the wrong time.'(Publication summary)

'Hodgkiss doesn't miss a trick. Three new adventures of that cranky, obnoxious, insufferable but remarkably observant and astute senior citizen.

'When Hodgkiss' daughter, Esme, and son-in-law, Detective Inspector Donald Burke, present him with a puppy from the local pound their timing could not have been worse. There is open warfare between dog owners who exercise their pets off-leash at the local oval and the sporting groups that use it. The cause of the problem ... dog owners who don't pick up. So when Hodgkiss arrives at the oval to begin his new exercise regime he finds himself knee deep in the problem. And things come to a head when the murdered body of a senior officer of the corrupt Kanundda Council is found nearby.

'Two greedy young ne'er-do-wells plan to rob their step-father by stealing the passwords to his bank accounts from his computer. But their bungling attempt leaves a clear trail for Hodgkiss to follow.

'When Hodgkiss and his friend Pat Strong visit a local garage sale they overhear a single angry phrase muttered by a man as he was leaving. Later, when the Kanundda Council agrees to hold a display of valuable books at the local library the expert who is to provide rare books for the display disappears and later is found murderer.' (Publication summary)

'Hodgkiss doesn't miss a trick. Three new adventures of that cranky, obnoxious, insufferable but remarkably observant and astute senior citizen.

'Hodgkiss and his son-in-law Detective Donald Burke are playing a round of golf when a savage storm hits sending them running for cover. But the same storm provides the cover for a cruel opportunistic murder and Hodgkiss is soon involved.

'Hodgkiss and Pat Strong were hoping for a quiet week away at Pat's seaside town house. But even there Hodgkiss can't escape the Kanundda Council's long tentacles of corruption ... this time in the form of a rort involving toxic filling being dumped in new playing fields.

'When Hodgkiss hears that a friend of Pat's has bought an expensive painting from a particular art gallery in Grattan he is keen to see the new acquisition. The behaviour of the gallery's manager soon arouses his suspicions and he decides to take an interest in the new purchase.'(Publication summary)

'Hodgkiss doesn't miss a trick. Three new adventures of that cranky, obnoxious, insufferable but remarkably observant and astute senior citizen.

'Greedy killers think they can get away with a perfect murder by copying the story line of a famous mystery novel. But they are so utterly incompetent that Hodgkiss and son-in-law, Detective Inspector Donald Burke, soon see through their plot and in no time at all Donald is bringing out the handcuffs.

'Hodgkiss' friend, Pat Strong, involves him in a treasure hunt when a young relation of Pat's is left a valuable diamond ring by an elderly grandmother who has followed her usual practice of hiding the present so the girl has to search for it. But granny dies and it is up to Hodgkiss to interpret the clues left in the granny's last video.

'When a greedy developer makes a clumsy attempt to compromise an honest council officer his go-between in the devious operation finds himself facing a murder charge. But Hodgkiss, on his way to the local off-leash park with his dog, Rupert, just happens to be in the right place at the wrong time for the killer.' (Publication summary)

'Hodgkiss is researching for a book on crime in Kanundda when he reads in the local paper of a nasty outbreak of racism. But his research uncovers shocking events in his own community that mirrored the evils of the Nazi regime in the 1930s ... and two murders.

'Detective Inspector Donald Burke is called by panicked employees of Kanundda Council who just heard a shot in the room of their loathed boss. But when Donald arrives to investigate the room is locked up tight and when he breaks in the room is empty. Who fired the shot? How did the shooter get out of the room? Once again It is up to Donald's father-in-law, Hodgkiss, to provide the tricky but logical solution.

'A ten dollar note is found in the street. Someone has written on it the Morse code for SOS in a new fashionable colour of lipstick. But they also wrote a number which appears to be too short for a phone number too long for a street number. But Hodgkiss and his friend Pat Strong know that a life may be at risk. Discovering the message behind the number is vital.' (Publication summary)

'The self-styled, self-important civic leader could not afford to have any embarrassing stories surfacing or his hopes and ambitions for the future would be dashed. Now his problem is how to silence the woman councillor who has discovered his offer to pay the gambling debt of a council officer who has done him a big favour. He plans and executes an impossible murder carried out in a pitch dark council chamber in front of dozens of people. But Edgar Hodgkiss, sharp and observant as ever, was there on the night and missed nothing.

'Hodgkiss and his friend Pat Strong come to the aid of Pat's friend Mina, who had undergone a traumatic experience as a child in a rather run-down house which had been flooded during a heavy rain 20 years ago. But the old floods and the uprooting of an old tree have current consequences and the old sins cast long shadows.

'Hodgkiss is peeved when Pat Strong takes a job cataloguing books at the Parliamentary Library. When Pat learns that those in charge of selling off unwanted stock are searching for a very valuable document hidden somewhere in the huge library the complications and the violence begin.'(Publication summary)

'While in hospital recovering from a bout of low blood pressure Hodgkiss takes a more-than-usual interest in the cottage next door. From a few observations made from his bedroom window he pieces together an elaborate murder plot designed to appear as suicide.

'Sitting in the audience during the recording of a popular quiz programme Hodgkiss notices some very odd happenings. Then when the big cash prize goes off he decides to look further into the matter and very soon discovers how the winning contestant managed to cheat with some very cunning help from a friend in the audience.

'The dying motorist is desperate to leave his wife a clue about where he hid her jewels for safe-keeping. But the Good Samaritan he gave the vital information to only wants to help himself. Hodgkiss, a friend of the dying man, pieces scraps of information together to thwart the greedy thief.

'The Mayor of Kanundda and his wife have gone on a mountain climbing junket to Venezuela. The mayoress disappears in mysterious circumstances and soon turns up dead. Hodgkiss develops an elaborate scientific theory deigned to shoot holes in the the mayor's story about the circumstances of his wife's disappearance. But this time it is Hodgkiss who has his facts wrong ... although it makes no difference to the mayor's fate.' (Publication summary)

'Edgar Hodgkiss is roped into opening and closing the curtains between the acts of an amateur dramatic production. But after reading the script

'Hodgkiss soon decides that it has been written with murder in mind. And he is not wrong. At the climax of the unlikely plot the hero of the piece is stabbed to death while tied into a chair. The prop knife, made to retract on contact, and the real knife, that obviously did the job, both have disappeared. It is Hodgkiss' daughter, Esme, who made her stage debut in the role of a scantily clad French maid, who makes the sharp observation that leads to Hodgkiss exposing the murderer. Behind the scenes it was the corrupt faction of the Kanundda Council that was the architect of the whole deadly performance.

'Readers of the mystery genre are familiar with the scenario where a person is kidnapped and held prisoner in a basement or cellar. The problem facing the captive is how to make contact with those on the outside who can mount a rescue. In these two stories, Hodgkiss and the Miraculous Message and Hodgkiss and the erroneous eMail, we see two solutions to the problem and it is Hodgkiss' glamourous friend, Pat Strong, who helps provide the logical answers to these two intriguing problems.' (Publication summary)

'A promiscuous government minister puts at peril the prospects of his party at the polls when a young woman who works in his office dies in his bed. When he calls two bumbling assistants to remove the inconvenient corpse things go from bad to worse. Edgar Hodgkiss, who by chance is waiting at the police station to meet his son-in-law, Detective Inspector Donald Burke, overhears a conversation between a sergeant and a complaining citizen. Then he sees a distinctive sports car being brought in for forensic examination. From these two tenuous threads Hodgkiss untangles a seedy web of deceit and corruption going to the very highest level of government.

'Hodgkiss is something of a purist when it comes to cricket. Fieldsmen should not stand about with their hands in their pockets and they certainly should not all run into the wicket to congratulate the bowler every time a wicket falls. So when a fast bowler dies mysteriously Hodgkiss knows where to look for the killer.

'Pat Strong invites Hodgkiss to go with her to visit a friend in the country. She knows Hodgkiss is no lover of the rural life and is likely to refuse. So she dangles a bait. The town has been plagued with a rash of nasty poison pen letters and things are getting bad. Hodgkiss can't resist the call. When they arrive Hodgkiss finds that his reputation as an investigator has preceded him. He is soon swept along in the bitter undercurrents that are dividing the little town. Even as they leave, with the problem solved apparently, Hodgkiss has a moment of doubt.' (Publication summary)