The Incendiary's Trail
James McCreet
 The book begins with the grisly murder of a conjoined (‘Siamese’) twin who is part of a travelling freak show. Investigating the crime is Sergeant George Williamson, a member of the newly formed Metropolitan Police Detective Force. However, when police regulations prevent Williamson from investigating the crime as freely as he might, a suspected criminal is recruited by the detective’s superior, Inspector Albert Newsome. The investigation leads the policeman and their new recruit to a blackmailer and arsonist (or ‘incendiary’ in the language of the time) who – unknown to the policemen – knows their unwilling ‘volunteer’ personally and has scores to settle. The story has a number of murders – one of them a classic ‘locked-room’ mystery – and also some large set pieces, including a public hanging, a masked ball and a balloon chase.