Trent’s Last Case

Trent’s Last Case, published when Conan Doyle and Chesterton were both at the pinnacle of their respective literary careers, was the first detective story to use finger-printing as a means of detecting the criminal.

Sigsbee Manderson was an unpopular millionaire – so when his body was discovered in the grounds of his mansion, not many people were heart-broken by his death. His widow, butler, business assistant and personal assistant become immediate suspects.

Trent, who wrote for The Record, was summoned by his editor, with an eye for a good story, to investigate. Through many twists and red-herrings, and one of the most amazing literary double twists in the final minutes, the listener is kept enthralled and guessing to the end.

Dedicated to his friend G K Chesterton, E C Bentley, a journalist first with the Daily News and then with The Daily Telegraph, intended the book to be a gentle parody of the detective genre, only for it to be quickly hailed as a classic.