First published 1970
The holiday celebration at Hargreaves Advertising Agency masks a brutal crime. While colleagues drink and laugh, someone puts a bullet through Lionel Hargreaves at point blank range. The elder son of the company founder dies unnoticed amid the festivities. Inspector Bland arrives to find yellow gloves deliberately abandoned at the scene. The killer seems to want discovery rather than concealment. Bland follows the evidence through layers of corporate secrets and personal vendettas. Each revelation spawns new questions about the Hargreaves family business. Two more victims fall as Bland closes in on the truth. The inspector must untangle relationships poisoned by ambition and betrayal. The yellow gloves become the thread that unravels a web of murder extending far beyond one office party.
Genres: 20th-century, mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, cat-and-mouse, corporate-intrigue
Setting: Hargreaves Advertising Agency
Period: 20th-century
188 pages · Hardcover · Hamish Hamilton
Content warnings: murder, violence