Fountain Inn

What's going on behind the doors of Fountain Inn? When her employer suddenly disappears, young Grace Kirkstall finds herself accepting a new job at a new company in the same building - an oasis of tranquillity off the streets of London. Ben and Helen Brown's startup company's pitch is that, for a small consideration, they will help people out of their major and minor fixes. Their first big commission initiates Ben into the gentle art of house-breaking, and Helen into the mysteries of the Society for Progressive Rehabilitation... But for Grace, it will plunge her into more danger than she could ever have imagined. This leisurely, beautifully observed thriller marked Victor Canning's entree into crime fiction, and rewards with a thrilling finale - sure to delight fans of Agatha Christie's Tommy and Tuppence. Praise for Victor Canning: 'His gift of story-telling is obviously innate. Rarely does one come on so satisfying an amalgam of plot, characterisation and good writing.' Punch 'Quite delightful ... with an atmosphere of quiet contentment and humour that cannot fail to charm.' Daily Telegraph 'A swift-moving novel, joyous, happy and incurably optimistic.' Evening Standard 'There is such a gentle humour in the book.' Daily Sketch 'What counts for most in the story ... is his mounting pleasure in vagabondage and the English scene.' The Times 'A paean to the beauties of the English countryside and the lovable oddities of the English character.' New York Times