The Three Taps
Description
Jephthah Mottram is a wealthy businessman whose life is insured by a policy which pays a huge sum to his beneficiaries should he die before the age of 65, and after that provides an annuity. During his annual fishing retreat at a rural and decrepit Midlands inn, he dies one night of gas poisoning. There are complications. What is to be made of his attempt to negotiate a settlement with the insurance company because of a diagnosis he had received before his holiday? And what of the disposition of the three gas taps in his bedroom at the hostelry?
Inevitably, Mottram’s death requires investigation, not only by the police but by the insurance company’s brilliant—albeit lazy—detective, Miles Bredon. Bredon is accompanied by his wife—a very sharp Watson to Bredon’s Holmes—as well as a police detective who had served with Bredon in the Great War.
Ronald Knox populates this story of detection with a strong cast of supporting characters, adding a variety of viewpoints to the perception of Mottram’s untimely death. He also gave the book the subtitle “A Detective Story Without a Moral”—perhaps a subtle invitation from the author to his readers to draw a different conclusion?
Read free
This ebook is thought to be free of copyright restrictions in the United States. It may still be under copyright in other countries. If you’re not located in the United States, you must check your local laws to verify that this ebook is free of copyright restrictions in the country you’re located in before accessing, downloading, or using it.
Download for ereaders
-
Compatible epub — All devices and apps except Kindles and Kobos.
-
azw3 — Kindle devices and apps. Also download the Kindle cover thumbnail to see the cover in your Kindle’s library. Despite what you’ve been told, Kindle does not natively support epub. You may also be interested in our Kindle FAQ.
-
kepub — Kobo devices and apps. You may also be interested in our Kobo FAQ.
-
Advanced epub — An advanced format that uses the latest technology not yet fully supported by most ereaders.
Read online
A brief history of this ebook
More details
Sources
Transcriptions
Page scans
Improve this ebook
Anyone can contribute to make a Standard Ebook better for everyone!
To report typos, typography errors, or other corrections, see how to report errors.
If you’re comfortable with technology and want to contribute directly, check out this ebook’s GitHub repository and our contributors section.
You can also donate to Standard Ebooks to help fund continuing improvement of this and other ebooks.