Aird, Catherine

(British, 1930– )

A former chairman of the Crime Writers' Association, Aird is noted for her mastery of the traditional English ‘whodunit’. Set in the fictional county of Calleshire, her books hinge on the investigative abilities of Detective Inspector Sloan and the ineptly enthusiastic Constable Crosby. Begin with Harm's Way (1992). When a crow drops a human finger in front of two walkers exploring a footpath, bizarre surprises await Sloan as he tracks down the rest of the body. Injury Time (1992) consists of linked stories in which civil servant Henry Tyler figures alongside Sloan when events in Calleshire have implications at high levels. Centred around a re-enactment of the Battle of Lewes, The Body Politic (1990) features a particularly ingenious murder. Foul play is not suspected when an industrialist dies, until something turns up in his ashes.

Agatha Christie, Gladys Mitchell, P. D. Jame  DH