Edward Robert Hughes - A First Visit to the Dentist
A young farmer is wrongly accused of murdering the local squire; a mysterious man steps in to help.
James Maclaren Cobban (1849-1903) wrote some 25 novels in various genres, beginning in 1879. This is one of at least three murder mysteries featuring a mustachioed amateur sleuth named Townshend. The plot is excellent, the style good, the characters vivid if simple.
Cobban’s “qualities of literary art and insight into human nature give a relieving touch to the ordinary mechanism of this class of novel.” Manchester Guardian, February 27, 1901
“An excellent and ingeniously constructed tale” treated with “briskness, humour, and unconventionality.” Spectator, April 27, 1901
A “detective story with all the usual impossible incidents, hairbreadth escapes, and wonderful dovetailings.” New York Times, August 19, 1901
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