The Concrete Castle Murders - Francis G 1936 - Henry Holt and Company, New York - First American Edition An exceptional example of Gérard’s second novel, continuing the adventures of Inspector John Meredith of the C.I.D. and Detective-Sergeant Beef.

In a pristine dust jacket designed by Nat Falk (1898-1989).

First American edition (May 1936), published the same year in London by Rich & Crown as ‘
Concrete Castle’.
  First American edition with no later printings listed to verso of title page.

“Francis Gerard (1905-66) was born in London. His father was French and much of his childhood was spent in France. He began to write while working in London as a dealer in precious stones. His first stories appeared in ‘
The Thriller’, a weekly magazine that published the work of several well-known and prolific crime fiction writers like Berkeley Gray and Leslie Charteris.

During the war he served as Major in the Essex Regiment, while his wife worked at the foreign Office. In 1946 he moved, with his family and ageing parents, to Natal where he became a South African citizen. Gradually he wrote less and less, devoting much of his time to politics instead. ‘
Springbok Rampant’, a semi-autobiographical account of his reasons for leaving Britain, was published in 1951.” [Tom Stacey, re-issue of ‘Secret Sceptre’]

Octavo (book size 19.1x13.2cm), pp.ix [1] 333 [1]. In publisher’s light grey cloth, spine lettered and ruled in black. Dust jacket priced ‘$2.00’ to upper corner of front flap, all corners with publisher’s trim, and with colour touch-up to spine, front flap fold, and thin 1mm area along lower edge of front panel.
  Condition: Fine in fine dust jacket, with colour touch-up to spine, front flap fold, and thin 1mm area along lower edge of front panel.   Ref: 110445   Price: HK$ 2,500