The Clue of the Green Candle — Gerald Verner

Living in the village of Long Dene, best-selling novelist Roger Tempest is assisted by his secretary, Isabel Warren. When he unexpectedly disappears, private investigator Trevor Lowe is summoned. But eight days later, Tempest's body is found, dumped at a roadside. The police establish that it's murder and they suspect Richard, Tempest's impoverished brother and heir to his fortune. However, Lowe remains unconvinced - even when Richard escapes police custody and goes on the run. Then there is another murder...