Death in High Heels
By (Author) Christianna Brand
Introduction by Martin Edwards
British Library Publishing
British Library Publishing
9th February 2026
United Kingdom
Fiction
Crime and mystery: cosy mystery
Crime and mystery: private investigator / amateur detectives
Paperback
256
Width 129mm, Height 198mm
The pursuit of fashion is a matter of life and death in the debut novel from Christianna Brand, one of the Queens of Golden Age crime fiction. Life in the West End dress shop Christophe et Cie is hard enough with all the pressures of delivering Frank Bevan's business vision and then comes murder, delivered by oxalic acid, transforming the boutique into a crime scene. Featuring a colourful cast of designers, models, shop floor assistants and the fresh-faced Inspector Charlesworth, this 1941 mystery brims with Brand's signature wit and ruthless twists.
**Christianna Brand **(19071988) was born in British Malaya and was one of the most celebrated crime writers of the twentieth century. She is best known for her mystery novels featuring Inspector Cockrill along with the Nurse Matilda books for children, which were adapted for screen as Nanny McPhee. The Cockrill novels Green for Danger, Death of Jezebel and Suddenly at His Residence have been published as British Library Crime Classics.