The Two Tickets Puzzle

A bloody murder on a train yields impossible questions for a police superintendent in this Golden Age classic—“An excellent straight detective story” (Dashiell Hammett, New York Post).

When the 10:35 local train from Horston arrives at Kempsford Junction, the porter is startled to find a body stowed beneath a seat in one of the first-class compartments. The victim is wealthy businessman Oswald F. Preston, shot five times in the head with bullets of different calibers.

As police superintendent Ross digs into who Preston was and who would want him dead, several suspects arise, including his wife’s lover, a former employee, and a young heiress. Then there are a few strange questions to answer—like whose broken glasses are in the train compartment? Why is burnt paper left at the scene? How did the suspect kill the victim so quickly and remain unseen? And what does all of this have to do with a dead ram?

With many pieces in this puzzling mystery, a seasoned veteran like Ross will need to keep his wits about him if he hopes to book the killer a one-way trip to prison . . .

“If you want a good, concise, well-written detective story read The Two Tickets Puzzle by J. J. Connington.” —Vita Sackville-West

“[The Two Tickets Puzzle] makes its author’s already secure reputation doubly sure. . . . Simply an astonishingly straightforward and workmanlike tale.” —Daily Herald (UK)

“Thrilling. . . . Mr. Connington knows how to maintain the general excitement.” —Derbyshire Times (UK)

“A new detective story from Mr. Connington is always welcome, and his admirers will have no cause for complaint, for Mr. Connington deals them full measure and they will be sure of an hour or two of unalloyed pleasure in his skillful presentation and analysis.” —The Times Literary Supplement

Originally published in 1930.