But is it Art?: A Case for Crabbe and Crabbe

The partners of the firm of 'Crabbe and Crabbe: Private Investigators' have unusual qualifications for detectives. Both in their twenties, Melpomene is a social anthropologist, and Alexander is a solicitor, a combination that brings fresh approaches to a sometimes jaded profession, while benefitting from effective collaboration with police colleagues in various parts of England, and, occasionally, even France and, recently, Denmark. This, their latest case, starts out with an apparently minor incident of art fraud, but then takes in illegal auction rings, smuggling, intimidation, assault, kidnapping and several murders, instigated by a mysterious mastermind from behind the scenes, until he emerges and resorts to an act of desperation. Of course, Mel and Alex, with help from the English, French and Danish police forces, ultimately prevail, bring the guilty to justice, tie up most of the loose ends, and move on to their next case.

Geoffrey Foster was born in London, England in 1933, and his childhood was mostly spent in Kent and the south-eastern suburbs of London. His father was a London policeman most of his working life, and his mother, when she worked, was a Pitman-trained shorthand typist (like Marjorie and Winnie in this story). He has two sisters, five and thirteen years younger than himself; his youngest son is studying Law and biological science. He went to public elementary and secondary schools and then to the University of Cambridge, where he studied engineering. Moving to Australia in 1959, he taught for 36 years at the University of Queensland, first Mechanical Engineering and then educational development. He retired early in 1995. As well as writing, he likes reading, listening to music, solving cryptic crosswords, walking the family beagle, Kafka, and playing tennis with his younger sister, Ynes.