An Oxford Tragedy

Francis Wheatley Winn, Senior Tutor at St Thomas' s College, is ready for a cosy night of dining, port, and pleasant company. Ernst Brendel, Viennese lawyer and crime specialist, has come to Oxford to lecture in Law, and the regular residents of St Thomas's are pleased to have such an interesting guest to liven up their after dinner chat. Talk soon turns to murder, and Winn finds the subject altogether unpalatable, even if his colleagues seem to relish the details of past cases Brendel has worked on.
But then real Murder breaks the cosy calm of the evening, shocking the inhabitants out of their frivolous talk. Now Winn must overcome his distaste to work with Brendel in uncovering the perpetrator of this terrible crime.
First published in 1933, An Oxford Tragedy is a classic murder mystery, with Brendel at its centre as a master of hypothesis and deduction.

Sir John Cecil Masterman, (1891-1977), was a son of Captain John Masterman and he was originally destined to follow his father's footsteps. Masterman spent five years as a naval cadet but dropped out as he felt unsuited for a military career. Instead he pursued academic interests and in 1909 was elected for a scholarship in modern history at Worcester College, Oxford; academic life became his lifelong devotion.
Masterman was a dedicated sportsman and played cricket, lawn tennis and hockey for England in international matches.
His literary works were often inspired by his Oxford life and historical pursuits.