The last of The Lost Margery Allinghams, The Devil and Her Son, is one of three thrillers first written as serials under the pseudonym Maxwell March.

Something was wrong in this quiet, lovely house, something inexpressibly horrible, something cruel.

Mary Coleridge is destitute and desperate. Out of a job, out of a home, and out of luck, Mary engages in a seemingly innocuous lie to provide her with a little break from London. Posing as her friend, she travels to the countryside to visit Miss Mason’s wealthy aunt. The estate is grand, Mrs de Liane eager and endearing, the food abundant and delectable – it is everything Mary could have hoped for. Realizing the benefits of her con, Mary settles into her new life and the possibility of a new beau.

But something is not right within the great house.

Mary cannot shake the feeling that something sinister is brewing in Barson’s Tye. The sweet Mrs de Liane has soured, scheming to entrap Mary in her devilish plans. When May fails to cooperate, Mrs de Liane holds her captive. How much farther will she go to keep Mary there? With no one to turn to and no way out, will Mary ever escape the house, and the oppressive evil that rules it?

The Devil and Her Son was originally published in 1936 as The Shadow in the House.

PRAISE FOR MARGERY ALLINGHAM

‘My very favourite of the four Queens of Crime is Allingham.’ — JK Rowling

‘Margery Allingham has precious few peers and no superiors.’ — The Sunday Times

‘The best of mystery writers.’ — The New Yorker

‘Margery Allingham deserves to be rediscovered.’ — PD James

‘The real queen of crime.’ — The Guardian

‘As addictive as cocaine.’ — Independent

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