It Might Lead Anywhere

''It Might Lead Anywhere'' by E. R. Punshon (d. 1956), public domain. The story follows Acting Chief Constable Bobby Owen as he investigates the bludgeoning murder of Alfred Brown in a quiet village. The plot kicks off when a local religious revival led by Duke Dell a former boxer turned preacher spills into violence. Dell throws his follower, Alfred Brown, into a river, and Brown is found dead the very next day, beaten with a poker in his own home. As Owen takes charge of the case, he uncovers a twisting web of gossip, hidden hoards of gold, and a tangle of sinister suspects. Contemporary reviews and literary historians note that the book reflects a weary, post-war Britain, and is famous for an incredibly convoluted plot that requires Bobby Owen to spend pages at the end of the book explaining where exactly the investigation led.