Books by Brian J. Burton

John and Susan Pearson have rented their usual holiday cottage in France; Susan is particularly looking forward to this holiday as she is recovering from a nervous breakdown. Shortly after their arrival, the cottage's owner turns up to check that everything is in order. She runs out of cigarettes and John leaves to buy her some. Thus begins Susan's confusion and terror, starting with the appearance of a man who says he is John and culminating in her being taken to the mental wing of the local hospital. It transpires that Susan is about to inherit all her late father's money, on condition that she is "of sound mind'. Is she the victim of an elaborate plot?

Edward, the penniless heir of his kind-hearted father, is a virtuous man. One day the villain'squire Cribbs lures Edward to drink in an inn, and the effect is instantaneous; he becomes a drunkard and his poverty increases. It is his foster brother William who fin's out what Cribb is up to, discovers Edward in the'slums of London and fin's the true will hidden by the villain.|8 women, 7 men

When Peter and Robyn wake up the morning after a dinner party at the home of their friends and employers David and Jane Valentine, they are still shocked at having been sacked by David the night before. More shocks are to come for David appears to be dead, and Jane calmly announces she killed him. At first Peter and Robyn refuse to believe her, but as she explains the "how, when and why" of the murder, they are forced to accept she has committed the "perfect" crime and to avoid implicating themselves, they will have to help her to dispose of the body. Stunned and bitter, they leave, but then it transpires that the "murder" is really an elaborate practical joke. Or is it?|2 women, 2 men

Lady Isabel is cunningly seduced by the villain into believing that the clandestine meetings of her husband and another woman are for romance rather than business. In despair, she abandons home and children, only to come back in later years disguised as a governess to her own children and to die in her husband's arms in heartbroken penitence and forgiveness.-5 women, 4 men

The story of the demon barber of Fleet Street has been a classic since 1847 and was the feature of Queen Victoria's first command performance. Mr. Burton's version is laced with both song and humour in the best of old fashioned melodramatic styles.-5 women, 11 men