Books by Joyce Porter

Detective Chief Inspector Wilfred Dover is the most idle and avaricious hero in all of crime fiction. Why should he even be bothered to solve the case?The naked, burned and mutilated body of a middle-aged man has been found at the Muncaster Municipal Dump. When the autopsy reveals a peculiar clue, DCI Dover and his ever-unwilling assistant MacGregor set off on a trail that leads them to a squalid seaside resort. A mysterious organization, they learn, had convened there recently.Their inquiries bring them smack into the midst of an undercover investigation by Special Branch of a dangerous right-wing secret society. Never before has Dover been in such an equivocal spot. Though a vicious murder cries out to be solved, one doesn’t readily tamper with Dover’s legendary inertia.

When a young pregnant girl known to no one turns up murdered, Dover eagerly comes up with more totally plausible suspects, persuasive motives, and airtight solutions than the sharp mind of his assistant Sergeant MacGregor, can process. If you've ever wondered when or how MacGregor would reach his breaking point, this is the book to read.

Scotland Yard sends Detective Chief Inspector Dover and his woeful assistant MacGregor off on the Stately Home circuit to look into murder - and the victim couldn't be a drearier sort: "the wettest thing since nappies."

Detective Chief Inspector Wilfred Dover is the most idle and avaricious hero in all of crime fiction. Why should he even be bothered to solve the case?Dover and the Claret Tappers is a surprising departure for the series featuring Scotland Yard's least competent detective, and the first to depart is none other than Dover himself.When the doubtful detective suddenly vanishes from Scotland Yard, along comes an ultimatum from a gang of kidnappers, the Claret Tappers. They demand not only a stout ransom, but also the release of two prisoners – a multiple bigamist and a nymphomaniacal shoplifter.How Dover gets out of this one is only the beginning. For just as the case is getting cold, the Claret Tappers strike again. And once more Dover is aroused from his stupor in a most unexpected way.

Dover is in for more than his usual share of the bother. The town's only hotel is unlicensed and there's not a drop of booze to be had. But almost as alarming are the unmistakable signs that someone is actually out to kill him.

Detective Chief Inspector Wilfred Dover is the most idle and avaricious hero in all of crime fiction. Why should he even be bothered to solve the case?The town of Pott Winckle owes its prosperity to the firm of Wibbley Ware. Naturally, when the owner’s daughter is murdered, the call goes out for Scotland Yard’s finest. Once again, Dover is off, the reluctant Sergeant MacGregor in tow.All Dover has to do to clinch this one is settle back in Wibbley’s Rolls Royce, perhaps bend a bit of evidence, or maybe a few fingers. Oddly enough – and not for the first time – his methods result in something resembling a solution.

Detective Chief Inspector Wilfred Dover is the most idle and avaricious hero in all of crime fiction. Why should he even be bothered to solve the case?When Mrs Dover witnesses a young policeman's suicide and has the bad taste to report it, Dover's vacation ends abruptly at the seaside wasteland of Wallerton.As he sluggishly investigates the matter, an earlier case of murder and mutilation turns up as well. Suspecting that the town's Ladies' Club may be oddly involved, Dover devises an elaborate and utterly wicked trap.His bait: his overworked, unsuspecting assistant MacGregor.