Golden Age of Detective Fiction

Published in 1949, The Case of the Famished Parson is the thirteenth installment in the Thomas Littlejohn series written by George Bellairs.

The story begins with Inspector Littlejohn and his wife, Letty, enjoying a seaside vacation in a little out-of-the-way hotel, the Cape Mervin. Their restful getaway hardly begins when Inspector Littlejohn is called away to consult on a baffling case.

The local Bishop of Greyle has been found dead at the bottom of Bolter’s Hole; the initial assumption is that he fell over the cliffs, but when they study the placement of his head wound, the only reasonable explanation is murder. Inspector Littlejohn and his colleagues are equally baffled by the Bishop’s emaciated appearance, even though he lives a comfortable life.

Inspector Littlejohn retraces the Bishop’s movements to the same seaside hotel that he and Letty are staying at and begins questioning the patrons about the Bishop. An already…