The Mysterious Mr. Badman

"First published in a limited run in 1934, this exceedingly rare bibliomystery will delight fans of bookish mysteries as well as devotees of the classic crime genre. While on holiday visiting his nephew, Athelstan Digby agrees to look after the old bookshop in town so that his hosts can attend their cousin's funeral. On the first day of his tenure, three suspicious characters enquire after a copy of The Life and Times of Mr Badman by John Bunyan. When a copy mysteriously arrives in a bundle of books brought in by a young scamp, and is stolen that same night, Digby moves to investigate the significance of the book with his nephew. The two are soon embroiled in a case in which the stakes have risen from antiquarian book-pinching to ruthless murder"--