'The man died from wounds on the head. There was no trace of carbon in his lungs, so he must have been dead before he was put on the dump.'

The livelihood of Louie Patra depends entirely on the supply of bad men; men who climb up the face of a house; men who could pick a pocket, steal from cars, forge a signature or a five-pound note. He has a use for them all. Right now he's planning a smash and grab on a valuable collection of silver. But when the robbery goes awry, a man ends up dead – and now the police aren't just looking for a gang of thieves. Now it's murder.

Sing a Song of Murder was first published in 1944, and has remained out of print until this new edition. It includes an introduction by crime fiction historian Curtis Evans.

'I have the highest opinion of Peter Drax's murder stories ... The secret of Peter Drax's success is his ability to make the circumstances as plausible as the characters are real' Sunday Times