Away Went the Little Fish by Margot Bennett

John Davies is waiting to be demobilized from the Army, but while he's waiting they send him to Wetherfold, a small suburban town. He's living in a room in Mrs. Cole's house when his fellow boarder Raphael Sands, an author who's also waiting to be released from the Army, is found murdered. Unexpectedly, Davies--usually very controlled--falls helplessly in love with Sands' estranged wife, now a very suspicious widow. But he also sees a chance to do some detecting as a relief from Wetherfold's boredom, and an opportunity to annoy the police, who dismiss the idea of an amateur detective. For some reason, the first book about Davies is told in first person; this one is told in third person, though largely from Davies' point of view. I think I preferred the first person. This gets at least one star for Bennett's dry, humorous writing style--the book's plot is not humorous, but I kept laughing at what she says.