Dornford Yates

Dornford Yates was Cecil William Mercer, a barrister who was junior counsel at the Oscar Wilde trial and cousin to Saki. Between the wars his two inventions — the Berry comedies of a charmed country household and the Chandos thrillers — outsold nearly everyone. They are also steeped in the snobbery and casual antisemitism of his class, which the books never trouble to hide.