The Pit-Prop Syndicate

"The Pit-Prop Syndicate" by Freeman Wills Crofts is a mystery novel where a wine merchant's junior partner, Seymour Merriman, finds himself caught up in suspicious circumstances during a business trip to France. It begins with Merriman's arrival in Bordeaux, where he sees a lorry with a changing number plate, which piques his interest about a local sawmill's activities. Weary from his travels, Merriman meets Madeleine Coburn, who helps him with his motorcycle and introduces him to the mill managed by her father. Intrigued by the lorry and the mysterious Coburns, Merriman, along with his friend Hilliard, resolves to investigate the mill's secrets and the strange number plates, leading them on an adventure fueled by curiosity and growing affection for the Coburns.