Among other things he was a classical scholar, avante garde poet, linguist, and botanist; he was also gifted at playing chess, bridge and piano.

A large inheritance allowed him to devote his time to writing and other pastimes, including gambling at Monte Carlo and the breeding and racing of greyhounds, at both of which he was something of a success.

He was also a collector of objects d’art, first editions and antiques including Georgian silver and Meissen teapots; he would visit sales, auctions and dealers in his blue Rolls Royce, which he loved and drove “enthusiastically”.

Kitchin’s friend and fellow writer L P Hartley included an essay about him in his 1967 collection “The Novelist’s Responsibilities” as well as a forward to his final and posthumous novel.

Kitchin’s first five novels were published by the Hogarth Press, owned and run by Leonard and Virginia Woolf who were admirers of his work.

His first two novels were well reviewed but popular acclaim eluded him and he decided to write a detective story to reach a wider readership.