Mr Bowling is a serial killer, and often buys newspapers after a murder in order to see if the death has been reported.

From early youth Henderson had written novels and plays under various pseudonyms but it was with Mr Bowling Buys a Newspaper that he first published under his own name.

[2] By contrast, one member of the public wrote to Henderson's publishers, Constable & Co, and described it as 'the last word in filth'.

[3] Although adapted a number of times, after Henderson's early death in 1947, it eventually became forgotten, as did his other works.

For many years out of print, Mr Bowling Buys a Newspaper was republished by Collins Crime Club in 2019, with an introduction by Martin Edwards.