Doctor Syn: by Russell Thorndike

Doctor Syn is a quiet, unassuming vicar in the small fishing village of Dymchurch-under-the-wall. He, his sexton Mipps, and the friendly villagers lead a simple life—until a frigate sent by the King lands at their docks, and an officious captain steps down into the village in search of smugglers.As the captain and his crew investigate the tiny town of Dymchurch, the village is struck by a string of mysterious murders, and the king's men soon find themselves embroiled in a dark conspiracy. The town and its quirky inhabitants may not be all that they seem.Russell Thorndike turned to fiction writing after serving in World War I. Doctor Syn is the first in his series of thirteen novels featuring the titular character, though chronologically, the events in this novel are the epilogue to the series.