Was Murder Done? A Classic Crime Novel — S. Fowler Wright

Crime writer Alfred Culbertson concocts a scheme to increase his royalties: he'll fake the murder of his cousin, Thomas Birchell (who's also hard-up for cash), and together they'll reap a bonanza. When Tom takes a dive off a nearby cliff, supposedly to reappear at a later date, all seems to be well -- until a mutilated corpse wrapped in Tom's clothes washes ashore. Is Tom really alive? Or will Alfred face the hangman himself when he's unable to answer the question: WAS MURDER DONE?