Claim: The Punch and Judy Murders is a mystery novel about Kenwood Blake, who is scheduled to marry his fellow British Secret Service operative, 24 hours from now but was sidetracked by an urgent telegram from Sir Henry asking him to come to Torquay to play an undercover role.
Evidence: The Punch and Judy Murders (also published under the title The Magic Lantern Murders) is a mystery novel by the American writer John Dickson Carr (1906–1977), who published it under the name of Carter Dickson. Kenwood Blake, introduced in the previous Sir Henry Merrivale mystery The Unicorn Murders, is about to marry his fellow British Secret Service operative, Evelyn Cheyne, 24 hours from now. He is sidetracked by an urgent telegram from Sir Henry asking him to come to Torquay to play an undercover role under an alias by which he is already known, "Robert Butler".