Berkeley's work stood out for its focus on the psychology behind crime, often highlighting moral ambiguity and unreliable narratives. Unlike traditional mysteries where the detective solves the case through logic, Berkeley was more interested in exploring multiple possibilities, false leads, and the role of human error in investigations. Roger Sheringham series: Berkeley's most famous character, Roger Sheringham, is an amateur detective who appears in several of his novels, including The Poisoned Chocolates Case (1929). Sheringham is often portrayed as flawed and arrogant, contrasting with the infallible detectives seen in many Golden Age mysteries. Francis Iles novels: Under the pseudonym Francis Iles, Berkeley wrote psychologically driven novels such as Malice Aforethought (1931) and Before the Fact (1932). These works are early examples of 'inverted detective stories,' where the criminal's identity is known from the beginning, and the suspense comes from whether they'll be caught.
