Lucifer at Ponsfordville

Lucifer at Ponsfordville is a 1959 novel by Australian author James Workman. It was his second novel, and followed The Apologetic Tiger.

Premise

An American town is convinced the rest of the world has been wiped out in a nuclear strike. A man arrives in town, a bank manager called Wilbur Knight, and they are convinced he is the devil. Knight is actually an undercover police officer.

Reception

The Guardian Journal called it "an unusual and original tale of suspense."
The Liverpool Post criticised the "stupidity of those who sent a lone cop into such a viper's nest is only outdone by the luck that preserves him through uncounted shootings to an eventual triumph.