Mr Ball

In the novel The A.B.C. Murders, Mr Ball is the proprietor of the Black Swan in Doncaster.

Earlier one of his chambermaids Mary Stroud had brought hot water to the room of Alexander Bonaparte Cust, and had noted that the water in the basin was red. At first this did not register but later when news came out that there had been a murder in Doncaster, she screamed that it must have been blood in the water. The room was already empty but Ball questioned some of his staff and learnt that a man was seen sneaking out of the courtyard without a suitcase and he fitted Mary's description of the man. Mary did not want to get involved with the police but Ball encouraged her and brought her to see Inspector Crome.

Ball is described as a "large, slow-thinking, heavily moving man. He exhaled a strong odour of beer." Nonetheless he appeared to be "swelling with pride and importance" when accompanying the police back to search his hotel.