From a Golden Age Queen of Crime comes "a richly detailed and entertaining romp, with a fascinating resolution and an unconventional and winning sleuth" (Chicago Tribune).

"Margery Allingham deserves to be rediscovered."—P. D. James, New York Times bestselling author

Albert Campion heads to Cambridge as a favor to a friend, whose fiancée is employed by the elderly Faraday family, to investigate the disappearance of her uncle Andrew. What the self-proclaimed "Deputy-Adventurer" finds is foul play of the most heinous kind: murder.

Andrew is found floating in a river, bound and shot in the head. Needless to say, in a household of unlikable characters—presided over by an authoritarian widow—he's not sorely missed. But fear has pervaded the dour family, bringing up decades of suppressed hatreds, petty jealousies, and nasty impulses—all of which lead to a second shocking killing. As the number of Faradays dwindle, so should the number of suspects. But Campion discovers that in a family this dysfunctional, it's hard to stop what hatred has set in motion.

Praise for Margery Allingham

"Margery Allingham stands out like a shining light."—Agatha Christie

"The best of mystery writers."—The New Yorker

"Allingham was a rare and precious talent."—The Washington Post