The first novel in the renowned series introducing the legendary aristocratic sleuth Albert Campion from one of the four Golden Age Queens of Crime.
"An extremely fine tale of death in an English country house." —The New York Times
Pathologist George Abbershaw is on holiday in Suffolk attending a social weekend at the remote Black Dudley manor. His friend Wyatt Petrie has organized a party to provide some diversion for his elderly uncle. With charming young Meggie Oliphant in attendance, George hopes to win her affections. But the lighthearted gathering soon takes a dark turn as the guests are caught in a deadly game.
The group soon discovers that the house is under the control of hardened criminals, and there is a killer among them. Now trapped, George must find a way to thwart their plans while getting himself and Meggie out alive. Luckily, one of the guests is Albert Campion—a notorious party crasher with a surprisingly good knack for solving mysteries.
Praise for Margery Allingham
"Margery Allingham stands out like a shining light."—Agatha Christie
"Margery Allingham was one of the greatest mid-20th-century practitioners of the detective novel."—Alexander McCall Smith
"The best of mystery writers."—The New Yorker
"Don't start reading these books unless you are confident that you can handle addiction."—The Independent
"One of the finest Golden-Age crime novelists."—The Sunday Telegraph
