Clarissa Hailsham-Brown, the imaginative wife of a diplomat, often invents dramatic stories to liven up her quiet life in the English countryside. Her game becomes reality when she discovers a corpse hidden behind a secret doorway in her drawing room. Fearing her stepdaughter is the killer, Clarissa attempts to hide the body before her husband arrives with a prominent politician. The plot follows her frantic efforts to mislead a police inspector while identifying the victim and the true murderer among a group of houseguests.
Mystery enthusiasts read this text to see a subversion of the traditional investigator role, as the protagonist spends more time obstructing justice than assisting it. Readers gain an understanding of how social decorum and domestic pressure influence criminal cover-ups. The play script format provides a study in pacing and locked-room mechanics. Someone finishing the book walks away with a clear example of how high-stakes deception functions within a rigid class structure and the technical ways a limited physical space can be used to build suspense.
Practical, clear-cut and escapist; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Escapist Adventurer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1956
- Language
- EN
