It seems very unreal but the author is not only top-notch with his plot handling but he never strays from the bounds of reason. It isn't easy to fool someone like detective sergeant Blick of Scotland Yard, but he does it. Blick is called in by an archeologist named Mr. Fransenmery to help solve the killing of Guy Markenmore, who had been away from the area for seven years and had returned because of the expected death of his father. There was a question of inheritance but Guy wanted it known he didn't intend to file any claim for money and other holdings. Arriving back at the same time were a one-time love rival, John Harborough, and Veronica Leighton, whom they had once quarreled over ... now the widowed Mrs. Tretheroe. Their mutual arrivals meant that "Why? became a key question. Detective Blick soon found that actions in the past by a youthful Guy might mean someone, not only with something to gain by his death, but also with a sort of "get even" attitude. Suspicion keeps shifting from one or the other. With a story in the golden age of crime fiction, it won't be surprising if the surprise ending surprises you.