During the London Blitz, Simon Brade, noted connoisseur and amateur detective, is ensconced in his house at Mulberry Grove, London. As the bombs drop he invites his official visitors to peruse an unusual account of a recent murder case... Sylvia Shirley has written her version of events at Howells Farm, where she lives as part of a household presided over by her tyranical brother - the occultist Victor Shirley. Victor's family have become increasingly fearful of the man's forays into magical studies, and things reach a head when Victor's obsession begins to have a detrimental effect on his young son. The would-be magician's seemingly accidental death appears to be the answer to a prayer and the family are only too pleased to gloss over certain... irregularities in the case. Arriving by chance at Howells Farm one wintry night, it falls to Brade to uncover the truth.
Originally published in 1943 this is a vintage murder mystery from the golden age of crime fiction.
