Beneath the surface lay a deadly menace... Trudy Stone received an unexpected legacy - her deceased aunt's villa on the Italian Riviera. But because the villa was closed upon her arrival, she was invited to stay at Benson Steiburn's adjacent Castle Malice. Carl Redman, the young doctor in charge of Steiburn's care, evaded Trudy's questions about her aunt's death. Giuseppe Pascal, the lawyer for the estate, refused to explain why the villa could not be inhabited yet. And Tom Clarendon, a free-lance journalist, made no secret of his distrust of both Carl and Giuseppe. When Trudy became tormented by ghostly apparitions and masked assailants, she tried to unravel the mystery - but whom could she trust to help her?