A London police detective stumbles upon a bizarre burglary during a storm in a thriller by “one of the most popular writers of the early twentieth century” (Mystery Scene). Cambridge-educated Richard Staines, newly promoted to DI by Scotland Yard, has enjoyed a meteoric rise in his career, but he is about to face his most profoundly puzzling case yet. As a policeman, he wouldn’t typically break into a house—but when he finds himself trapped on a balcony in Belgravia during a thunderstorm, he smashes some glass in desperation to gain access to an acquaintance’s property. Making his way through the dimness, he’s shocked to encounter a bound and blindfolded man whose pockets are being rifled through—by a woman in an evening gown. When she turns, he’s staring into the face of the lovely, kindhearted young nurse he met only hours earlier. And then everything goes black . . .