A revolver, a razor, a stiletto, and poison were all found at the murder scene. The master of mystery John Dickson Carr combines these elements into a mystery novel of great complexity.Ralph Douglas had in the past a romantic relationship with Rose Klonec; they had their affair at the Villa Marbre near Paris. But the affair ended, and Ralph now wants to marry Magda Toller. Ralph has reasons to suspect that something strange is going on at the now deserted Villa. His London lawyer, Richard Curtis, come to Paris to help with the investigation. When Ralph and Richard go to the Villa Marbre, they find the villa has indeed been used lately, and they find the body of Rose Klonec who has been murdered.
There are too many weapons and too many clues. The master detective Bencolin comes out of retirement to take on the case. He was living on land that he owned near the Villa, and was devoting his retirement to reading mind-improving books. He says "I am at present in the midst of an epic poem which is devoted chiefly to repeating every line three times. It appears to concern a Red Indian family living near a place incredibly called Gitchee-Gumee" No wonder he was eager to undertake the solution of this mystery.
The list of suspects grows as it was found that Rosa Klonec had a secret occupation. The Paris newspapers print interesting solutions to the crime. Especially curious are the articles which are signed Auguste Dupin. Several alternate solutions are proposed, and the suspense builds up to a game of cards at the smoked filled Corpses Club, a gambling establishment for the very wealthy.
This is book for the reader who like complicated puzzle mysteries. It also give an interesting look at the techniques of scientific investigation in 1937. The card player will find the rules of the card game of Basset which is called the game of kings because only the incredibly wealthy could afford to play it.
The book was published in 1937. A modern reprinting does not seem to available.
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