Speak No Evil by Mignon G. Eberhart

Major Robert Dakin was a drunk. He was a powerful, wealthy man, but he was a drunk. He was married to his second wife, Elizabeth, who was at least 25 years younger than he was. Her friends sincerely wondered why she had married him. She had money of her own so that was not the reason.  She knew that it was on the rebound from her rejection of Robert's cousin's son Dyke Sanderson whom she thought was merely after her money. She still loved Dyke.

Elizabeth and Robert Dakin were in their house in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Also present were Robert's secretary Charlie Hawes, and the servants which included the butler Leech who had been with Robert for many years. Soon, Dyke Sanderson,  who was still managing Robert's business interests, and Ruth Reddington, his business associate, arrived to discuss business matters. They went to a party that evening where Elizabeth met Charmian Daken, Robert's first wife, for the first time. By the time they got home from the party, Robert was drunk, argumentative, and violent. He struck Leech so hard that the man was knocked unconscious. Robert locked Elizabeth in her bedroom which was in their private suite where she could hear him mumbling to himself.

Elizabeth decided to flee the house and was packing her clothes when she heard shots. She found that her bedroom door to the study was now unlocked, and she rushed to Robert's study. She found him dying, shot in the head. The others in the house arrived but could not get in the study because the door to the hall was locked. Elizabeth unlocked the hall door and let them in. By now Robert was dead. They could not find any gun in the room. They called the police, and Inspector Paul Friker arrived. He was an intelligent, but rather cold man, and he immediately assumed that Elizabeth had murdered her husband.

All of the following events are seen through Elizabeth's eyes. More and more evidence seems to indicate that she committed the murder. She is surrounded by people who may or may not be lying to her including two men who say that they love her but who may be lying. More murders follow until Elizabeth learns who the real killer is. I found this book to be an interesting read mainly because the follow up to the murder was seen through the eyes of the major suspect rather than from the viewpoint of the detective.

This book was published in 1940, and there is a subplot about materials for the war. Mignon G. Eberhart wrote over fifty mystery novels. In 1971, she was received the Grand Master of Mystery award from the Mystery Writers of America.