The last thing London debutante Gay Hardwicke wants is to become involved in another one of her cousin’s messy jams. But Lady Sylvia Colesborough is in over her head this time: She claims she’s being blackmailed by the mysterious Mr. Zero. If she doesn’t steal important government papers from the safe of her politically connected husband, the distinguished Sir Francis, her gambling debts will be exposed. Gay’s reluctant attempts to help Sylvia backfire when a murder raises the stakes—and Gay’s boyfriend, Algy Somers, becomes the prime suspect.

 

Enlisting the aid of her society friends, Gay races to clear Algy’s name and catch a cagey killer before her own days are numbered.

“Debonair . . . Dash of adventure.” —Kirkus Reviews

 

Patricia Wentworth (1878–1961) was one of the masters of classic English mystery writing. Born in India as Dora Amy Elles, she began writing after the death of her first husband, publishing her first novel in 1910. In the 1920s, she introduced the character who would make her famous: Miss Maud Silver, the former governess whose stout figure, fondness for Tennyson, and passion for knitting served to disguise a keen intellect. Along with Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, Miss Silver is the definitive embodiment of the English style of cozy mysteries.