Publisher's Weekly
From the author of Mortal Term and earlier notable novels comes this tale of crime among the English upper classes. Here, however, Penn demands an extra soupcon of belief. His admirable Inspector Thorne and Sergeant Abbot are fooled too long by conspirators one doubts could succeed so well. At a party given by Alan Poston and his wife Diana, a crisis prompts the murder of Alan's father, Sir Oliver, to hasten the day when the son inherits the victim's fortune. Present at the party are Diana's lover, her brother and a friend of Alan's. Their actions puzzle Diana's naive young sister Celia, a house guest. If Celia were brighter, she might have prevented two more killings. But she doesn't see the significance in the strange behavior of Alan's dog or in other odd incidents. So readers will probably solve the mystery long before Thorne and Abbot literaly dig up the truth.