'That is the case. Alison has been murdered. His blazing body was seen running about the battlements of Castle Skull.'
And so a dark shadow looms over the Rhineland where Inspector Henri Bencolin and his accomplice Jeff Marle have arrived from Paris. Entreated by the Belgian financier D'Aunay to investigate the gruesome and grimly theatrical death of actor Myron Alison, the pair find themselves at the imposing hilltop fortress Schloss Schadel, in which a small group of suspects are still assembled.
As thunder rolls in the distance, Bencolin and Marle enter a world steeped in macabre legends of murder and magic to catch the killer still walking the maze-like passages and towers of the keep.
This new edition of John Dickson Carr's spirited and deeply atmospheric early novel also features the rare Inspector Bencolin short story 'The Fourth Suspect'.
A rollicking tale of mystery and adventure set in a Rhineland castle that looks like a skull. With a colourful cast of characters and the enigmatic magician, Maleger, at the heart of it all, the armchair detective will be entertained. There are a couple of red herrings along the way but the keen detective will identify the culprit before the reveal and sit back smugly as Bencolin sheds light on the whole affair and explains how he cracked the case.
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30 September, 2022:
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30 September, 2022:
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