Antony Gillingham, humorous and astute observer of life, arrives at The Red House, the manor house of a quiet, uneventful English village, just as a fatal shot is fired, and finds himself tangled up in a mystery that requires all of his ingenuity, trained curiosity and bravery to unravel.

A lot of expository dialogue and conscious Holmes/Watson patter ('I'll put forth a cunning observation, and then you say to me 'By Jove! You are a marvel in this rum business!'" is not a misrepresentation) in this locked-room mystery. Most guests, visitors, and help are absent or rare by the fifth chapter. The denouement is slightly dissatisfying (yes, dissatisfied is the correct word here), but it is an early locked-room mystery, published in 1922.