In this 1930 collection of twelve short stories, Mr. Satterthwaite-a quiet observer of society-keeps stumbling into puzzles that refuse to stay buried.
At the turning point of each case, a stranger named Harley Quin appears, asks a few simple questions, and then slips away. Old tragedies, hidden motives, and half-forgotten clues rise to the surface in country houses, winter parties, and seaside resorts.
Part mystery, part uncanny tale, these stories show Christie in a more dreamlike, experimental mood. Some mysteries end in justice; others end in uneasy truth.