A missing member of Parliament is found dead, pressed in a bale of wool, and a year later Inspector Roderick Alleyn receives a desperate plea involving him in a gruesome war of espionage in which he becomes as much the quarry as the hunter.

Ngaio Marsh, a native New Zealander whose name means “flowering tree” in Maori, was a detective story writer and theatrical producer. She was awarded the Order of the British Empire for her classic mysteries. The continuing popularity of her hero, Scotland Yard’s Inspector Roderick Alleyn, has assured her a lasting place among the world’s top mystery authors.