The story in one page
An unnamed man receives a sudden summons to the Maryland estate known as Hildebrand Hundred. Upon arrival, he encounters a series of unsettling events centered on the death of Francis Graeme. Investigations into the library, where the body was found, uncover a impossible crime involving sealed windows and hidden surveillance. With the help of an observant acquaintance named Chalmers Warriner, the narrator probes the architectural mysteries of the house and the surrounding fields. As local tensions and personal jealousies mount, a fire eventually sweeps through the wing, purging the estate of its dark, cryptic past and clearing the way for the next generation of the Hildebrand family.
Who's who
- Narrator
An heir navigating a house filled with suspicious family mysteries.
- Francis Graeme
The man whose death triggers the inquiry into the library.
- Chalmers Warriner
A keen-eyed man who assists in solving the technical puzzles.
- Betty
The narrator's wife, often the center of his jealous anxieties.
What it's really about
- Surveillance
- Technology used to watch private lives.
- Inheritance
- The weight of family property and land.
Why it's memorable
- A moth cocoon acting as a seal on a library door.
- A telephoto lens spying on a library through a small window.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
The library is rebuilt with peaceful, pastoral scenes replacing the old, violent stained glass. The estate finds rest, leaving the narrator to watch his young son look out over the lands that will one day be his.
For your book club
- Can a building's architecture be a weapon?
- How does jealousy affect an amateur investigation?