The story in one page
When Miss Dawson dies suddenly, her fortune becomes the target of a predatory scheme. Lord Peter Wimsey suspects her nurse, Mary Whittaker, is systematically removing any heirs who stand between her and the estate. Aiding this investigation, Miss Climpson monitors the household while Wimsey and Inspector Parker sift through a mess of false names, secret documents, and suspicious deaths. The trail reveals a cold-blooded effort to redirect thousands of pounds by treating inconvenient relatives as simple liabilities. Faced with the collapse of her plan and the weight of the mounting evidence, the nurse eventually ends her own life in prison rather than stand trial for her calculated string of crimes.
Who's who
- Peter Wimsey
An aristocrat and amateur sleuth with a sharp mind.
- Charles Parker
A police inspector and Wimsey's grounded investigative partner.
- Miss Whittaker
A cold, calculated nurse determined to claim a large inheritance.
- Miss Climpson
A private investigator working undercover to assist Wimsey.
- Miss Dawson
The deceased woman whose sudden passing prompts Lord Peter Wimsey to investigate a potential inheritance fraud.
What it's really about
- Inheritance
- Money acts as the primary motive for murder.
- Class
- Social standing masks cruel and calculated behavior.
Why it's memorable
- A cigarette lighter used as a precise investigative tool.
- A tense scene at a country inn over a broken engine.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
The murderer hangs herself in her prison cell while a solar eclipse casts a literal shadow over the city.
For your book club
- Is murder a justifiable business strategy to the cold-hearted?
- Can wealth truly be disentangled from the crimes that created it?