Something was wrong in this quiet, lovely house, something inexpressibly horrible, something cruel.

Mary Coleridge is destitute and desperate. Out of a job, out of a home, and out of luck, Mary engages in a seemingly innocuous lie to provide her with a little break from London. Posing as her friend, she travels to the countryside to visit Miss Mason’s wealthy aunt. The estate is grand, Mrs de Liane eager and endearing, the food abundant and delectable – it is everything Mary could have hoped for. Realizing the benefits of her con, Mary settles into her new life and the possibility of a new beau.

But something is not right within the great house.

Mary cannot shake the feeling that something sinister is brewing in Barson’s Tye. The sweet Mrs de Liane has soured, scheming to entrap Mary in her devilish plans. When May fails to cooperate, Mrs de Liane holds her captive. How much farther will she go to keep Mary there? With no one to turn to and no way out, will Mary ever escape the house, and the oppressive evil that rules it?

Queen of Classic Crime, Margery Allingham, delivers a dazzling mystery writing as Maxwell March.