Tern House, on the marshes near the tiny village of Shelton, has lain derelict for years, acquiring a sinister reputation that makes it a cursed spot for the villagers. These fears are not abated when a new owner moves into the house, along with two foreign servants of whom the villagers are instantly suspicious. Claydon Manor - as the house is renamed - has been bought by the sinister Eli Claydon, a mysterious figure who has invited several guests to his new home, among them the solicitor and occasional detective Amos Petrie. As Claydon sadistically reveals the guests' deepest and darkest secrets, wilfully inciting them to hatred and murder, Amos not only wonders what the man's motive might be, but also whether he will ever leave Claydon Manor alive. When a murder is finally committed, however, it is not the one Petrie was expecting...

Originally published in 1935, this is an atmospheric murder mystery thriller from the golden age of crime fiction.