The Master Detective

At Sir Grenville Rusholm’s funeral, the bearers lift the coffin—and freeze: a knock has sounded from within. When the lid is opened, the dead man is gone, replaced by two masses of lead.

In Queen’s Square, among the wreaths and stunned mourners of a distinguished London family, investigator Murray Wigan finds a mystery that leaves even Scotland Yard at a loss. His best hope is Christopher Quarles, professor of philosophy and brilliant crime-solver—who has sworn to give up detective work. But the empty coffin, and those two pieces of lead, are enough to draw Quarles back to his locked thinking-room. With the family’s grief still raw and every detail demanding an explanation, Wigan and Quarles must discover what happened before they can understand why. What could make a body vanish from a sealed coffin?

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