Blackthorn House

First published in the US in 1949, the story kicks off with what seems like a standard, contemporary case of vehicle theft but quickly spirals into murder.

Noel Yewdale buys a car from his uncle Kenneth Winslow's company. Along with the vehicle, he is tasked with transporting a large, heavily locked chest. Before Noel can finish the job, the police seize the car under the suspicion that it is stolen property. While helping Noel retrieve his heavy chest from the impound garage, the police pry it open due to a foul odor—only to discover Kenneth Winslow's body stuffed inside.

Scotland Yard's Superintendent Jimmy Waghorn spearheads the investigation, which soon leads the police to an intricate stolen motor-car ring, a case of inexplicable arson, and a country mansion known as Blackthorn House.

Waghorn and his superiors find themselves juggling three primary suspects: Noel Yewdale, Winslow's butler, and Winslow's business colleague. To break the deadlock, Dr. Priestley steps away from his usual armchair routine to intervene personally, pointing out the critical flaws in the police's theories and unmasking the true culprit.