The Fetty sisters are the victims of a cruel will that keeps them virtual prisoners of their sister Prudence, who rules their household through fear. Indeed, for their estranged sibling Mary, who eloped many years ago, being disinherited was a blessing. When Mary’s daughter and granddaughter turn up at the Fettys' house requesting financial help, however, it sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Prudence’s brutal murder. With every member of the household under suspicion, crime analyst Lynn Macdonald has her work cut out. Jaggers, the young policeman working on the case, is honoured to assist the celebrated sleuth. But could the fantastic theory elaborated by MacDonald from the clue of the single match really be correct? And what is the significance of the hobgoblins, which Mary’s young granddaughter claims to have seen cavorting on the landing on the night of the murder? Originally published in 1934, this is a vintage American murder mystery from the golden age of detection.